Evolution of Synthetic Turf
One of the greatest impacts on sports organizations has been the evolution of artificial turf for playing surfaces. Natural turf grass playing surfaces have been used successfully for many years. However, excessive use from multiple sports teams has lead to the replacement of natural grass to the artificial surfaces.
Astroturf is a brand of artificial turf or synthetic grass was developed by the Monsanto Industries in the 1960’s. The Ford foundation was studying ways to improve the physical fitness of young people at the time. Monsanto’s Chemstrand division was urged by the Ford foundation to make the perfect sports surface for schools. In 1964 the Creative Products Group installed the first large-scale synthetic turf called Chemgrass at the Moses Brown School in Providence Rhode Island. The following year in 1965 the Astrodome was build and the natural grass surface failed due to low levels of light. In 1966 the Astrodome’s natural grass field was replaced by the Chemgrass product thus the renaming it to Astroturf.
The First Generation surface was nothing more than a 3/8” nylon carpet on top of a rubber pad. The installation had to include proper slope so the field could drain in adverse conditions. The surface was fast and smooth but it did cause rug burns and increased other injuries due to its non-forgiving nature. Many players experienced un-natural bounces of the ball which increased the number of bad plays in a game.
The Next Generation turf introduced the rubber filled aspect. The carpet ranged in thickness from 2.0-2.25 inches and was filled with the ground up rubber from old tires called crumb. This softer surface absorbed more shock when landing. The product better resembled natural grass and the drainage systems were improved to disperse heavy rains at a faster rate.
The latest generation of synthetic turf replicates the lush natural grass in appearance and in function. It provides year-round all weather playing surfaces built to
Astroturf is a brand of artificial turf or synthetic grass was developed by the Monsanto Industries in the 1960’s. The Ford foundation was studying ways to improve the physical fitness of young people at the time. Monsanto’s Chemstrand division was urged by the Ford foundation to make the perfect sports surface for schools. In 1964 the Creative Products Group installed the first large-scale synthetic turf called Chemgrass at the Moses Brown School in Providence Rhode Island. The following year in 1965 the Astrodome was build and the natural grass surface failed due to low levels of light. In 1966 the Astrodome’s natural grass field was replaced by the Chemgrass product thus the renaming it to Astroturf.
The First Generation surface was nothing more than a 3/8” nylon carpet on top of a rubber pad. The installation had to include proper slope so the field could drain in adverse conditions. The surface was fast and smooth but it did cause rug burns and increased other injuries due to its non-forgiving nature. Many players experienced un-natural bounces of the ball which increased the number of bad plays in a game.
The Next Generation turf introduced the rubber filled aspect. The carpet ranged in thickness from 2.0-2.25 inches and was filled with the ground up rubber from old tires called crumb. This softer surface absorbed more shock when landing. The product better resembled natural grass and the drainage systems were improved to disperse heavy rains at a faster rate.
The latest generation of synthetic turf replicates the lush natural grass in appearance and in function. It provides year-round all weather playing surfaces built to