TURF TALK! Have you heard?

[DoWork]

Turf, turf, turf. It's the sexiest, most luxurious surface one can play on. Sure, some prefer concrete or pavers but there's no denying the soft, scrunchy feel of the turf has an allure all it's own. It looks great and it plays great.

It has some drawbacks though- namely cost, installation and maintenance, and also some types can become extremely slippery when wet, especially once they're worn in.

I've tried so many types and gotten so many samples it can be dizzying to try to make a choice but I'm happy to report THERE IS A BEST and it is without a shred of doubt in my mind *field hockey turf*! It's got a SUPER tight pile and very thin filaments so it is dense and very grippy, it also has a carpet-style backing so it is extremely beefy and easy to mount on just about anything. The REAL prize though has got to be the wet performance- field hockey specific turf is actually optimized when wet and in an official setting it is actually sprayed down before a game- so those "slippery when wet" packed down turf tees are simply not possible. Most slippery turf has flat filaments as blades of grass, so when it gets stomped down and wet your foot slips on the flat side- with the denser packing, non-flat filaments and wet-biased construction, the difference is incredible and I really just want to spread the word about this stuff so we can stop paying good money for non-ideal equipment.

One try on a wet tee box with the field hockey turf and you'll never even consider the old-school astroturf style stuff again. It's amazing how different it really is!

 

[Horsman]

Are there any courses that you are aware of that uses this style turf, I'd love to try it out

 

[biscoe]

Turf, turf, turf. It's the sexiest, most luxurious surface one can play on. Sure, some prefer concrete or pavers but there's no denying the soft, scrunchy feel of the turf has an allure all it's own. It looks great and it plays great.

It has some drawbacks though- namely cost, installation and maintenance, and also some types can become extremely slippery when wet, especially once they're worn in.

I've tried so many types and gotten so many samples it can be dizzying to try to make a choice but I'm happy to report THERE IS A BEST and it is without a shred of doubt in my mind *field hockey turf*! It's got a SUPER tight pile and very thin filaments so it is dense and very grippy, it also has a carpet-style backing so it is extremely beefy and easy to mount on just about anything. The REAL prize though has got to be the wet performance- field hockey specific turf is actually optimized when wet and in an official setting it is actually sprayed down before a game- so those "slippery when wet" packed down turf tees are simply not possible. Most slippery turf has flat filaments as blades of grass, so when it gets stomped down and wet your foot slips on the flat side- with the denser packing, non-flat filaments and wet-biased construction, the difference is incredible and I really just want to spread the word about this stuff so we can stop paying good money for non-ideal equipment.

One try on a wet tee box with the field hockey turf and you'll never even consider the old-school astroturf style stuff again. It's amazing how different it really is!

You are spot on on all points except for the fact that the field hockey turf IS old-school Astroturf. There are roughly 10 courses in my area with it. Knitted nylon- not polypropolene.

 

[DoWork]

Are there any courses that you are aware of that uses this style turf, I'd love to try it out

We have it at Magic in VT, and also the old style turf on two holes still, so you can literally do a side-by-side comparison. I am not sure where else uses it though.

 

[DoWork]

You are spot on on all points except for the fact that the field hockey turf IS old-school Astroturf. There are roughly 10 courses in my area with it. Knitted nylon- not polypropolene.

Sorry for the inaccuracy, I had never seen it before and was told it's generally for a very specific use.

How long has it been used in your area and how have they aged? I'm really enthused about the user friendliness and have even converted a few turf haters into turf lovers with this stuff.

 

[biscoe]

Sorry for the inaccuracy, I had never seen it before and was told it's generally for a very specific use.

How long has it been used in your area and how have they aged? I'm really enthused about the user friendliness and have even converted a few turf haters into turf lovers with this stuff.

The first course in this area to have it (Walnut Creek) has had it for about 10 years. It seems to have aged better than the wood around it and shows just a bit of wear on the turf itself. I have sourced a couple of fields from area colleges and they tend to be beat up in the area where they do faceoffs but fine everywhere else.

It used to be used for just about everything prior to the advent of the infill fields- it would tear people up when falling on it though so has fallen out of favor for most sports.

 

[biscoe]

Are there any courses that you are aware of that uses this style turf, I'd love to try it out

Walnut Creek
Woodshed and Whipping Post
Lake Marshall
Loriella
Hampden Sydney College (going in this fall)
Waller Mill (I think, I did not source that turf)
Cannon Ridge
Hawk Hollow
Dorey Park (in process)
Kiwanis
Meadowcreek
Raptor's Roost
Swover Creek Brewery
Wilderness Presidential Resort

 

[aredoubles]

…Cannon Ridge…

I've played many of the courses on this list, and while those tees were mostly fine, I largely remained a turf skeptic. But I just played Cannon Ridge for the first time, and holy moly, those were the nicest tees I have ever played on, on any course, bar none. I would be A-OK with those becoming a gold standard for disc golf courses of the future. Something about the way those tees were installed and maintained made an enormous difference to how they felt, compared to other turf tees. Nice and level, no lumps at all, etc., they felt so luxurious and nice to throw from. Whatever Doug is doing there, let's all do that.