Expecting a football field to look like the perfectly green fairways of Augusta National would be unrealistic, but there’s still a very high standard at the University of Georgia. As Kenny Pauley, the school’s director of athletic turf, told SportsField Management magazine, “We’re seen as leaders, and maybe if we lead other people will follow.” What Pauley is referring to are conservation measures that save about a million gallons of water a year, while still keeping Sanford Stadium’s game field and practice football fields a nice emerald green. Part of the secret is using high-tech moisture sensors that determine when the fields actually need water. Instead of watering every day, they may only need watering every other day or possibly even every third day.
Another strategy is to not overseed, which saves a tremendous amount in irrigation costs. Rather than overseed, the grounds crew uses a special turf paint to color grass green that may have gone dormant as the season progresses. This practice, which may be used in late November, depending on the weather, is not uncommon in college football, says Claude Felton, Georgia’s senior associate athletic director.
