Reading an infield or being able to interpret site specific conditions and how they influence the safety, playability and day to day management of your infield is a prerequisite to effective infield management. Is it a low area or is the surrounding area too high? Can I get the water to flow from here to there? Do I need infield mix or should I remove the lip? These are all questions the sports field manager needs to be able to answer in order to effectively analyze and manage the day-to-day duties involved in infield maintenance.
Righting orputting things right is the primary objective of every field maintenance staff. Proper grooming technique is made possible through an evaluation of existing infield conditions and a comparison of those conditions to a criteria or set of values or conditions determined to be desirable, which support safety and playability. It is not only important to know the current condition of your infield, it is of paramount importance to know and understand what corrections are necessary to "right" the performance of an infield. The objective of your labor should not only be to maintain, but to improve the safety and playability of your infields as much as possible based on an understanding site specific limitations. The most invaluable tools a sports field manager can have at his or her disposal are an understanding of the proper use and application of a laser level, a pocket calculator and a measuring wheel or tape measure.
Total Control Inc. Athletic Field Consulting and Management PO Box 422 Lebanon, NJ 08833 (908) 236-9002