All You Need To Know About Synthetic Grass
Posted by Matt Garrabrants on
Synthetic turf is the most popular type of flooring in sports arenas around the world. The flooring here refers to the green expanse on which the players display their skills. The fake turf, as it is popularly known as was introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. The artificial turf was initially limited to college baseball fields but soon found acceptance in field hockey and other sporting events.
The Structure
Synthetic turf is made of artificial fibers that resemble the features and qualities of natural grass. The grass is made from nylon and other synthetic materials while keeping in mind the texture of natural grass in mind. This results in the creation of grass that has the same size, feel and texture as its natural counterpart. The grass fibers are then attached to a base material that acts as the foundation. This foundation is affixed to the surface of the floor in indoor or outdoor arenas for football, soccer, field hockey, baseball and other sports.
The Texture
It all boils down to the texture of the artificial turf. Synthetic turf needs to emulate the feel of the real grass so as to provide a smooth playing surface to the players. This is where the fake turf has taken a lead and outshone its natural counterpart. Artificial turf offers much greater strength and flexibility than grass. You can explore the texture of the turf by running your fingers on it. You will feel a carpet-like texture but the vibe and look is that of natural grass, creating a combination that is perfect for playing sports.
Performance
The performance of astro turf has been consistently excellent over the years. It has become the fake turf of choice in arenas, baseball fields and stadiums around the world. In soccer fields, artificial turf covers every inch of the playing space, including the practice areas. The same is the case in baseball fields where you will find fake turf to be the preferred platform. The performance of astro turf has been improved over the years to such an extent that now there is a separate variety for every sport. Soccer turf combines elements of flexibility and sturdiness to provide an ideal playing condition for the players. Baseball field turf contains special elements to enhance the performance of the players by providing a firmer grip.
Maintenance
Synthetic turf does not need extensive maintenance procedures. The maintenance actually depends on the type of turf you have installed at your facility. Regular varieties will need watering at least twice a week along with frequent sweeping and vacuuming to remove the debris. Maintenance largely depends on the frequency of matches played on the turf. Regular activity requires extensive maintenance as compared to a stadium that only sees infrequent activity. Still, it is simple and cheaper to keep a fake turf up and running than caring for natural grass.
Synthetic turf is the future of sports stadiums. You will be hard pressed to find professional arenas still using natural grass. The era of grass is almost over as you can get much better and consistent performance from astro turf.
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