Measure of success

Reece Watson, of RAW, outlines how you can track your pitch’s improvement

When monitoring the progression of the pitch, we always ask, how was your pitch last year?

Without taking and logging data nobody can answer this question accurately. Keeping a record of your pitch helps to show others (and yourself) how your pitch has performed over time.

A good way of monitoring your pitches’ progression is by taking density data including the colour of your turf. n Has it improved with the fertiliser products you apply or the maintenance you have carried out? n Do you need more exposure of your pitch to artificial lights? n Has it degraded due to more usage, a cut in budget or even the weather conditions?

SO, HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE DENSITY?

You can start by subjectively scoring areas of the pitch, based on your own opinion. This is subjective to who is looking at it. For instance, I may score your pitch an 8/10, whereas you might score it a 6/10. Consider that this scoring also depends on your mood and past experiences.

This is where the Raw Stadia Density Scanner comes in handy. Using merely your smartphone (IOS or Android), you can now scan your turf’s density, and collect accurate data within minutes. Enabling you to compare pitch A to pitch B and monitor the pitch density trend over time. This measurement takes away subjectivity and provides a fair assessment of your pitch. Allowing you to show the pitches’ improvement to management clearly and concisely.

All you need is your smartphone and the Density Scanner on the Raw Stadia app. Go to the location on the pitch you want to check, hold the smartphone at hip level, and your device will scan the area of approximately a square meter. The measurement will then be sent directly to the Raw Stadia Platform. It is that easy.

The technology uses specific sensors in your smartphone to monitor the amount of grass and the plant’s colour.

You can see in the images one of our customers who has been monitoring the density of their pitches. This data is crucial to analyse which pitch is underperforming and to compare data of previous seasons to date, for instance, when the pitch lost its goalmouths last season.

Another benefit of the Raw Stadia Density Scanner is that it reminds the management of when the pitches were at their worst. This is important because most budget rounds are decided when the pitches are recovering again in spring (and look their best).

Raw Stadia’s integrated Density Scanner software is one of the many tools to improve and analyse your pitch.

The Raw Stadia platform and surface testing technologies help customers improve their knowledge of the playing surface and gain insights into how the pitch conditions, which change daily, influence their players and athletes. n www.rawstadia.com

Introducing: LANDSCAPING

The newest title in the landscaping sector is here. Landscaping Matters is a website and monthly e-zine aimed at offering those within the landscaping industry news, views and information sharing opportunities.

We aim to use the same model which has been so successful with Turf Matters and grow Landscaping Matters to be a key title within the industry.