Update from Center for Sports Surface Research

At Penn State’s Center for Sports Surface Research, our research continues to focus on maximizing both the safety and playability of natural and synthetic turf playing fields. After a harsh winter including 19 straight days with low temperatures in the single digits, our warm season grass plots experienced some winter kill but bounced back nicely during the wet summer.

Our warm season research plots include three bermudagrass cultivars (Patriot, Northbridge, and Latitude 36) and one zoysiagrass cultivar (Zeon). These plots allow us to test traction and other surface characteristics on grasses used in the south in addition to our Kentucky bluegrass plots. We are also currently involved in a turf traction study that included taking our traction tester ‘Pennfoot’ on the road to various fields in the northeast this summer. Our research findings continue to point to the importance of cleat selection as aggressive cleat patterns typically produce higher torque and injury risk on both synthetic and natural turf.

We continue to evaluate and compare test methods for measuring surface hardness. Guides for measuring and managing surface hardness along with other useful information can be found in the ‘Resources’ area of our website – ssrc.psu.edu.

Research Summary submitted by Tom Serensits, Manager, Center for Sports Surface Research, Penn State University