Mod Sod

The newest look in grass is turf that never needs cutting, stays green all year, is maintained with a vacuum cleaner, cleaned by soap and water and dries in a trice. No fewer than 16 manufacturers are now turning out artificial turf--also called indoor-outdoor carpeting--for installation at race tracks, baseball diamonds, football fields and tennis courts. In some cases, the turf is changing not only the playing surface but the sport itself.

Artificial turf got off to a spectacular start when it was installed as a last-minute solution after the lack of direct sun light killed the natural grass in Houston's Astrodome. Astro ballplayers still complain that the synthetic AstroTurf, a bladed carpet of green nylon backed by vinyl, makes hard-hit grounders skid rather than bounce, and that their spikes do not dig in firmly. On the other hand, the Houston University football team, which plays its home games in the Astrodome, found the going great, and it was no hindrance to making Houston's pass-catching split end and place kicker, Ken Hebert, top scorer in the nation last year.

Broken Records. "The harder surface does mean a few more bruises," says Head Football Coach Bill Yeoman, "but there's an advantage too: knee and ankle injuries are greatly reduced." Reason: on AstroTurf--but not on grass--when a player is tackled hard from an angle his cleats twist free before either ankle or knee can be wrenched.

For the Astrodome management, the synthetic sod means easy upkeep. When a section wears out, a new one can easily be laid in to replace it. Stanford University is now using AstroTurf for all its outdoor freshman track-and-field events, except shotput and discus, and finds that it drains so quickly that it can be used even in the rain. The Seattle school board, saddled with its dirt-covered Memorial Stadium in which half the games have been played in mud, has voted to spend $175,000 to cover it with artificial turf.

Another grass substitute is 3M Co.'s Tartan, which has been installed on half a dozen race tracks, from Florida's Tropical Park to Ontario's Windsor Raceway. Tartan has been adopted by the University of Alabama, San Jose State and U.C.L.A. for outdoor track meets. Says Alabama Coach Carney Laslie: "The track is faster--we've broken practically every record we had."

True Bounce. Newest of the synthetics is Center Court, a smooth, felt-like acrylic carpet that may give lawn tennis its biggest boost in years. Manufactured by J. P. Stevens Co. for former Wimbledon Champion Sidney Wood's Tennis Development Corp., Center Court is quick-drying, comes in 15-ft.-wide strips that are taped together on the underside. In one day, it can be laid over an existing clay or asphalt court with only a layer of honeycomb wire in between for drainage. It can also be laid on bare, level ground over a preparatory layer of polystyrene foam.

The tennis pros tried it out indoors recently in Montreal, liked it so much that they are rolling it up and taking it with them for all their matches. Says Pro Tour Director Wally Dill: "Most of our players prefer it even to a grass court--the bounce is true, and it slows the game just enough so that the player's skill can show." In the coming weeks, Center Court will be installed at some 30 clubs, including Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club and the Newport Casino. Predicts Newport Casino President Jimmy Van Alen: "These new courts are going to bring a new look to tennis. They are going to have such an explosion on tennis in the U.S. that it's going to be unbelievable."

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