Sand Grid Drainage

The Sand Grid Drainage System is a sports turf drainage system that was developed in Europe more than 30 years ago. The system consists of a cross matrix of narrow slit trenches designed to quickly absorb excess water and carry off of the playing field making conditions playable in a short period of time. The system was first installed by Hummer Turfgrass Systems in 1988 during a major renovation of the athletic fields at the University of Penn. Since 1988 the Hummer Sand Grid System has been installed on sports fields at all levels of competition, from recreational leagues to NCAA Division 1 athletic complexes.

Applications
Any natural grass sports field with poorly drained native soils can benefit from the Sand Grid System. The system will improve the playability and performance of your athletic field without compromising the water and nutrient holding capacities of the soil profile. This is possible because we do not remove the native topsoil between the trenches which does not affect the stability of the playing surface. This provides the sports field with increased drainage capacity much like that of a sand based field at a fraction of the cost. The Sand Grid System can be designed to work on any athletic field, no matter what sport is being played. Any seeding, sodding, or sprigging operation can greatly benefit from the enhanced drainage the Hummer Sand Grid Drainage System provides.

How is it installed?
The Sand Grid system can be installed as part of a new field construction project, renovation project, or over top of an existing grass field. Because of the specialized equipment and trained operators that we employ disruption to the surface is very minimal. During installation we only use equipment with high flotation tires to prevent compaction of the top soil. The trenches are backfilled to the surface grade with United States Golf Assoc. quality materials. The installation time from start to finish on a regulation football field is only one week. Installations done over existing grass surfaces are playable almost immediately.

See how the Sand Grid Drainage System works

This slideshow features our Sand Grid Drainage System in action at Volunteer Stadium, Little League International Headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Hummer Turfgrass completed the overhaul of Volunteer Stadium in August of 2008.

5:47 pm1/2 inch of rain was collected in the bucket and there was some standing water in the outfield.
5:56 pmNine minutes later the heavy rain stops.
6:10 pm14 minutes later and most of the water has dissipated from the playing surface.
6:18 pm22 minutes after the rain has stopped and the field is ready to play! All of the standing water in the outfield is also gone.

Client Testimonial for the Sand Grid Drainage System

The rain soaked 2009 football season left Spartan Stadium in need of a major facelift. The 36 year old football field was a “Mud Bowl” due to many years of lacking proper maintenance and poor field drainage. In January of 2010 we addressed the problem and looked at several replacement options which included turf. Certainly in the climate of today’s school budgets, cost and performance became an important factor in our decision to replace our antiquated field. The Hummer Turfgrass Sand Grid system was the perfect solution to our needs. A timetable was set and the work was completed well ahead of schedule. Because of the timing of the entire project, my Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds and I took a personal interest in its day to day progress. The workers on the job were true professionals who took extreme pride in their workmanship.

We are now in the second season and getting ready to play our home opener after 5 solid days of rain that dropped more than 15 inches of water in our region. My athletic director, the Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, and I were on the field 30 minutes after it stopped raining on September 8, 2011 and to our surprise, our shoes were dry. We are true believers in the Sand Grid system. Prior to the field renovation, we would have been playing in the mud and by the second series not a number on the jersey would be visible. Believe me when I say this... The Hummer Sand Grid System does everything it claims to do and more. Thanks Hummer for providing our “Boys of Fall” a first class field to continue their winning football tradition.

Dr. Andrew D. Smarkanic
North Schuylkill School District Superintendent,
Ashland, PA