Cost Analysis for Natural Grass and Artificial Turf Fields
Researchers: Chengyan Yue and Chase Straw, University of Minnesota and Penn State University
While there exist some cost data showing the difference between natural grass and artificial turf sports fields, these data are mostly outdated. Tere is an urgent need to update the data to provide accurate and current information on the cost implications and usage parameters of the two types of fields. Tis survey aims to address this gap by leveraging the expertise of field managers, maintenance staff, and/ or construction companies, and to gather updated data on the use and cost factors influencing the choice between natural grass and artificial turf fields, including installation and maintenance costs, hours of use, life cycle, replacement costs, etc.
A detailed survey has been developed to gather the cost data of natural grass and artificial turf fields. Te target participants include field managers, maintenance staff, or/and construction companies. Te survey comprised questions eliciting the following information:
Installation and Maintenance Costs
o Initial installation costs for natural grass vs. artificial turf.
o Ongoing maintenance costs and requirements for each type of field.
Hours of Use
o Average hours of use per week/month/ year for natural grass and artificial turf.
o Impact of weather and seasonal changes on usability.
Life Cycle
o Expected life span of natural grass fields and artificial turf fields.
o Factors influencing the longevity and performance of each type of field.
Replacement Costs
o Costs associated with replacing natural grass and artificial turf fields.
o Frequency of replacement and major renovation needs.
o Cost of disposal of natural grass and synthetic turf.
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Casey Reynolds, PhD, is executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.
All photos and graphics for this article have been supplied by the research team of the research project in which they appear.
TPI Turf News September/October 2025 Call for Research Proposals
Te Lawn Institute will continue to release its annual Call for Research Proposals each August and work hard to fund research that is impactful to TPI members. If you have questions or comments about this process; or about specific research interests, please contact Dr. Casey Reynolds at
CReynolds@TurfgrassSod.org.
Additionally, other information such as organization type (public school, private school, municipal government, county government, etc.), and the state where the fields are located will be collected to explore how location and organization type impact the costs.
Te survey development will be initiated by the Principal Investigators (PIs) but will be improved by seeking feedback from sod producers and sports field management industry stakeholders. Te survey will be programmed into Qualtrics, a professional survey software. A survey link or QR code will be generated and posted on social media and flyers in Sports Field Management Magazine, emailed to all the Sports Field Management Association (SFMA) chapter contacts on the SFMA website, and emailed directly to known potential qualified survey responders. We have 30-40 people in mind with a history of getting good responses from them. We aim to get at minimum 10-15 completed responses.
Te PIs have conducted another survey using the same recruitment method and received a decent number of responses. Te data will be analyzed using econometric and statistical methods such as mean, standard deviation, t-tests, ANOVA, and regression analysis. A two-to-three- page report will be generated summarizing the main findings from the survey. Te report will be reviewed by stakeholders and refined based on the feedback provided.
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