Updating the overall format of the site.
Synthetic Turf or Natural Grass? Which is Best?
Unbiased Resources for Costs are Hard to Find
Though there is a lot of information about the costs to build and maintain synthetic turf and natural grass turf, most of the information is provided by corporations that sell or install the turf. Some "official" reports from universites were sponsored by organizations that sell artificial turf or natural grass turf. It took a lot of research to find information that seems unbiased.
The most-neutral information that I found comes from the Sports Turf Managers Association.
http://www.stma.org/
"STMA has more than 2,500 members who are sports turf managers, academics, students, and those in the commercial sector. The sports turf managers work for many different types of employers including schools K-12, higher education, parks and recreation, and facilities used by professional athletes"
There is little doubt that a blade of synthetic grass will last longer than a blade of natural grass, but that does not mean that a synthetic turf field will last longer or cost less to maintain than a natural grass turf field. The entire field needs to be taken into account when it comes to determining the life of the field.
This guide, written by members of both the synthetic turf and natural grass turf industries, is one of the most-unbiased resources that I have found. It's clear, short, and to the point.
Synthetic Field Construction Guide http://www.stma.org/sites/stma/files/STMA_Synthetic_Guide_2nd_Edition.pdf
According to the guide, annual maintenance for a synthetic turf field will be about $6000 per year, though special equipment will need to be purchasd for the field grooming, etc. Annual maintenance for a natural grass turf field will range from $4000 to $11,000 per year, depending on how the field is used. See the guide for examples. The school district already has the mowers and equipment needed to maintain a natural grass turf field. The largest maintenance expense of a synthetic turf field is the disposal of the old synthetic turf and the purchase and installation of the new turf, which will be about $6.50 to $7.90 per square foot ($375,000 to $450,0000) every 8 to 10 years, if we use FieldTurf's synthetic turf lifetime estimates. Two other significant expenses are the addition of the Nike Grind (or other) infill (~$1000 per year) and annual testing of the GMAX rating (~$500-$1000 per year).
Choosing the proper natural turf grass field construction method is important to ensure proper drainage. Three common methods are: Natural with On-site Native Soil, Natural with Sand Cap, and Natural with Sand and Drainage. All three have different costs, but have lower short and long term costs of synthetic turf, without the negative side effects. See the STMA Guide above.
Tutorial
The recommendations in the Natural Grass vs Synthetic Turf Athletic Field Costs tutorial seem to be generally sound and honest in describing the costs of natural grass turf and synthetic turf.
The full tutorial is at the links below.
Natural Grass vs Synthetic Turf Athletic Field Costs
http://www.texasmultichem.com/blog/natural-grass-vs-synthetic-turf-athletic-field-costs-part-1.html
or download the entire whitepaper here:
http://tmcturf.gs/grass_v_turf
References and More Information
