Why You Should Install Artificial Turf In Batting Cages

Artificial turf has become the grass of choice in batting cages. It has replaced natural grass that once ruled the roost when it came to providing surfaces for batting cages. Contemporary batting cage turf offers a combination of strength and flexibility. Batting cages are the areas where players want to perfect their game. A poorly maintained natural grass will not offer them a stable platform to improve their skills. It is only the fake grass that can offer this platform.

There are many problems associated with natural grass. While many batting cages feature natural turf, they do not offer players the opportunity to master their game. A number of factors come into play, some of which are listed below.

Installation
Unlike artificial turf, natural grass needs to be planted in a pre-planned manner. You cannot plant it at random as this will not result in a desirable growth. The ground first need to be mowed over and mulched before you can start with the process. The next step is that of planting the grass and watering it daily. Regular mowing and cropping are part of the game as well. There are many inherent problems in planting natural grass as you have to spend time and money on maintenance as well as keeping the pests at bay. All things combine to create a tiresome and costly picture.

These problems are nonexistent in artificial turf installation as you simply have to put it in place as per the manufacturer’s instructions. There is no need of mulching, mowing or cropping and pests will not infest the artificial grass. You may still need to water the grass so as to keep it sot but only sparingly.

Performance
Add to this the unstable performance of batting cage turf that draws the ire of players. Natural grass tends to wilt and bald patches appear on the batting turf. These patches need to be filled over otherwise they affect the performance of the players. It often happens that a depression appears in natural grass due to regular use. The pressure applied on it leads to depressed areas where the feet of the players get sunk into the ground. Nothing can be worse than a depressed batting cage turf as it upends the very purpose of creating a practice area.

Batting cage turf that is made of artificial grass does not have this problem. There are special varieties available that are made for baseball fields. They can withstand excessive pressure and do not give way to depressions or bald spots. The players are thus able to practice their batting skills without any concerns about getting their feet sunk into the ground.

Artificial turf is gradually replacing the natural counterpart in batting cages. Baseball players around the world have admired the performance of fake turf and now encourage field managers to do the installation. It would not be surprising if future baseball players have little experience of practicing on natural grass given the growing popularity of fake turf for batting cages.