The More We Know,The More We Grow.

Sports Turf Managers Association Fifth Annual Conference & ExhibitionNovember 6-9, 1993

Oriole Park at Camden YardsBaltimore, Maryland

Join the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) atthe home of the 1993 Major League Baseball All-StarGame for its fifth annual conference and exhibition.This year's conference offers fantastic educationalopportunities in a unique location - Camden Yards.The conference and exhibition offers:

turfgrass selection, grooming infields, pesticide usage,multi-use fields, field coverage, and much more.

• Dynamic speakers covering the past, present, andfuture of sports turf, development of Oriole Park,innovation in the turfgrass industry and tips on team-work from the pros.

-!. Exhibits on the Club and Lower levels of CamdenYards, featuring more than 1()()booths with the latestin turfgrass technology.

• Practical education sessions on manyaspects of sports turf management,including drainage systems, soil basics,

~~JU"Manager's Association

Look for registration and exhibitor information thissummer. For more information, contactSusan Seibert, STMA Headquarters,312/644-6610. STMA's Fifth AnnualConference and Exhibit - Come groWwith us!

Sports Turf Managers Association • Promoting Better and Safer Sports Turf Areas

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sportsT'Rf====================J F===============

PROGRAM~

~~Managers Association

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THESPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

STMA OFFICERS

PRESIDENT DR. GIL LANDRY, JR.

PAST PRESIDENT GEORGE ROKOSH

PRESIDENT-ELECT GREG PETRY

COMMERCIAL VICE PRESIDENT EUGENE MAYER

SECRETARY DR. DAVID MINNER

TREASURER KEN MROCK

STMA BOARD MEMBERS STEPHEN GUISE,

JOSEPH ARDOLINO, DR. HENRY INDYK,

JESSE CUEVAS, ROBERT MILANO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRET KELSEY

STMAOFFICE

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MAGAZINE STAFF

PRESIDENT MARK ADAMS

PUBLISHER BRUCE F. SHANK

EDITOR MATIHEW TRULIO

ASSISTANT EDITOR THERESA DELIA

VICE PRESIDENT SALES/OPERATIONS COLLEEN LONG

ADVERTISING SALES JOSEPH H. SELVA

PRODUCTION MANAGER SUSANNE K. NOBLE

ART DIRECTOR DEBORAH A. BELLE

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR COLLEEN D. SWIATEK

DIRECTOR/CIRCULATION DENISE ALLEN

CONTROLLER MARSHA J. WASSER

BUSINESS MANAGER PAUL L. D'ENTREMONT JR.

ACCOUNTING JODI TROUP, CHERI MARTIN

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR YVONNE ADAMSON

ADVISORY BOARD ED BIRCH, TOM COOK, WILLIAM

DANIEL, VIC GIBEAULT, DON HOGAN, HENRY INDYK,

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MROCK, MIKE SCHILLER.

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sportsTURF Magazine (ISSN 1061-687X) is published monthly exceptin December by Gold Trade Publications, Inc. Material in this publica-tion may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the writ-ten permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 1993. Member of theBusiness Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc.

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4 sports TURF

JULY 1993VOLUME NINE, NUMBER SEVEN

MAIN EVENTS8 WINNING TACTICS FOR HANDLING

UNWANTED WATERInfield puddles or outfield bogs, excess water on athletic fields isdetrimen-tal to turf health, aesthetics, playability and safety. Combatting the prob-lem requires integration of effective drainage, proper cultural practicesand, when necessary, several water control and removal tools.

74 STMA PROFILE:CREATIVE FINANCING PAYSDIAMOND DIVIDEND AT MUNDELEIN HIGHAs new grounds foreman at Mundelein High School in Illinois,Scott Gaunkystepped onto a baseball diamond with a sorry past and a dismal future -no funds for reconstruction were available. Undaunted, Gaunky rallied thecommunity, turf product suppliers and turf professionals to help transformthe diamond into one of the finest in the area.

78 SPOT MANAGEMENT:KEEPING HIGH-USE AREAS IN PLAYMore than visually unappealing, worn spots on athletic fields caused byexcessive traffic present a safety hazard to players. The best defense isastrong offense, minimizing traffic in these areas through field rotation.However, when that's not possible there are number of steps you can taketo bring worn spots back to health.

22 ROAD TO HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLE SELECTIONTodov's heavy-duty utility vehicles offer far more than basic transportation- they can be an integral element of your overall turf maintenanceprogram. With the range of choices in the turf utility vehicle market, addinga heavy-duty model to your equipment arsenal can boost your crew'sproductivity. Here are a few basics to look for when you buy.

LINE-UP6 FRONT OFFICE6 EVENTS73 CHEMICAL LOG20 STMA IN ACTION24 EXPLORING

EQUIPMENT

24 EXPLORINGEQUIPMENT

26-.29 OPEl EXPOPRODUCT SHOWCASE

37 ROOKIES33 SCOREBOARD

ON THE COVER: Proper maintenance of baseball diamond skinnedareas prevents low spots and lips that can lead to infield puddlingduring rainstorms. Atlanta Fulton County Stadium,photo courtesy: Aimcor.

w en you C oose rom lSI'slineup of world class turf seeds

"Seed - the Gift of Life"®

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THE FRONT OFFICET

OPINION PAGE

6 sporfsTURF

EVENTST

CALENDAR

JULY23 STMA Southern California

Institute, San Diego JackMurphy Stadium. Contact: Chris Bunnellat (619) 432-2421 or (619) 945-8518.

AUGUST5 National Turfgrass Evaluation

Program turfgrass researchfield day. Beltsville Agricultural ResearchCenter-West, Beltsville, MD. Contact:Kevin Morris or Jennatte Wills (301)504-2125.

17 WisconsinTurfgrass Field Day.O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research

and Education Facility, Madison, WI.Contact: Dr. Frank Rossi (608) 262-1490.

SEPTEMBER14-15 Southeastern North Carolina

Professional TurfgrassConference. Wrightsville Beach HolidayInn, Wilmington, NC. Contact: Dr.Bruce Williams (919) 253-4425.

26- 29 Florida Turfgrass Association's41st annual conference and

show. Tampa Convention Center, Tampa,FL. Contact: FTGA (800) 882-6721.

NOVEMBER1-3 National Institute on Park and

Grounds Management annu-al educational conference.Sheraton DenverTechCenter, Denver, CO.Contact:NationalInstitute (414) 733-2301.

15-18 Green Industry Expo '93.Baltimore Convention Center,

Baltimore, MD. Contact: Green IndustryExpo Management (404) 973-2019.

16-18 Penn State Golf TurfConference. Nittany Lion Inn,

University Park, PA. Contact: PeterLandschoot (814) 863-1017.

oSend announcements on your events

two months in advance to:editor, sports TURF magazine,

68-860 Perez Road, Suite J,Cathedral City, CA, 92234.

Fax (619) 770-8019.

Chapters include segments on:• great irrigation projects • equipping the industry• crop irrigation with • the global villagereclaimed water • pumps, pipes and power

• agriculture today• beautifying the landscape• toward the future

Help celebrate theachievements of ourindustry.Order Water and Land now andtake advantage of our low pre-publication prices:1- 4 copies5 - 9 copies10 - 24 copies25 - 49 copies50+ copies

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$19.25 eachPrices good through September 1, 1993.Allow three weeks for delivery of books andtwo weeks for other materials in the U.S.Allow threemonths for delivery ofinternational orders. All orders sent surfacemail. All mail charges are extra. Paymentmust accompany all orders or charge to Visa,MasterCard or American Express. If orderingby phone, use credit card payment.

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Absorbent calcined clay products, such asQuick Dry, shown in application here, can beused to dry up shallow puddles. Photocourtesy: Aimcor.

By Matthew Trulio

On June 5, something extraor-dinary happened in SouthernCalifornia - it rained.

Rainfall totals for the day varied betweentrace amounts and more than an inch insome areas. The bulk of the rain camein a four-hour period. By the precipita-tion averages of most of the country, itwasn't terribly impressive. However,by Southern California's standards it wasa record, for both for the day and entiremonth of June.The storm was well-forecasted and

caught few people by surprise, least ofall Steve Wightman, stadium turf man-ager at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium,home of the Padres and Chargers. Despitethe generally idyllic San Diego climate,Wightman stays "dialed into" the weath-er forecasts. It's a good habit he pickedwhen he managed the field at Mile HighStadium in Denver.''We have a pretty good dialogue with

the National Weather Service - wecan call any time, 24 hours a day, and talkto a person," he explains. "At Mile High,we actually had a meteorologist onretainer."Wightman's concern over the weath-

er on June 5 wasn't casual or curious -the Padres were scheduled to play theFlorida Marlins that evening and season-high attendance was predicted.

8 sporfsTURF

WINNING PLAYSFOR HANDLING

UNWANTED WATER"We were looking at having some

50,000 people," he explains. "It was batnight, and that always draws a bigcrowd. We didn't want to lose that game,so every effort was made to keep it."The National Weather Service sure

hit this one right," he continues. ''We wereready for it. On Thursday [June 3] westarted going over our plans for putting

down the tarp and dealing with therains during the game. Once we thoughtthe rains were coming, we elected toput down the tarp. We got it on just asthe rain hit and had to cancel batting andinfield practice. At 6:20 p.m. we pulledthe tarp off, and at 7:20 p.m. the gamestarted, although the chance of showerswas still there. The crew did a terrific job."

The Padre lost to the Marlins thatevening. The game, however, was saved.Where Water Troubles StartIn a perfect world, all athletic fields

would not only have subsurface drainagesystems, but also soil percolation ratesthat actually allow these systems tofunction at their optimal levels. (Youmayhave a drainage system that can "drain6 inches per hour," but if your percola-tion rate, the rate at which water trav-els through the soil profile, is 1 inchper hour, your rate of drainage will be1 inch per hour.) But as any turf man-ager on an athletic field after a summersquall can attest, the world is less thanperfect.There are a number ofreasons for poor

field drainage. Compaction caused by traf-ficis probably the most common.But evenan uncompacted soil profile can become"clogged" with organic matter over timein the natural drainage process. Thatchbuildup can further inhibit drainage.Low spots, caused by traffic, improperdaily maintenance or poor field layout,can produce pond-sized puddles on anathletic fields after even a moderaterain. And, of course, climate plays arole. By virtue of simple weather patterns,the water removal headaches of a turfmanager in a dry climate are much lesssevere than those of a turf manager ina high rainfall area.

Cultural and MaintenanceSolutionsShort of completely rebuilding an

athletic field that becomes a quagmirewith the first morning dew, there are anumber steps you can take to relieveexcesswater problems on an athletic field.The first is to improve whatever drainageyou have. That can mean retrofittingthe field with subsurface drainage.However, without addressing the soilprofile the new system will be of littlebenefit. Regular aerification and othermaintenance practices are crucial."You have to perform the necessary

cultural practices that address the mostimportant issue of any athletic field,which is drainage," Wightman asserts."It's not just for handling heavy rainbefore and during games. Drainage con-tributes to the healthy growth of turf.Make sure all turf areas are well-aeri-fied and topdressed frequently, anddethatched if necessary."Low spots on baseball diamond infield

skinned areas, which lead to puddles, arecreated as much by improper dragging

as they are by player traffic. Low spotsshould be lightly excavated, moistened,refilled with the appropriate infield mix,tamped and dragged.Improper dragging also creates lips.

Not only do lips make for erratic baseballhops, but they also form mini-dams,which prevent water from draining tothe outfield and cause puddles onskinned areas. Using correct draggingtechniques (see sportsTURF January1993, "Big Game Field Preparation")will help alleviate this problem. Iflipsdo build up during a game, they should

be removed after the contest iscompleted.Water Control ArsenalThere a number of tools for control-

ling excessmoisture on athletic fields.Oneof the most effective, in both preventa-tive and curative applications, is cal-cined clay.In general, calcined clay products

are made of extremely porous clay mate-rials. Part of their manufacturing pro-cess includes being fired at high tem-peratures, which keeps the otherwiseunstable materials from breaking down

continued on page 12 .

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