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Doubleheader Dynamo: Hammons Field12-30-08 | News

Doubleheader Dynamo: Hammons Field

Crew count varies seasonally. Game days typically see five to six part timers coming in, with up to eight during night games. Other labor includes full time assistant Aaron Lowery since 2004, a seasonal full-time assistant (currently Derek Edwards) and a seasonal intern (at present Phillip Griffith of Missouri State University).

Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo., is home to the Cardinals, Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The facilities annual attendance is 461,000, third in the league, and the Missouri State Bears also practice and play on the site. Meeting the doubleheader challenge is a major league groundskeeping crew.

Superintendent

Brock Phipps entered the industry in 1997 and has been with the facility from the groundbreaking in 2003 and dedication in 2004 to the present day. His career began caring for municipal ballparks in his hometown of Lamar, Mo. In 1999, he accepted a head groundskeeper post in Columbus, Ga with the independent Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks of the Texas-Louisiana League. The start of his tenure at Hammons Field followed.

Game days usually find the Superintendent at work between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., with departure time dependent on when exactly the game is scheduled. Early afternoon games mean leaving around 3:00 p.m., while night games (starting around 7:10 p.m.) find him leaving around 10:30 or 11:30 p.m.

An advertising and ticket package offered to Toro has earned the facility the Reelmaster 3100-D reel mower and Workman utility vehicle depicted. Toro vehicles purchased include a Reelmaster 2000-D reel mower, a Greensmaster 1600 greens mower, a Sidewinder trim and surrounds mower, Infield Pro grommer, a sprayer, and a topdresser. A Lely Spreader and New Holland TC 35 tractor round out the remaining inventory.

Crew

In recent years, crew expenses have been budgeted $30,000 with an additional $5,000 allocated for uniforms. The majority of the staff is seasonal, with Cardinals games running April to September and Missouri State Bears games going from March 1st through May or early June. The result is double the workload for April and May.

To cope, five to six part time crewmembers typically work game days with the number surging to seven or eight on game nights.

Also on staff since 2004 is one full time assistant, Aaron Lowrey. Another full-time assistant, currently Derek Edwards, is brought on seasonally. He?EUR??,,????'???s primarily responsible for the mound and home plate. The rest of the staff is rounded out with an intern, presently Phillip Griffith of Missouri State University.

During a six to seven day home stand, the full time personal usually work 60 to 80 hours per week. In the same situation, the part time personal will typically work 20 to 60 hours per week.

A local business partnership usually awards the MVP for each home stand a check for $100. After a rainy series that required exceptional effort from the grounds crew, they were given the award instead. The staff also received accolades as 2008 Double-A Field of the Year and Texas League Field of the Year. Phipps is third from left, Lowrey fourth from left and Edwards fifth from left.

Plant Material

In recent years, repair and maintenance of the playing field, which includes conditioners, seeds, fertilizer and sod has consumed $55,000. An additional $2,000 typically covers the perimeter landscaping.

The primary plant material at the site is of course the Quickstand Bermuda turf, occupying 2.5 acres. This is supplemented with perennial rye overseeding in September at 8 to 12 pounds per 1,000 square feet. This covers early play and ensures the turf has ?EUR??,,????'??eye appeal?EUR??,,????'?? at the season start.

Mowing is performed every game day and every other day with the team on the road. Cut height starts at 1?EUR??,,????'?? in March before being lowered to between 3/4?EUR??,,????'?? and 1?EUR??,,????'?? in April. May through August sees mowing height cut once again to 7/8?EUR??,,????'?? during the transition from Rye to Bermuda. September then sees the height raised to between 7/8?EUR??,,????'?? and 1?EUR??,,????'??. The year finishes with an October cut height of 1?EUR??,,????'??.

Turf blankets are removed in February if possible to allow field prep to begin. In March, aerification is performed in high traffic areas using solid tines, while in April the same areas receive a core treatment. The entire field is aerified May through September.
Irrigation

The system at Hammons is centrally controlled and entirely Rain Bird. The field is divided into 18 zones with 58 7005 and 30 5000 rotors between them. Five Falcon rotors handle the infield skin.

Control is achieved through two ESP-32SAT satellite controllers under the command of Rain Bird Site Control on Phipp?EUR??,,????'???s office PC.

Regarding maintenance, most tasks are handled in house. The major exception is winterization, which is performed in November by a local landscape and irrigation contractor.

The Springfield Cardinals, Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis pro team of the same name, call Hammons Field home. The location draws 461,000 fans a year, third in Double-A. The wear is extensive, with the Texas League pro team and Division I Missouri State Bears playing and practicing on-site.

Chemicals and Fertilizers

The chemical and fertilizer budget typically ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. The number this year was closer to $20,000.

Insecticides- Arena is the primary choice for grub control, and is applied May through August. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is in place at the facility.

Fungicides- These have been liberally applied considering the past appearance of brown patch as a consequence of fungus growth associated with tarping. Tartan, a preventative product, is applied in March and May through August while Daconil Ultrex is applied April through August and again in October. Both Subdue Maxx and Banol are applied in May through August.

Herbicides- No pre-emergent products are used at the ballpark to leave open the possibility of extra overseeding. Post-emergent weed killers occasionally include Roundup but more often Revolver is used. Spot treatments are the general rule unless rye grass overseeding is planned. The most common treatment, however, is to simply dig any weeds present out by hand.

Fertilizers- Most applied are Milliken and HHI products. The Milliken True Foliar variants and mixes are applied bi-weekly with a Toro Sprayer. A Lely spreader is used once a month March through August and in February for the granular HHI formulas. The effectiveness of the program is verified in March and August with soil tests.

Turf at the facility is primarily Quickstand Bermuda, but it?EUR??,,????'???s also overseeded with perennial rye in September at 8 to 12 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Total acreage occupied is 2.5 acres. Other turf care procedures include February turf blanket removal if possible and aerification March through September.

Vehicles and Equipment

$6,200 is typically allocated for repair and maintenance of equipment and the current fuel budget is $2,000.

Phipps has been lucky in that he has managed to stay in his fuel budget despite price increases. He credits basic conservation practices, low local prices and minimal daily travel distances.

Mowers in inventory include a Toro Reelmaster 3100-D and Reelmaster 2000-D reel models, a Toro Greensmaster 1600 greens mower and a Toro Sidewinder trim and surrounds mower. Three Toro Workmans fill the utility vehicle role. Other items include a Toro Procore 440 aerator, an Infield Pro groomer, Toro Sprayer, Lely Spreader, Toro Topdreeser and a New Holland TC 35 tractor.

The 3100-D and one of the Workman utility vehicles are obtained via an advertising and ticket package offered to Toro. The crew tries to take care of as much vehicle maintenance as possible in-house. However, some tasks, like reel grinding, require the assistance of two service contractors or local dealerships.

Equipment items used include a Stihl FC-85 hand held edger, a BR-420 C backpack blower, a Stihl FS-110 X trimmer and Turfco edger. The leader claims he utilizes Stihl equipment because of the reliability and overall good luck he?EUR??,,????'???s experienced with the brand. As much equipment maintenance as possible is kept in house.

A major challenge faced by the Superintendent is the site?EUR??,,????'???s location just north of the boundary between USDA hardiness zones six and seven. Growing a warm and cold weather grass simultaneously in the face of the substantially more unpredictable climate conditions can become hard to say the least. March snow flurries are an unwelcome expression of the situation that further complicates the maintenance of award-winning turf.

Challenges

Phipps identified ice storms as his biggest winter challenge for the past couple of years. 2007 featured a particularly damaging ice storm that resulted in extensive tree damage and extended power unavailability. Other storms have produced outages lasting anywhere from five days to two weeks.

The stadium serves a somewhat unique role as both a practice and playing field for Division 1 collegiate athletics as well as Double-A professional sports. The Superintendent had a simple answer when asked how he meets the resulting potential for confusion: communication. All coaches, managers and grounds personal are kept thoroughly in the loop regarding playing schedules from week to week.

A major turf challenge experienced is Hammon?EUR??,,????'???s location just north of the border between USDA hardiness zones six and seven while growing both Bermuda and perennial rye. The result is a substantially more unpredictable climate right when attempting a smooth transition from a cold to warm weather grass.