Natural turf has long been the only option available for playing fields. Despite its popularity, natural turf can be difficult and expensive to maintain. If the natural turf is regularly used, in the case of a park or school athletic field, it is almost impossible to prevent signs of heavy wear. Our Chicagoland weather can also seriously diminish the attractiveness and usefulness of the athletic field.

The largest advantage to synthetic turf the low cost of maintenance and the added ability to use your field year-round. A traditional field requires regular upkeep throughout the year and through the off season. Large sections of turf that receive heavy wear may have to be replaced, and the whole area must be carefully fertilized and aerated to promote growth. The redrawing of game lines and regular trimmings that are required also heavily factor into maintenance costs for natural turf. Synthetic turf requires a minimal amount of maintenance and regular sweeping to remove debris.

New synthetic turf, unlike the AstroTurf of the past, combines the desirability of grass with increased durability of a synthetic product. Synthetic turf is made of a variety of layers, with careful consideration given to drainage and producing a surface that is no harder than traditional turf. In fact, athletes have reported they actually prefer these newer incarnations of synthetic turf rather than natural turf.

A Little Info on "Infill"

When using infill, you have several options: 1) silica sand, 2) uncleaned rubber infill, 3) triple-cleaned rubber infill, 4) cryogenic rubber infill (used in professional fields), or 5) a combination of any of the first four.

When using infill, CHICAGO DREAM GRASS recommends using option 3).  Option 3) is 100% triple-cleaned, 100% lead-free rubber infill.  It's triple-cleaned so you don't need to worry about metal contaminants.  Plus 100% rubber infill provides added fall protection, increased turf buoyance, increased turf longevity, and an overall better-looking and cleaner turf finish than using sand infill alone.

A Little On "Face Weight" vs. "Total Weight"

Face Weight is a measure of the amount of 'lawn blades / thatch' that is in your turf.  Face weight is measured by taking 1 square yard of turf, removing the turf backing, and putting lawn blades/thatch on a scale to weigh it.  The unit of measure is in ounces per square yard of turf (oz./sqyd).

Total Weight is Face Weight plus the weight of the turf's backing. 

So, for example, if a turf's Face Weight is 48oz and it's Total Weight is 68oz, how much does this turf's backing weigh?  Answer: 20oz.

All of CHICAGO DREAM GRASS' turf names are followed by a number (e.g., 48).  These numbers indicate the turf's Face Weight.  When comparing grasses across companies, make sure you are comparing Face Weight to Face Weight or Total Weight to Total Weight to do a fair comparison.

Note: All of our Athletic Turfs are made of the highest manufacturing quality standards and come with an Industry-Standard 8-Year Manufacturer Warranty.  Your choice on which turf to use should be based on your field wants and needs.  For example, how fast do you want your field?  Or, are you willing to pay more for a more plush-looking field?

Recommended Athletic Grasses:*

MAX41 ($1.35) (OUR MOST POPULAR ATHLETIC GRASS) Click Here -- to View Close-Up Photo: 41oz Face Weight, 61oz Total Weight. 2&1/8" pile height, wide lawn blades.  Requires infill.  Ideal for indoor and outdoor soccer or football, paintball.

The long blades on this turf, 2&1/8", allow for more rubber infill to be installed in between the lawn blades.  This makes MAX41 ideal for higher-impact sports such as soccer and football, outdoors or indoors.  The additional rubber infill adds cushion and thus more protection for your athletes.

The long blades on this turf, 2&1/8", allow for more rubber infill to be installed in between the lawn blades.  This makes MAX41 ideal for higher-impact sports such as soccer and football, outdoors or indoors.  The additional rubber infill adds cushion and thus more protection for your athletes.

Similar to MAX41 but with 27% more material, PRO52 offers added cushion and a richer look than MAX41.  If you want the best appearance with a tall blade, this is your turf choice.

The shorter blades on this grass make it a much faster grass than MAX41 and PRO52.  That is, due to its shorter fibers, your athletes will exhibit less resistance and be able to run much faster on this grass.  Expect faster play!