Our friends at Turbo Link International in Clearwater, Florida recently requested our assistance with a great project at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. The challenge was to transform an existing, weather-susceptible, natural grass, training hill into a stable, well-drained, synthetic turf amenity on which to endurance train the world-class athletes who attend the academy. A perfect job for UltraBaseSystems® panels.
Quick work was made of laying out the area, sod cutting, removing the existing grass, and exposing the clay sub base.
Final grading and compaction was completed and the area was ready for the installation to begin.
A seven foot roll of geotextile fabric was rolled down the hill and anchored in place with landscape spikes.
The first row of UltraBaseSystems® panels was positioned. A string line was set to ensure proper placement of the panels.
As the panels were assembled, additional panels were staged well ahead of the installer.
The hill required a few twist and turns so the panels needed to be cut on a miter to create the proper directional flow.
By simply overlapping one row of panels on the other, the angle was created. A circular saw made easy work of cutting both layers of panels.
Steel mending plates were recessed into the panels spanning the joint.
The panel installation continued up the 200 ft rise of the hill.
Once the panels reached the top, the installation easily continued over the crown of the hill and down the steeper back side.
A hole was cut into the panels to allow for future access to the water valves.
Assembly of the panels on the downside was a bit tricky due to the severity of the decline. My goal was to not tumble down the steep hill and break my neck.
In just over 2 hours the entire 300 ft by 7 ft hill was blanketed in UltraBaseSystems® panels.
18-inch steel spikes were driven into the spike holes in the panels to prevent the panels from sliding down the hill. We did this every 5th panel.
The pre-cut turf was rolled down the hill into position.
The turf was carefully cut on the same angle as the panels.
Seam tape and glue made easy work of joining the turf together.
Once the turf was all seamed and dry, the infill process began. Layers of sand and rubber were deposited evenly into the turf
The infill was methodically broomed into the turf creating a perfect running surface.
The turf was then stapled into the top edges of the panels and along the outer wall of the panels.
Excess turf was buried below grade creating a finished look to the installation
In just 3 days this tough installation challenge was easily completed and ready for a workout by some of the top athletes in the world. Thanks again to Turbo Link International for allowing UltraBaseSystems® to prove once again why our panel technology is the real problem solver for tough installation challenges.
