Artificial turf was created in the late 1950’s by a small sector of Chemstrand called The Creative Group. The artificial lawn product was effectively called “Chemgrass” during its first distribution. While the first large application of the artificial grass was seen at a public school in Providence, Rhode Island, the tables turned quickly to suit the needs of the sporting industry, starting first with baseball.
In fact, the need for the widespread manufacturing of artificial turf was started by the Houston Astros, who were originally playing on dead grass and dry dirt in the Astrodome, which was painted green for aesthetic purposes. This began the widespread distribution of Astroturf in the baseball industry. While the product was refined and recreated by many different companies, the main idea stayed the same- to provide a sturdy, functional ground covering that is appealing to the eye, easy on the wallet and to play on.
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