Prescription Athletic Turf®

The PAT® system offers precise moisture management for natural grass playing fields. This automated system is designed and engineered to meet a singular objective: consistent, superior performance in any climate. The PAT system provides ideal turf growing conditions promoting dense, resilient, deeply rooted turf. 

The system involves an intricate network of pipes covered by rootzone sand and connected to a powerful vacuum system. Via computer, field managers can track how much water is on the field, adding or removing as needed to maintain consistent soil moisture levels.

PAT is the answer under extreme conditions: when large amounts of water must be removed or when conservation is necessary because little water is available. For more than 25 years, PAT’s reputation has been rigorously tested in the world’s most respected collegiate and professional stadiums.

PAT® Advantages

• Promotes dense, resilient and deeply rooted turf by optimizing soil moisture percentage
• Provides sure-footed play under the wettest conditions
• Offers the ability to conserve, capture and recycle water
• Subsurface irrigation improves watering efficiency
• Vacuum function increases drainage and discharge rates

PAT® Prescription Athletic Turf® System

1. Natural Turf Playing Surface
The perfectly flat, laser-leveled playing surface is ideal for sporting and non-athletic events.

2. Rootzone
Root strength, canopy density and rapid recuperation—vital signs of rugged durability—are maximized with precisely blended/ graded rootzone sand.
         
3. Moisture Control Geomembrane
The heat-welded, water-tight polyethylene barrier allows precise control of the rootzone moisture level.

4. Drainage and Subirrigation
Gravity or vacuum-enhanced drainage removes water from the rootzone. It can be returned through sub-irrigation and/or water recycling.

5. System Controls
The barrier water level, calculated to produce the targeted air/water ratio in the rootzone, is continually monitored by sophisticated gauges. The system’s computer analyzes data and automatically initiates moisture management functions. The system can also be operated manually by the field manager. Specialized software permits operation of an overhead irrigation system directly through the PAT control panel. Remote monitoring and troubleshooting are possible with an ethernet and connection customized software.

A PAT® system functions in four different modes

Subirrigation – By closing off drainage valves and supplying water back through the matrix, the field can be uniformly irrigated from the base up as water moves through the rootzone by capillary action.

Conservation – When the rootzone reaches optimum moisture levels, the system can hold those levels for an extended period of time, reducing the amount of overhead irrigation needed. When drainage is activated, the system removes only the water in excess of optimum levels. This is particularly valuable in arid, water-restricted areas.

Gravity Drainage – Under normal operating conditions, excess water is removed from the field by gravity flow. The rate of field drying is governed by how fast gravity can pull water through the sand profile and into the drainage matrix.

Vacuum Drainage – When water falls on the field faster than gravity can remove it the system activates vacuum drainage and water is forcibly removed at a rate up to three times the natural force of gravity.

The Motz Group is also able to add system features on a site-specific basis. Water recycling can be achieved by capturing and reusing effluent water via storage tanks or retention ponds and then reapplying it through the overhead irrigation system. Various field heating and aeration systems can also be installed in conjunction with the PAT system.