Smart Turf

A Day in South Bend

2012-02-09T21:34:00.001-05:00

I spent Tuesday in South Bend. First stop in the trip was at Coveleski Stadium, home of the South Bend Silver Hawks. Here are a couple of photos of the playing surface.

After a quick stop at St. Mary’s College, I stopped across the street at the University of Notre Dame. I looked at the infield at Eck Stadium. What I found interesting was the infield mix was soft from the winter freeze/thaw, but the DuraEdge Pro infield surface was still providing a “cleat in-cleat out” surface during practice!

A stop at Notre Dame would not be complete without a stop at Notre Dame Stadium. So, here is a photo as I walked up the tunnel.

Click HERE to learn more about the South Bend Silver Hawks.

Click HERE to learn more about St. Mary’s College.

Click HERE to learn more about University of Notre Dame Athletics.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

Indiana University - Warm February Weather

2012-02-07T22:33:00.001-05:00

I was in Bloomington, IN last Friday..... Wow, the golf course and the athletic fields do not typically look this green in early February. In fact, the fairways were in the process on being aerified with solid tines

Next stop, the baseball field. This field was amended with DuraEdge products in 2010. The infield is ready for the early season practices and games.

Finally, the softball field. Here is a shot of the DuraTrax warning track material from the Natural Sand Company.

Best of luck to Brent Emerick and his crew in 2012!

To learn more about IU Athletics, click HERE.

To learn more about DuraEdge products, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Super Bowl XLVI - Photos from the Village

2012-02-05T20:54:00.001-05:00

The game game is past halftime, so what a better time to look back at the Super Bowl Village. The downtown area was the epicenter for activity for the past two weeks.

First, the XLVI display on Monument Circle

Next stop, Georgia Street in the heart of the Super Bowl Village.

Looking East

The ice sculptures, they could have melted this week!

The 2012 IndyCar Dan Wheldon helped to develop.

Finally, the famous zip line......

Great work Indianapolis! Back to turf related posts tomorrow as it is only 7 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training camp for the Seattle Mariners.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Couple of T-Shirt Designs from a Super Bowl Party Last Night

2012-02-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, the big game is here today. So, today the blog will turn to the Super Bowl and away from turf for 24 hours. Below is the first of two posts for today.

I attended a Super Bowl party last night. Below are a couple photos of local artists takes on the big game....

First, a patriot firing at a giant.

Next, a giant hand hand crushing a patriot.

Enjoy the big game today. Look for a Super Bowl village post later today.....

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

Play on!
--Jamie

DuraEdge - Infield Amendments and Mixes

2012-02-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

A new website was launched this week. dura-edge.com is the new website for DuraEdge products, from the Natural Sand Company. Check it out. Look for additional pages and information as the site grows in the future.

What level of maintenance? What is your SCR? The website explains it all.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Purdue Turf Scholarship Winners

2012-01-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

One final post on the MRTF Green Expo. First, the Purdue Turfgrass Program granted over $15,000 in scholarships at the Green Expo. To see a complete list of the scholarship winners, click HERE.

Next, click HERE for a link from the Purdue Turf Tips website in regards to the Green Expo. 1,700 people attended the expo.

Click HERE to learn more about the Purdue Turf Program.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis-Victory Field Vol 4

2012-01-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well, the big game is less than 2 weeks away. The parties are less than 2 weeks away as well. I took these photos at Victory Field today. Wow, what a difference a week makes!

The first set shows the building on the field. Lights are being hung from the ceiling as well as the video board.

The next photo shows Dan Patrick’s Man Cave under construction in the center field plaza. Also, a photo of the ramp that will take people from the plaza to the field.

Look for another set of photos next week as well as photos from the Super Bowl Village.

To learn more about the Direct TV Beach Bowl, click HERE.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

Purdue Students - #1

2012-01-25T21:52:00.001-05:00

Congrats to the Purdue University Turfgrass Science students! They placed #1 at the 8th annual Sports Turf Manager Association Sports Turf Challenge in Long Beach, CA last week.

To learn more about the results, click HERE for a link from Purdue University Turf Tips.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

NFL Championship Game Weather

2012-01-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

The teams heading to Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI will be determined today. The weather looks good for the game in Foxboro, MA, but it could be wet and muddy in San Francisco, CA.

For the weather forecast, click HERE.

The field at Candlestick was re-sodded in the fall, and it has been raining all week in SF. As you can see HERE, Dec through Feb are the wettest months in the Bay Area.

Finally, click HERE for the top 10 weather games in NFL history as determined by NFL.com.

Enjoy the games.

Play on!

--Jamie

2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis - Victory Field Vol 3

2012-01-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

After a weekend in Long Beach, CA at the STMA Conference, I stopped by Victory Field to check on the progress of the set-up for the Direct TV Beach Bowl. Here are the latest photos:

Look for more photos next week! Good work to Head Groundskeeper Joey Stevenson and staff at Victory Field.

To learn more about the Beach Bowl, click HERE.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis - Victory Field Vol 2

2012-01-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

A quick post with a progress report on the construction of the building at Victory Field that will host the Direct TV Beach Bowl on Saturday February 4, 2012.

The road base has been completed along with the concrete curb that assists in the structural integrity of the building. The structural aluminum is approx. 75% complete. You can definitely start to get a feel of the scope of this 45,000 sq ft structural.

Look for more updates soon.

Click HERE to learn more about Victory Field

Click HERE to learn more about the Beach Bowl

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

Play on!

--Jamie

2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis - Victory Field Vol 1

2012-01-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, the 2012 Super Bowl will be played on Feb 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Many events will lead up to the big game around Indianapolis. One of those events will be at Victory Field. The Direct TV Beach Bowl will on Saturday Feb 4, 2012. I wanted to share a couple of photos with my visit with Head Groundskeeper, Joey Stevenson. The photos were taken yesterday. The photos show the initial stage of the buildout for the event. First step, plastic to protect contamination of the rootzone, then construction of a 6 in road base to start the foundation for additional construction. Look for more photos as the process continues.

See additional photos on the Indians facebook page and learn more about the event by clicking HERE.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

2012 Indiana Green Expo

2012-01-05T23:55:00.000-05:00

The 2012 Indiana Green Expo takes place at the Indiana Convention Center next week. Tom Mahaney from our staff will be presenting along with many others in the Sports Turf Industry. If possible, please take time to support the local green industry and turfgrass research at Purdue.

To learn more about the Expo, 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

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T13:17:00.001-05:00

New Year's Eve gives me a prime opportunity to reflect on 2011 and look forward to new projects and opportunities in 2012. On behalf of the entire crew at J&D Turf, I thank our clients, vendors, partners and friends who helped make 2011 such a success.

To see the video on full-screen, click HERE.

Play on!
--Jamie

Christmas Day - Jasper Baseball and Ruxer Field

2011-12-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I spent Christmas morning in my hometown of Jasper, IN. So, a morning walk led me to some old stomping grounds, Ruxer Field. Ruxer Field is home to the Jasper High School baseball program. Jasper has won 5 ISHAA baseball state titles. Ruxer Field has a capacity of 2,200 and hosts ISHAA tournaments on an annual basis. The surface is a blend of bermuda grass overseeded with ryegrass and tall fescue.

Another facility is the Jasper Baseball Fieldhouse. The fieldhouse, located down the right field line, has indoor batting cages, locker rooms, restrooms, and equipment storage.

To learn more about Jasper High School, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

University of Evansville

2011-12-20T22:14:00.000-05:00

I spent this morning at the University of Evansville. Bob Dale, Grounds Supervisor, lead me on a tour of the baseball, soccer and softball facilities.

First, a photo of Braun Stadium. This baseball facility was completed in 2001 and has a bluegrass outfield surface and a Riviera bermuda grass infield surface

The next photo is from the soccer surface at UE. Arad McCutchan Stadium. The photo below shows the Riviera bermuda grass playing surface overseeded with 14 lbs per 1000 sq ft or ryegrass.

Finally, a photo of Cooper Stadium, home of the Lady Aces softball program.

A special thanks to Bob and his crew for the tour.

To learn more about Braun Stadium, click HERE.

To learn more about McCutchan Stadium, click HERE.

To learn more about Cooper Stadium, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Winter Education - 2011-12 - Vol 1 Infield Maintenance

2011-12-16T17:02:00.001-05:00

The SmartTurf Blog is wrapping up the growing season as winter is setting in across the Midwest. From time to time I will post on projects from the past year and other topical information, but the goal with the blog over the next 3 months will be a focus on education. I will write pieces on the blog as well as sharing sites with additional information on maintaining and constructing athletic fields.

The first item in this series relates to infield maintenance. I published an article in Sports Field Management Magazine in September of this year. Click HERE to see the article.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Purdue Baseball - Alexander Field

2011-12-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

Last week, I stopped by Purdue University to take a look at the new baseball field. Alexander Field will be the new home of the Boilers. The sod was shipped in from Tuckahoe in New Jersey and the infield mix is Dura Edge Pro from Natural Sand Company.

Here are a couple of photos

Look for additional posts on this project in 2012!

To learn more about Purdue Baseball, click HERE.

To learn more about Natural Sand, click HERE.

To learn more about Tuckahoe Turf Farms, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

2011 OTF

2011-12-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation held their annual education and trade show event the last three days. J&D Turf had a booth at the event. Here are a couple of photos.

The stage on the trade show floor:

Next, a photo from the trade show floor:

To learn more about the OTF, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Now is the Time to Apply Snow Mold Fungicides

2011-11-29T21:57:00.001-05:00

As the winter weather approaches, please make the decision to apply or not apply snow mold protection. To learn more about snow mold and the preventative measures, click on the links below.

Click HERE for the Purdue information on snow mold.

Click HERE for the Ohio State info on snow mold.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Indiana State - Sod Complete

2011-11-28T06:50:00.000-05:00

The sodding project at Bob Warn Field at ISU was completed last week. Here are a few photos:

As you can see, the decision to use "standard" small roll sod was made at the last minute. Why? Recent, persistent rains after the native soil rootzone was laser graded provided a surface that was prone to possible damage from the larger equipment necessary for "big roll" sod. Furthermore, the installation of "standard" cut sod was one day quicker than the "big roll" option. Needless to say, the sod was installed right before another rain.

The future plan: A starter fertilizer was applied and the sod was rolled with a 1 1/2 ton duel drum roller. The field will be topdressed with 50 tons of USGA rootzone sand. Opening Day - March 6, 2012.

To learn more about ISU Baseball, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A New Website for Advanced Turf Solutions (ATS)

2011-11-23T05:56:00.000-05:00

A quick note this morning. I wanted to pass along a new website that many of you may find useful. Advanced Turf Solutions (ATS) launched a new website early this week.

The site is full of product info for not only sports turf, but also lawn care and golf products. Finally, there is a blog on the site as well. While the SmartTurf blog is all things sports turf, the Around the Turf Scene blog consists of all things sports turf, lawn care, and golf.

To see the new ATS website, click HERE.
To see the new ATS blog, click HERE.

Play on!
--Jamie

Does Late Fall Fertilizer Affect Spring Green-up?

2011-11-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

The short answer, YES.

Click HERE for a research article from Ohio State in regards to spring green-up and late fall fertilizer applications.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

ISU, Rose Hulman, and DePauw

2011-11-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

My travels this week to me the west side of Indiana. Here is a brief recap:

The J&D Turf crew is re-sodding the outfield at Indiana State. The infield is a FieldTurf surface. In the past 2 weeks, the existing sod in the outfield was removed with a Koro, the rootzone was laser graded and prepared for sod. Sod will be installed Nov 18-19.

To learn more about ISU baseball, click HERE.

The next stop was at Rose Hulman. I snapped a photo of the football field and the practice soccer field. Both surfaces are patriot bermuda grass overseeded with ryegrass. The fields are in great shape, as the topdressing of sand over the years have created a nice sand capped playing surface.

To learn more about Rose athletics, click HERE.

Finally, a stop at DePauw. First stop, Blackstock Stadium. This past weekend DePauw hosted the Monon Bell Game. Here are a couple of photos of the bluegrass/ryegrass surface.

Finally, a couple of photos from the bermudagrass surface at DePauw. Once again, the surface is in great shape after a season of field hockey and practice football. The patriot bermuda grass has been overseeded with ryegrass and topdressed with USGA rootzone sand. A nice sand cap is being constructed.

To learn more about DePauw athletics, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Ross-Ade Stadium in Early November

2011-11-11T10:57:00.001-05:00

I stopped by Ross-Ade Stadium on the campus of Purdue University this week. I wanted to share a quick photo. Below is a photo of the playing surface. The bermudagrass surface has been overseeded with ryegrass. The field looks great and will be ready for the Buckeyes tomorrow.

To learn more about Ross-Ade Stadium, click HERE.
To learn more about Purdue Football, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie