This sunday with the playoffs on the line. The Dolphins host the Patriots at the HardRock. LOve the sound of that
Dolphins install rare (and expensive) strain of grass in stadium "The super-synthetic strain of grass that rolled onto the Dolphins’ stadium field Tuesday didn’t exist a decade ago. The turf is called Platinum TE Paspalum, a tough, shade-tolerant (and more expensive) vintage used more on golf courses than football fields." "Todd Boyan, the Dolphins’ senior vice president of stadium operations, was the point man on this project, one that began some 18 months ago. His task: find a NFL-compliant grass that can grow under a 14-acre shade canopy" "Most grass, like the Bermuda that was used for decades at the stadium, needs direct sun exposure to grow. That won’t be possible with the canopy" "The Dolphins decided on Platinum TE Paspalum, a genetically modified strain that can grow on plastic, allowing for a tougher, longer-lasting roots. The Dolphins have been practicing on it at their Davie headquarters during training camp, and will play on it Sept. 1" http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article93234482.html
That is beautiful, and I love hearing that they've gone top of the line with the grass. Hopefully, it can hold up well with at least one game being played on it almost every week from the end of August through January.
It's lookin so good. That article about the grass is pretty cool. That gives me hope for the ability for the Toronto Blue Jays to be able to install an all grass field at the Rogers Center in Toronto. If this strain of grass can grow without direct sunlight, then maybe there's the possibility for it to grow inside that dome up in Toronto. Besides, it would get plenty of sun anyways during the baseball season. Pretty cool what we can do with science. I'm amazed at how great that place looks now though, especially with the grass in there. It's been a long project, but its finally coming together, and it looks great. Still can't stress enough what a big deal it was to change the seats to aqua and clean up that concrete. The place looks brand new now. I'm going to have to get down there for a game now, it's like a whole other experience now.
I'd much prefer this scenario - Dolphins host Patriots at Hard Rock stadium with a chance to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs!!"
Could not agree more. It looks SOOOO .... much better than the old stadium and its orange seats. Seats are better; inside looks better; video boards are better; roof rocks; and top level turf. That shade is going to be so much better - to say nothing of improved noise. Amazing how pumped one can get just looking at a new stadium with fresh grass.
Thanks for the link. Zoom out and pan all the way up to see the canopy opening. Simply amazing! You can also see they started the anti-glare panel install above the east endzone side.
The aqua covering on the sidelines, where the team is standing, is in the same area as the dashed box you can see in the photo with the orange seats.
I think this thing is stunning and beautiful. anyone else however, worried about the shadows and how it might cause a distraction catching a ball or even causing cosmetically unpleasing television shots for viewers at home?
There will be shadows for sure, but I think once they finish putting in the translucent panels along the edge of the opening, they won't be nearly as pronounced as they are right now. Have to wait and see. May just lead to the dolphins practicing more in the stadium to get adjusted to it. As far as on TV. Meh as long as they are winning IDC about shadows.
yep, same thing as the Colts and Cowboys home games. It's going to take some getting used to... for the players and the TV viewers.
I think that its better for watching at home personally. More interesting. Watching games at other stadiums with shadows, like Indy or Dallas, has always been fun.
OK, I'm now feeling upset and cheated that the third preseason game got moved to Orlando. I want to see the stadium in action.
That grass looks so perfect and pristine! It's a shame to ruin it with paint. Maybe they can just give educated guesses for out of bounds, TDs, and first downs.
Then the Pats would find a way to push back the first down marker. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is pretty sweet. You can clearly see the added shade in the far EZ and what additional shade the new panels will add to the rest. [video=twitter;764149130079985664]https://twitter.com/ian693/status/764149130079985664[/video]
Looks amazing, more intimate, hopefully the partial roof makes the crowd louder. Does look like a European soccer stadium, but nothing wrong with that. It'll make a great venue for a future World Cup/Women's World Cup. Will probably make any concerts there sound better too.