What playing surface is best?

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Just wondering what the preferred infield playng surface is, and why? Whether it is dirt, brick dust, baked clay, etc. Is cost a factor? Is any type safer than others? What could be done at tournaments to make fields better, within reason of course? FF

 

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Dirt.... No match for dirt.

 

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Best surface our dd has played on is the red soft clay in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. On that note if anybody is going down there,anytime, in the next few months anytime for a tournament and need a player............. ;D

 

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Best surface our dd has played on is the red soft clay in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. On that note if anybody is going down there,anytime, in the next few months anytime for a tournament and need a player............. ;D

Anything south of Cincy is red clay. I found that out by driving on I-75 to Fl.

 

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Some of the college fields are going high tech on their infields. Some like Miami and Northwestern have a dirt that has a dark brown color because it has been polymer treated and is waterproof. Waiting for an infield to dry has been the bane of many a softball game but to watch it bead up and roll off an infield is something else to see.

 

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I like the crushed red brick... It can cause some scratches, but I like the way it plays, Feels and looks. pretty good dry time too, if the field is properly maintained!!

Coach K.

 

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Best fields we ever played on were the fields at the CHAIN REACTION TOURNEY!
Nice for beach volley ball.

 

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We played Chain Reaction Tourney and they made a great effort to water fields We did not have rain for along time prior to that tourney.

 

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As far as some of the best we have actually played on I'd say Sterling, Virginia and Sylvania, Ohio.

 

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Hockeybuckeye, never heard of the treated dirt. That is so sweet sounding. No more puddles! My vote goes for the mix they use at Akron Racers stadium. Not from the standpoint of being able to take alot of water, but the playing surface of the infield is fantastic. Never seem to get a bad hop. The worst I think is the crushed brick. Yes, it does play well, but you'll have road rash for a month.

 

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[quote author=LakeErieHillbilly link=1204682460/0#2 date=1204684377]Best surface our dd has played on is the red soft clay in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. On that note if anybody is going down there,anytime, in the next few months anytime for a tournament and need a player............. ;D

Anything south of Cincy is red clay. ?I found that out by driving on I-75 to Fl.[/quote]

Yeah I hear ya Johnnies! Ive played in mens tournaments alot down in the Lexington Kentucky area to the Knoxville area. You do see alot of red clay down there. The fields in Pigeon Forge are so well kept and that clay is really RED! Strangely enough the fields in Seiverville Tn, just 5 miles north of Pigeon they use just play brown dirt.
Georgia and South Carolina is known for their red dirt also.


Hockeybuckeye...................

The fields in Sylvania are very nice. Played there in May. Only bad thing was there was a $occer tournament also that weekend and getting a parking spot was a nightmare!!!!! All the fields up there in the Toledo area are very nice,they do softball right!

 

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Allaboutfastpitch, the treated dirt is nice at least during school season when temperature is not a factor. During summer months when it gets hot the treated dirt gets kind of sticky and clings to you.

 

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most in texas are the mix of red...some of the older fields maintained by the city are dirt, but they have pits in some areas that would make ankles scream....I like the look and play of the red personally

 

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We played Chain Reaction Tourney and they made a great effort to water fields We did not have rain for along time prior to that tourney.

No excuses those fields were horrable! They had some guy driving around on a 4 wheeler and a drum of water watering the batters boxes and pitchers mound. One time the guy made a sharp left and the dude fell off the back of the 4 wheeler. Keven Costner had a better system for drinking water in the movie WATER WORLD than these guys. Memo for this year tourney use a hose!

Now the best fields I've seen were the CYO fields in Toledo. And The boardman field of dreams is nice too.

 

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We played in Knoxville one year with the red clay. Nice fields but the moms hated it because it was a pain to get the unis clean....or so I've been told....the dads were playing poker during laundry time. :-X

 

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[quote author=wwolff link=1204682460/0#7 date=1204715065]We played Chain Reaction Tourney and they made a great effort to water fields We did not have rain for along time prior to that tourney.

No excuses those fields were horrable! They had some guy driving around on a 4 wheeler and a drum of water watering the batters boxes and pitchers mound. One time the guy made a sharp left and the dude fell off the back of the 4 wheeler. Keven Costner had a better system for drinking water in the movie WATER WORLD than these guys. Memo for this year tourney use a hose!

Now the best fields I've seen were the CYO fields in Toledo. And The boardman field of dreams is nice too.
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Nicest fields I have ever seen were the the Disney Wide World of Sports. The outfield grass was like a putting green and the IFs were just as amazing.

 

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We played in Knoxville one year with the red clay. Nice fields but the moms hated it because it was a pain to get the unis clean....or so I've been told....the dads were playing poker during laundry time. :-X

Ah ya must of been at Caswell park. That is an awesome place to be!

 

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Turface and Diamond Pro are calcified clay infield conditioners and provide a very nice surface. They do very well with drainage, but are pricey. Costs range from $300 a ton to $3000 for 10 ton, the usual amount necessary to provide a 1/2 suface.

Brick dust, while helpful with drainage, are pretty abrasive and can leave some marks when the ladies hit the dirt.

 

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Johnnies,

Have to agree with you--Disney's fileds were AMAZING!! I played on fields in Chattanooga there were a close second, but Disney's blew me away as a coach. Would love to play there again!

Marie

 

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Today with this weather anywhere outside sounds good. Who needs a break!