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The main delivery system used at BYUis a modified four-wheel VWbuggy.

tri ing and HaBy Michael DePew and GilbertPulley

The materials and the equip-ment available to mark sportsturf areas vary greatly.

Primarily, the level of use and bud-get of the sports facility determinethe types of materials and the deliv-ery systems used to apply them. Thetypes of equipment and materials toperform the same function from therecreational level to the professionalsports level may be strikingly dis-similar or remarkably alike.Low BudgetRecreational areas with limited

budgets may often use herbicides orpetroleum (kerosene or diesel) to stripeand mark fields. Pump-up canisters orbackpack sprayers are often utilizedwith hand-wands to mark the playarea. Spray shields or spray guardscan be used on the nozzles to preciselydirect the spray in a specified spray-band width. This type of marking sys-tem allows for long periods of time

ngAbefore the need arises to remark thefield.The problem with this type of strip-

ing system is that it creates stripesand marks that are "un-turfed." An un-turfed surface is more prone to com-paction and may also become slick (infiner textured soils) or loose (in sand orcoarser textured soils). The loss of thevegetative crown and degradation ofthatch (in sod-forming turf systems)result in a change in elevation alongthe striped patterns. This has thepotential to create an unsafe situationwhere "tripping" over the lines couldbecome a problem.Medium BudgetHigher use facilities such as high

schools often use a lime or whitewashsystem. Lime (chalk) can be applied ina dry powder form or as a liquid slurry(whitewash) that is sprayed on.The dry powder form is widely used

as a marker for the skinned areas ofbaseball and softball fields. It isapplied in various types of "drop-box"spreaders often referred to as "chalk-

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letic ieldsers." These spreaders have a specifiedslit-width opening and will apply thematerial in a band or stripe. Thesechalkers may be either hand held or awheeled push-type applicator. Chalkfor these uses has many times beenreplaced with fine marble dust.Limited use of chalk is desirable due toits potential for eye irritation to ath-letes.Whitewash lime slurries are made

by mixing the lime with water andapplying it through spray equipment.The lime must be fine ground and ofuniform size and kept well agitated asa slurry to provide even-flow outputand to prevent nozzle clogging. Limewill leave a live turfed system underthe stripe, although over time it maybuild up and cause turf thinning ordeath. The lime-striping system has adistinct advantage in terms of its lowcost.High ProfileHigher profile athletic facilities

such as college and professional fields

continued on page 16

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Stripingcontinued from page 14commonly utilize water-basedpaints specifically formulatedas turf colorants. The commondelivery system utilized atthese institutions consists ofcompressed air or an air-lessspray or pumping system on amotor-driven, wheeled vehi-cle. The use of paints reducesthinning and die-back of theturf and therefore reduces thepotential for tripping.The down side of paints is

that it requires frequent reap-plication due to removal of thepaint with mowing of theactively growing turf. Theremoval of painted turf can bereduced by lowering the mow-ing height of the turf to be After painting numbers and hash marks, the paint crew will move into the end zonesstriped just prior to painting or and paint the "BYU" letters.by using a plant growth regu-lator added to the paint.The Evolution at BYUBrigham Young University (BYU),

like most institutions, has gonethrough an evolutionary period sincethe latter 1970s in the materials and

methods it's used for marking andstriping. In the '70s, whitewash wasthe preferred marking material, whichwas applied through a modified three-wheeled Volkswagen (VW) stripingbuggy. The buggy was equipped with a

The Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker is designed for con-venience, safety and economy. Uses efficient 12-voltShurflo pump to deliver field paint at 45 p.s.i. Folding orremovable handles for transport or storage. Powdercoated finish, zinc plating, and stainless steel fastenersprovide maintenance free life.

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motorized compressor and paintsprayer, tank, and a nozzle mounted toa front guide used to keep the linesstraight. This provided an off-whiteline with a live turf.The lime whitewash system was

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not without distinct draw-backs. The most serious wasirritation and even injury tothe eyes of athletes. Thesecond most serious prob-lem was turf thinning anddie-back as the season pro-gressed. The length of timebefore turf damage occurredwas shortened by applica-tion of the lime to the localnative soils, which havehigh pH and high lime con-tent. The thinning and die-back of the turf required theconsiderable time andexpense of annual resoddingof the striped areas of thefield.With the emergence of

paint on the market, it wasused to mark game fields.Due to the initially high costof these paints, their use onpractice and recreationalfields was limited. Thesefields continued to bestriped mostly with theslurried lime whitewash.After a few years, the mar-ket began to open up andturf paints became moreaffordable. As the costdropped, the use of paints atBYU rose.Along with the switch

from the lime whitewash topaint, a change was madeon the baseball and softballfields from lime chalk to afine marble-dust "chalk."The three-wheeled buggywas worn out about thistime and was replaced witha newly modified four-wheelVWbuggy.Paint ProblemsThe use of paint for field

marking was not withoutsome problems. In the earlyyears, many paints con-tained chemicals and petro-leum distillates that weretoxic to the turf. After a fewyears, the products hadreduced toxicities and weremore consistent.Also during this time

period, of the mid-1980s, atrend was noticed - somebatches of the preferredturf-paint brand causedmore damage to the turfthan other batches. Aftersome investigative work, itwas recognized that the-

batches of turf-damagingpaint were being shippedwith ethylene glycol addedas an anti-freeze. Ethyleneglycol is supposedly nottoxic to turf, but experienceat BYU is that it is not asinert as promoted. Sincethat time, BYU has speci-fied and accepted only non-glycol paints, ordered andshipped during the summerand stored in a heated area.Typical ScenarioA typical scenario for

marking the field at BYU'sCougar Stadium for footballstarts with laying out guidestrings. The guide stringsare 3/8-inch nylon rope.The guide strings are

strung between appropri-ately placed guide posts.The guide posts are 3/4-inchby If-inch galvanized steelpipe driven into the groundat strategic locations. Thestrings are tied to large gut-ter spikes that are thenplaced in the guide posts.The string is drawn tautand wrapped around a largegutter spike placed into theopposite guide post.The guide lines are

drawn across the length ofthe field first for the side-lines and to line up thehash-mark, number anddirectional-arrow stencils.Next, the guide strings

are drawn width-wise forthe end line, goal line and 5-yard-line stripes in I5-yardincrements and paintedtwice from alternate direc-tions. Stringing and paint-ing in Ifi-yard incrementsallows for room to turn thespray buggy around in thesideline area without tiresgouging the turf from exces-sively tight turns.The sidelines are painted

following the yard lineswith two coats of paintapplied in opposite direc-tions. Rags are placed overeach of the damp yard linesduring the sideline paintingoperation to prevent track-ing of the damp paint.The stencils are then laid

for the hash lines and num-bers, beginning from theend of the field painted first,

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Stencils are laid for the hash lines and filled in with a hand-wand.

as the paint will normally be dry onthat end. The stencils are filled in byspraying with a hand-wand that runsoff the paint sprayer from the spraybuggy.While two crews are painting the

hash marks and numbers, a crew willlayout the "BYU" letters in the end

zones with gutter spikes and balertwine. After painting the numbers andhash marks, the paint crew can moveinto the end zones and paint the let-ters.The sideline areas are painted next

with appropriate stencils and stringsfrom the coaches box, team area, and

"no-man's land" area. The blue outlinearound the numbers, letters and direc-tional arrows is painted next. The out-line around the letters is sprayedwhile the numbers and arrows arebrush painted with three-inch brush-es. The field is now completely markedand ready for play.Striping and marking of sports turf

areas can be accomplished by usingmany diverse or similar materials andequipment. The end result is a func-tion of the care and precision used toapply the material. Straight lines,crisp edges and reduction of overspraygo a long way to mark your work as asports turf professional with an atti-tude of "and then some."

Michael DePew is an STMA mem-ber and an agronomist for ProTurfEnvironmental and Sports TurfServices, L.C., Provo, Utah.

Gilbert Pulley is an STMA memberand the landscape specialty supervisorat Brigham Young University, Provo,Utah.

The authors thank Todd Mungerand Mike Roundy, athletic area fore-men for BYU Grounds Dept., for theirassistance in providing information forthis article.

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