Athletic Field Turf vs. Residential Artificial Grass: What’s the Difference?

Whichever style of artificial grass you need, you’ll find they all share a number of advantages over real grass: better resilience, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness to name a few. So why are there so many different styles? What does each style do better than the other? For athletic and residential artificial grass, the answer is clear.

Today we’re looking at some of the things that make these two types of artificial grass distinct. Both have unique qualities that make them ideal for their intended uses, whether that’s for having local football games or completing the idyllic look of a new suburban home.

Athletic Turf: Sturdy and Yielding

Athletic turf is hands-down the best artificial grass for sports use. It’s used most commonly for football and baseball, but soccer is a popular choice too. These sports require a playing field that is soft enough to cushion players yet is strong enough to withstand high contact use, game after game.

Athletic turf is designed with non-abrasive fibers to protect players from injury when sliding, tackling, or falling. Athletic artificial turf has a range of fiber styles that provide different levels of thickness and resilience for sports use. There is also special golf turf with smaller fibers to replicate putting greens and fringe. Sports artificial turf replaces real grass to eliminate the high costs associated with maintaining these fields.

Residential Artificial Grass: Vibrant and Comfortable

Residential artificial turf does not have to meet the same demands for strength that athletic turf does. While athletic turf focuses on providing a playing surface, residential turf’s focus lies in maintaining its healthy appearance all year round.

Every fiber of residential artificial turf is designed to look like real grass. Many residential turf styles have grass fibers in different colors and shapes to give yards, gardens, and lawns a natural look and feel. Although it was not made to withstand the kind of high contact use that sports turf needs, make no mistake—residential artificial turf is still made with long-lasting materials. Like athletic sports turf, residential artificial turf has resistances to UV rays and weather.

Athletic and Residential: A Turf for Every Use

The flexibility of fake grass makes it great for just about any need, making it an ideal alternative to real grass. Whether you need a new playing field or a waterless front lawn, fake grass is a cost-effective solution. Whatever the differences between them, you now know all the styles of fake grass will offer you unique advantages.