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Natural Grass: The Original Sports Surface

Artificial turf was invented in the 1960's and first patented and sold under the name "ChemGrass" by the Monsanto Company. After being installed at the Houston Astrodome in 1966, it was rebranded to AstroTurf® (owned by Sport Group). 

The use of artificial turf for sports is only a small snapshot in human history. Sports have been tracked back at least 3,000 years to the ancient world. All sports were played on natural surfaces until only very recently in time.

Prior to the invention of plastic grass, natural grass was the choice for sports fields for hundreds of years. Turfgrass management has evolved to a science today, with modern field construction and maintenance techniques that have taken what were essentially once fields, to feats of engineering excellence.

Unfortunately many, if not most, municipal and school fields around the country are lagging behind the times. Often our public athletic facilities are overlooked and under-maintained due to budget constraints and lack of trained staff.

When it does come time to renovate, advice is usually obtained from engineers and landscape architects. But are these professionals alone the right experts to help us get the most out of our natural turf fields?


The short answer is no.  In order to understand the full picture when decision-making, we need to include all of the experts who have the knowledge, training and experience to make sure we get these three critical aspects right:

  • Construction
  • Specifications
  • Maintenance

If one or more of these is lacking,  athletic fields will fail to meet demand for use and the needs of the community. We also run the real risk of a field failing altogether. This is true for both artificial and natural surfaces. That's why it's so important for communities to consult with sports field management experts in natural grass if they want to get the most out of their facilities, and not just rely on engineers and landscape architects alone. 

Another reason to include field maintenance professionals in the discussion is the conflict of interest hiding in plain sight 





https://www.syntheticturfcouncil.org/​ 



​Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass: A Case Study of Environmental Effects, Health Risks, Safety, and Cost https://www.mdpi.com/3396042