The Dairy Outdoor Recreation Complex was a unique project and pioneering concept for the Department of Campus Recreation, and Unions at the University of California, Davis. The complex was created to be a truly multi-user, multipurpose facility used by Intramural Sports, Club Sports, Informal Recreation (student drop-in use) and special events.

The Challenge

Last year, the University of California, Davis’ Department of Campus Recreation had over 295 intramural teams sign up for outdoor soccer alone and scheduled more than 850 games — with all of them being played on the Dairy Road grass field. With so much activity, the grass became excessively worn and very difficult to maintain forcing the groundskeepers to continually shift the playing areas to give the grass a rest. The University needed a solution to keep the field in playable condition for longer hours and more usage.

The Solution

The solution to this problem was the installation of a highly durable, synthetic turf surface which required little maintenance to keep it in excellent condition. UC Davis selected a Polytan LigaGrass surface for these very reasons. It is extremely durable and because of both the innovative monofilament shape (crimped) and the unique Poly-Shock Pad underlayment, the surface greatly reduces the maintenance demands for the surface.

• Download Case Study Here (PDF)