Within the Performance Quality Standards there are three categories of measurement that relate to the overall quality of a facility:
1. Structural Quality,
2. Presentational Quality, and
3. Playing Quality.
(N.B. Where there are no playing users of a facility, such as an ornamental shrub bed, then there will be two categories of measurement, i.e. presentational quality and structural quality)
Illustration of the concept of Performance Quality Standards
Within each of the three categories a number of individual elements, or criteria, are measured.
These criteria will vary according to the facility being considered, however, the diagrams which follow this text illustrate the sort of criteria that can be included within each of the categories encountered in Performance Quality Standards.
* 'High Quality' Standard: This is where the surface is designed for professional and international use;
'Standard Quality' Standard: This is where the surface is designed for general club use;
'Basic Quality' Standard: This is where the surface is designed within tight financial limitations, and for use at recreational level.
(Dury, PLK., (1996), 'Natural Turf in Europe', The Groundsman, 14-15)
1. Structural Quality
This can be considered the physical make up of a particular facility, which includes vegetation, soil and organisms. This category determines playing quality and impacts on presentational quality.
This is the largest quality component category.
2. Presentational Quality
This is the look of the facility. Users often perceive the facility to be good if it is well presented, without too much consideration being given to many of the underlying structural factors.
3. Playing Quality
This represents how the facility will play when it is being used.
A good indication of the likely playing quality can be inferred from the measurements taken during a structural assessment of a facility.
