ACCESSING THE ARCHIVES
“ Failure in recognizing and providing for the factors essential to establish and maintain a satisfactory natural turf playing surface is a sure path to failure ,” wrote Indyk . “ Success , on the other hand … can be achieved and ensured through adherence to essential basic principles involving planning , design , construction , maintenance and use .”
Dr . Eliot C . Roberts , secretary of the National Sports Turf Council and director of The Lawn Institute , wrote about “ Setting Priorities for Public Athletic Fields .”
“ We know that specialized school game areas for tennis and outside basketball have well-prescribed surface requirements ,” he wrote . “ If funds are available for these non-turf locations , why aren ’ t they available for turf areas ?”
The in-depth article detailed research regarding playing surfaces , natural grass , synthetic turf , injury statistics and more .
“ The proof to overwhelmingly support the expenditure of public and private funds for improving natural turf is well documented ,” Roberts stated . “ The National Sports Turf Council , the Sports Turf Managers Association and the Professional Grounds Management Society are anxious to help any school take the initial step toward safer and better sports fields . Only action can make things change .”
Despite the articles on sports turf topics , the January / February 1986 issue was very golf-centric with more golf-related articles rounding out the issue . “ Golf Course Traffic Control : Maximizing Golf Course Revenue While Protecting the Turf ,” provided tips to managing turf wear caused by golf carts ; “ Penalties Give Way to Strategy in Modern Golf Course Architecture ,” highlighted courses designed to fit the skills / level of the expected golfers for the particular course ; and “ Palmer Scottsdale Addition Rushed to Completion ,” detailed the Arnold Palmer-designed Scottsdale Country Club ’ s new nine-hole course . SFM
All content for this section is pulled from the SportsTurf / SportsField Management archives , an ongoing cooperative project of EPG Brand Acceleration , SFMA and the Michigan State University Libraries ( https :// sturf . lib . msu . edu / index . html ).
If you have any personal stories / anecdotes about the early days of the magazine , please contact John Kmitta at jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com or 763-383-4405 . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com October 2023 | SportsField Management
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