Research was conducted to determine the effect of rolling and simulated traffic on various conditions of sports fields and the effect of rolling on an athlete’s perception of playing conditions. Established Kentucky bluegrass sports field plots were used in all studies and rolling treatments were applied during each growing season from 8 July 2013 to 19 September 2014. Simulated foot traffic was added to the second study from 23 September 2013 to 5 September 2014. Rolling and athlete evaluations for the third study took place on 30 September 2014 and 10 October 2014. The most frequent statistical difference attributed to rolling treatments was an increase in ball roll distance, which occurred twice in 2013 and twice in 2014. In the second study, simulated traffic significantly increased the hardness of the surface and amount of noticeable wear, while it decreased quality of the turf and stability of the playing surface. However, the significance of traffic on these outcomes was not dependent on the amount of rolling that took place. A decrease in the size of white clover patches was also observed with the most frequently applied traffic. No other differences of significance were attributed to rolling. Lastly, athletes did not have the ability to identify a smoother surface as indicated by an increase in ball roll distance.
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