For many high schools, installing synthetic turf gives their teams a competitive edge. The synthetic turf surface allows them to practice on the field 365 days a year, no matter the weather conditions, and habituates them to playing on a surface material that is quickly becoming the standard material in high school sports. However, installing the synthetic turf in the field can be prohibitively expensive for many high schools.

A high school in Belleville, IL, has taken a novel approach to raising the necessary funds to pay for their new synthetic turf field. The high school has sold ad space on the surface of the field itself to local companies. The field currently has 20 ads displayed in panels in the synthetic turf itself, including a local Chick-Fil-A. Additional funding for the synthetic turf field came from clubs and donations.

The ad panels are currently sold for five-year periods, and when the companies want to remove the ads, all the high school has to do is cut out the turf with the ad display on it and replace it with a synthetic turf that matches the color of the rest of the field, or replace it with a new ad-paneled synthetic turf.

It's a proven effective option of raising money to pay for synthetic turf fields that you may want to propose at your next school board meeting.

Global Syn-Turf, the leading global provider and manufacturer of artificial grass services and technologies, announced today that it has won the prestigious Best of Hayward Award in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category for 2015.  Launched in 2009, Global Syn-Turf is an internationally recognized industry leader, renowned for its cutting-edge artificial grass products, technologies, and services, and its forward-looking thought leadership in the lawn and garden industry. The conferment of the Best of Hayward Award on Global Syn-Turf recognizes the Hayward-based company for its positive impact on the community and exceptional customer service.

"This is the second year in a row that Global Syn-Turf has been recognized by the Hayward Award Program in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category. And we couldn't be prouder. Receiving this recognition again is a testament to our practice of offering customers superior customer service and making their lawn and garden experiences easier and more affordable," said a GST rep. "Following on the heels of the recognition from the Hayward Award Program last year, this award underscores Global Syn-Turf's unique focus on the community and our delivery of best-in-class artificial grass technologies and services that truly help consumers."

Each year, the Hayward Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. The selected firms are local companies that enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and the community, and help make the Hayward area a great place to live, work and play.

Commenting on the honor of being included among other winners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel Brady, Sales and Marketing Manager, stated, "We're so proud to be among this year's winners and to be selected from over a hundred other eligible companies in the Hayward Lawn & Garden Equipment category. The other 2015 Best of Award winners are a world-class group of innovators who constitute the very best of Hayward's community, and are exemplary of why the San Francisco Bay Area is known as being a hotbed of innovation and excellence."

The Hayward Awards Program is very rigorous, focusing on quality, not quantity. Various sources of information and data are gathered and analyzed, both internally by the Hayward Award Program committee and by third parties, to choose the winners in each category.

Ms. Brady continued, "Having been in the artificial grass industry for years, we have seen incredible technological advancements and market shifts take place. But while the technology is constantly changing, one thing has been constant -- our concentration on providing customers and partners with a truly outstanding experience and the highest levels of support. This consistency is why Global Syn-Turf is one of the most admired companies in the lawn and garden category. On behalf of the entire Global Syn-Turf team, thank you, Hayward Awards Program committee, and congratulations to all of the other winners."

Having a hard time installing artificial grass around trees? Watch this video for some helpful tips.

Turf Experts

Amazon.com, electronic commerce company, has expanded its services to include connecting homeowners with landscape contractors. The site, Amazon Home Services, launched earlier this month and allows based businesses to sell their services through the website.

It may be in the very near future when artificial grass installers, too, are connected to homeowners looking to save money and water on their lawn care through Amazon's new portal. Amazon is already a seller of physical products, artificial grass being one of them, but now they're trying to make way into the services marketplace, competing with such companies like TaskRabbit, Angie's List and Uber.

For example, for roughly $120 you can have your lawn mowed by an Amazon-approved lawn maintenance contractor; and if you live in the appropriate service area, you can have your goat grazed it you so fancy. Amazon's revenue model is that it takes a percentage commission from all of the services sold through their site: 20 percent from the sale price of standard services, and 15 percent from custom services.

Will Amazon become the go-to website for artificial grass installers to connect with potential clients? Perhaps.

Sean "Diddy" Combs (also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) has just listed his New Jersey home for $8.5 million. And, in the character of a true connoisseur of fine living and luxury real estate, the home has a coveted putting green installed in the back yard of the property.

Whoever buys this bad boy will have access to its swimming pool, two waterfalls, lighted tennis court, two story grand foyer, fire places, sweet mahogany-paneled library, seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, home theater, six-car garage, indoor racquetball court, and professional-grade gym.

And of course, this exquisite home just wouldn't be complete without an artificial grass putting green for the homeowner to enjoy at his fancy. A putting green is a good investment for homeowners. It increases property value, saves money on maintenance, and can be repurposed for a myriad of activities, including entertaining guests and playing with the kids or pets.