The Agresource Dispatch
Volume 1, Spring 2001, Page 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Designing Soils for Sustainability 2
Deficient Soil Revitalized 2
Athletic Field Construction 3
Statewide Contract Awarded 3
Selecting Soil Amendments 3
Compost Manufacturing at Its Best 4
U.S. COLLEGE SOCCER FIELD OF THE YEAR (1999)

In a nationwide contest, Boston College was awarded College Soccer Field of the Year for 1999. The Sports Turf Managers Association of America, at its annual conference in St Louis, MO, presented the award.


B.C. plays Army in a recent soccer match.
The soccer field was constructed in an old gravel pit located on the edge of the Newton, MA, campus next to a residential area. The field is a beautiful improvement to this transition setting, which is surrounded by tall oak and maple trees.

Geller Associates were hired to design the field. After testing various root-zone mixes, they decided to use a sand-based mix in order to prevent compaction—a challenging problem to overcome once it occurs.

ALM Custom Soils made the sand-based root-zone mix consisting of 70% sand, 15% peat, and 15% AGRESOIL COMPOST. The mix was designed to enhance water-holding capacity yet drain well.

The results were impressive: After a five-inch rain fell one day before the first game, the game went on without a hitch and the turf held after only an eight-week grow-in period.

THE INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS TO 36 HOLES

The International, beautifully situated in Bolton, MA, will soon become the only 36-hole private golf club in Massachusetts. It is already the world’s longest golf course according to The Guinness Book of World Records.
A panoramic vista of tees, greens, and flower beds at the International.

The designer of the new 18-hole expansion is Tom Fazio, widely recognized as one of golf’s leading architects having designed more than 175 courses. In the December 1999 issue of Golf Digest, two of Fazio’s courses, Victoria National Golf Club and Sand Ridge Golf Club, were named the top two “Best New Private Courses” in the United States.

The new greens and tees are made with a root-zone mix that was tested at an A2LA accredited laboratory and met USGA guidelines and recommendations. Compaction resistance, optimal water holding capacity, and ability to provide nutrients are just three of many properties that the root-zone mix provides. Made by ALM Custom Soils the mix consists of 80% sand, 10% AGRESOIL COMPOST, and 10% sphagnum peat. The AGRESOIL COMPOST has been found to be the perfect compliment to what was formerly a peat/sand mix providing biological activity and improved drainage while maintaining ideal physical properties in a sand-based root-zone mix.

With 18 new holes expected to open in June of 2001, the International, already a world-class course, will become one of New England's crown jewels for golf.

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