3 Days in The Valley of the Sun

This past weekend I spent 3 days in the Greater Phoenix area. I made a few stops. Here is a recap:

The first stop was to the San Francisco Giants Spring Training Complex in Scottsdale, AZ. The complex is broken into two areas. The first area is off Camelback Dr. and is the home to the minor league camp each spring as well as extended spring training, summer play, and fall instructionals. Josh Warstler, A former intern at Victory Field in 2001 oversees this complex and Scottsdale Stadium for the Giants. Scottsdale Stadium is the home to the major league club in the spring as well as the home to Arizona Fall League baseball. Here are a few photos:

The Complex on Camelback Dr........

Scottsdale Stadium:

Notice the shot of the batting cages under the concourse if RF. This not only protects the players for rain in the spring, but also the heat in the summer. The temps on the day of these photos - 117 degrees!

The next stop was Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. This is the newest complex in AZ and hosts the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. As you can see, this is a sprawling complex. I included 2 photos of interest.

First, the batting cages on the back/minor league fields.....

Next, a shot of the landscape. Notice, no turf areas in the landscape in AZ.......

Finally, a game at Chase Field. A retractable roof stadium is a must in Phoenix. Not only was it hot, there were also dust storms each night that correspond to monsoon season in the valley. Outside temp at game time - 107 degrees, inside - 80 degrees!

Here are some photos....... First a shot of the exterior, next from RF showing the Bullseye bermuda grass, then the famous pool, a shot a neat kids area, and finally a shot from behind homeplate........

I thought the stadium was nice, nothing special, short of the roof (think Milwaukee) but very clean. The fans are true west cost and the atmosphere was very muted. This now makes 14 out of 30 stadiums I have visited, I would rank it in the middle of the pack.

To learn more about Scottsdale Stadium, click HERE.
To learn more about Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, click HERE.
To learn more about Chase Field, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Martinsville Baseball Infield - Regrade and Re-sod

The J&D Turf crew was at Martinsville High School early this past week. The task, remove the old infield turf, bring the rootzone to grade using a conical laser and install new sod.

The infield mix was renovated last year using a truckload of Dura Edge Pro to balance the infield and bring it into the Dura Edge Classic spec. At the time this project took place the grade of the infield mix was brought up to the infield edge. Due to budget reasons, the past season was played with the infield in a small "bowl" as the mound edge and the infield edge was on grade but the middle of the infield was too low and held water as well as the baselines were too high after volunteers sodded the baselines a number of years ago. This is a classic example of the Smarturf approach of renovating fields over a number of years, but always moving the surface in the right direction. So, let's check out the project!

Removing the sod.........

Ready for soil, the project needed 5 loads of pulverized topsoil.......

Laser grading the infield..... As you can see, the infield was laser graded using a conical laser, the new soil was blended into the existing soil with a Blecavator and the rootzone was rolled to ensure even compaction.......

Finally, new Kentucky bluegrass sod was installed.......

A special thanks to Don Lipps, AD at Martinsville and Ron McIntosh, Grounds Manager at Martinsville.

To learn more about Martinsville athletics, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Valpo Softball - Follow-up from a Spring Project

Last week, I stopped by Valparaiso University to check in on the softball field. J&D Turf renovated the infield in the spring. The process included one load of Dura Edge Pro tilled into the existing infield mix. The infield was then topdressed with 2 tons of of Diamond Pro Red Infield Conditioner and one ton of Diamond Pro Professional Calcined Clay. A couple field photos are below:

The field played much better this spring, as the DE Pro infield mix balanced the infield and the laser grading eliminated the puddles on the infield.

A special thanks to Adam Klos, Assistant Director of Athletics for Event Management, for arranging the project and the site visit last week.

To learn more about Dura Edge Pro from the Natural Sand Company, click HERE.

To learn more about Diamond Pro, click HERE.

Yo learn more about Valpo Athletics, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Great Mixture to Keep Weeds Out of Infields and Warning Tracks

A simple mixture of Glyphosate in a 2% solution and SureGuard at 3 teaspoons per 1000 sq ft. So, in a 3 gallon spray hand can, 7.68 ounces of Glyphosate and 9 teaspoons of SureGuard. The tank will cover 3,000 sq ft. How well does it work? The photos below are from the warning track at Brebeuf High School. The track was sprayed in March.

Note the weeds along the track edge. This is due to the application. As many of you know, Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill anything it touches. So, be careful along all grass edges. Finally, to get better control, try not the work the infield/track up as this will break the Sureguard barrier.

To learn more about Glyphosate, click HERE.

To learn more about Sureguard, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Day at Notre Dame

I spent last Friday in South Bend to visit Mr. Dan Brazo and walk a couple of the natural grass fields at the University of Notre Dame.

Here is a recap of the visit:

First, a quick stop by Melissa Cook Stadium. To learn more about the facility, click HERE.

Next, I stopped by the soccer stadium. The 100% Kentucky bluegrass turf, from Graff’s Sod Farm, is cut at 1 1/4 inch. The field is in great shape. To learn more about this facility, click HERE.

A trip to ND would not be complete without a stop by the stadium and the library.

The bluegrass/ryegrass surface was in great shape and ready for the home opener against South Florida. To learn more about Notre Dame Stadium, click HERE.

A picture of the library, otherwise referred to as “Touchdown Jesus.”

Thanks again to Dan for the visit.

To learn more about University of Notre Dame athletics, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Anderson - Colts Training Camp Fields - One Week Into Camp

Back to Anderson for a quick update after the first week of camp. After practice on Saturday, the fields were aerified with solid tines and 50 tons of sand was topdressed and watered in. The Patriot bermudagrass is in great shape. Here are a few photos:

The first two photos show the field after aerification and and topdressing and before irrigation.

Finally, a photo of the field during irrigation.

Look for more photos as camp continues.........

To see the post from before camp started, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Morning at Indiana University

I spent Monday morning of the past week at IU. Here are a few photos of the playing surfaces at IU.

First, a shot of the baseball field. The infield has been amended with Natural Sand infield amendments and topdressed with a combination of Diamond Pro Professional Calcined Clay and Diamond Pro Red Infield Conditioner

Next, a photo from the softball field. This shot shows the warning track. The Dura Trax warning track material is from Natural Sand and was installed in the spring of 2011.

The photo below shows the soccer field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. This combination of Riviera and Patriot bermuda grass , cut at 7/8 of an inch, is in outstanding shape for the upcoming soccer season.

Finally, a couple of photos from the football practice fields. The bluegrass/ryegrass playing surface is in great shape as camp begins.

To learn more about IU Athletics, click HERE.

To learn more about Diamond Pro, click HERE.

To learn more about Natural Sand, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Anderson - Colts Training Camp Fields - Aug 1 - Camp Begins

A couple of photos of the playing surfaces in Anderson before camp began yesterday. The Patriot bermuda grass looks great

Look for more photos and updates as camp continues.

To see learn more about the 2011 training camp, click HERE.

To see the previous 4 posts of J&D Turf working on the fields in 2011 click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

DePauw University - Sprigs Have Been Installed, Here We Grow - Vol VI

Stopped by DePauw late last week. Simply stated, WOW. The Patriot is doing well. In fact, an average of 95% cover. Here are the photos:

Do you think 30 days matter? Take a look at the field on July 1.

To learn more about DePauw football, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie