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About 49 years ago… in the early 60’s… Astro Turf exploded into our consciousness as the latest and greatest playing field for football. Many armchair debates were held over the relative merits of synthetic vs. “real” grass. Colleges sent out fund raising letters to alumni asking them to buy a square foot of this new miracle turf.
Could golf be far behind? Of course not. But the early greens made with Astro Turf turned out to be disappointing.
During the 80’s and 90’s manufacturers developed and tested the process of sand-filling turf. This process, which involved laying turf with a padded back over a concrete surface, then sand filling, proved not to be the best answer. The sand filling became hard and slippery… and knee injuries to college athletes ended many a football career.
The golf industry was also testing and experimenting with different methods… and having the same problems. When the surfaces became hard putting was still good, but chipping wasn’t. Some companies developed a less dense material that could be filled with a material of a coarser nature.
The real breakthrough came with the advent of nylon fibers. Nylon and special blends of polypropylene enabled us to create products that require little if any sand fill. These new fibers give our putting greens a realistic putting surface, extremely long life, and a playing performance that is only rivaled by living grass.
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