Baseball and softball fields typically experience water-logged or hard as concrete conditions during the late spring and summer periods. Ready PlayTM, Let the Games Begin, Wolfforth, TX, has developed a patented sports field technology that looks to change the management of the skinned areas of sports fields. The company is only 7 months old according to Calder Hendrickson, CEO, where he manned a trade booth at the annual SportsTurf Managers Association meeting in Austin, TX, on January 14th, 2011.
Three products were on display and the staff went through demonstrations on the trade show floor.
- Ready Play Drying AgentTM, sold in packs of 8, 24"x2"x12", advertised at $149.00. The product absorbs approximately 8 times the amount of typical clay products according to sales staff. Lay it down to allow for saturation, then remove and wring out the water. The pad is expected to hold up for 100 times of use before being replaced.
- Ready Play Surface DryTM, sold in plastic buckets of 25 pounds each, is advertised at $55.00 per pail. the Surface Dry granules hold up to 8 times its own weight. The sales staff indicated that it will perform equivalent to 250 pounds of Turface or calcined clays. The product is spread over the surface area and can be raked in to help with moisture capturing. The benefits include holding moisture for quicker prep time.
- Ready Play Field MagicTM, sold in 50 pound bags or in bulk, advertised at $89.00 per bag. Sales staff indicated this product will hold 12-15 times its own weight in water which helps reduce the amount watering to maintain a safe playing field. The material should be worked into the top surface area of the playing field. Depending on the amount of material used it can be integrated into the top 2 inches of the skinned area.
The company is looking for distributors for this new product line that will accept delivery for subsequent resale and delivery to customers.
I'm also familiar with a similar performing product called Rain Out, LLC which when applied to a water logged surface needs to be aggressively raked into the sports field skinned area. There is a very instructive video listed from the website.
It is good to see more alternatives for field maintenance operations.Labels: Product_Review, Trends, Turf _Tips