Is Ryegrass an Option for Athletic Fields?

The short answer, YES. The longer answer, be prepared for the ups and downs that will occur year in and year out with ryegrass.

Case in point, Butler Softball. Scott Hall, the head coach, wants the field to look and play well in the early spring and in the fall. He also wants to cut his field at 1 inch. So, a decision to use straight Barenbrug RPR ryegrass was made. Bluegrass stays dormant too long in the spring and fescue is out for many reasons, mostly the cutting height. The trade off, either the field needs to be sprayed on a frequent basis in the summer to lessen disease, or it needs to be re-seeded each August.

The field in early August:

The field 2 weeks later after a solid tine aerification and overseeding with ryegrass at 10 lbs/1000 sq ft.

Click HERE for photos of the field from the spring.

It may be a bit unconventional, but it works for the expectations of the Butler softball program.

Click HERE to learn more about Butler Softball

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie