IU Football - A Quick Drain Retrofit

A couple of photos from a drainage project that was completed by the J&D Turf crew at the football practice facility at Indiana University in advance of the start of fall football.

The issue: Catch basins that fell below grade over the years and the grates were exposed

The solution: Install "risers" - Wood risers with holes drilled in the top and synthetic turf glued to the wood and leveled to the surface with a laser

Here are a number of photos of the work:

Digging out the sod and getting the final grade with drainage gravel:

The "riser":

Photos of the "riser" in place:

To learn more about IU Football, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Anderson - Colts Training Camp Fields - July 25 - Ready for Camp

Below are a couple of photos taken yesterday at Anderson U. The Colts are tentatively set to begin camp this weekend. The fields are ready to go.

The Patriot bermuda grass is looking great! Please look at the progress of the field over the summer by clicking one the links below.

Late April - Click HERE
Late May - Click HERE
Mid June - Click HERE
Late June/Early July - Click HERE

Look for additional posts on this field as training camp moves along.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Day in Elizabethtown

I spent the day on Friday in Elizabethtown, KY. “E-Town” is home to the future Elizabethtown Sports Park. James Bergdoll, Sports Park Turf Manager, took the time to show me the progress of the facility. Below are a number of photos.

The first two shots are from the soccer fields. The fields have sand slit drainage. The fields will be sprigged with bermuda grass this week.

The first shot was a close up of the drainage system, and the second shot shows the drains as well as the grade of the fields. The fields are graded at .5%

Next, a couple of photos of the grounds shop.

First, the equipment building, the a shot of the dirt bunkers. James did a great job with this layout.

Finally, two photos from the baseball fields looking north to the soccer fields. This 100 acre+ complex is massive.

Opening day, mid 2012!

To learn more about the complex, click HERE to view James’ blog of the construction of the complex. James updates the blog frequently.

Click HERE, see the layout of the complex.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

2011 Purdue Field Day

The Field Day at Purdue took place this past Tuesday, July 19. The field day is a great opportunity to look at the research that is taking place at the Daniel Center at Purdue. Over 525 people attended the event.

A photo of the research plots, maintenance building, and the Purdue logo:

Crabgrass research:

Bermuda grass winter hardiness:

Another great field day, this is where new products begin.........

To learn more about Purdue Turfgrass, click HERE.

To learn more about the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF), click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Pioneer Park - Reds Community Fund - Francisco Cordero Field

The past Saturday was a great day in northern Kentucky. J&D Turf worked with the Reds Community Fund to renovate a field at Pioneer Park in Kenton County, KY. The field, named Francisco Cordero Field, has a great story. To learn more about the field and why it is named Francisco Cordero Field, click HERE and HERE (Make sure you watch the video)

Below are a number of photos of the field.

First a couple photos from April:

Next, a couple of shots from the sod installation:

A pile of Dura Edge Pro. This material was tilled into a local mix to match the recreational spec for Pioneer Park. Another example of, “We will work with what you have.” The facility is now amended to support Dura Edge Classic.

Opening Day:

Francisco Cordero - First Pitch at the field named in his honor:

The first clinic at Pioneer Park:

To learn more about Kenton County Parks, click HERE.

To learn more about the Reds Community Fund, click HERE.

To learn more about Natural Sand and the Dura Edge line of materials, click 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 V

Please see the photos below. Do you think 7 days in this heat helps bermuda?

The field is growing in nicely with these warm temps. Look for additional post later this week. Opening Day is August 15.

To see last week’s post, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Super Bowl Practice Facility - Before the Turf

I stopped by the University of Indianapolis last week. After visiting both the baseball and softball fields, I headed to the new bubble on campus. This bubble will serve as host to the NFC representative at this years Super Bowl.

The photo below is from the interior of the facility. The paved area (100,000 sq ft) will have an infill turf system for the big game. A regulation football field plus sidelines can fit inside this very large space. Notice the skylight. There are lights inside this building, but under normal light conditions, no lights are needed.

The same principals that were used to inflate the RCA Dome are used to inflate the UIndy bubble. Of course, the RCA Dome had 55,000+ seats supporting the bubble.

Next, a couple of photos of the new locker room. Notice the room is broken into five different rooms. The teams dress in these rooms, and also use them as meeting rooms. The doors of the rooms are overhead doors that double for dry erase boards.

Finally a photo from the baseball field looking at the bubble. This bubble is one of the few in the country that is grey in color. Grey was used for two reasons. One, it is a school color. Two, it is a background for both baseball and softball, so white was not an option.

Look for more posts of this facility as the Super Bowl arrives in Indy.

To learn more about UIndy athletics, click HERE.

To see the first two posts of this project, click HERE and HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie