Do I need a safety pad under my playground system?

AZTM's Power Play System™ offers the industry's most advanced turf & pad system available in the market. Combining a soft play pad underneath the turf gives the ultimate level of cushion for those active little ones. Power Play Turf is available in a medium-density or high-density turf and is 100% American-made. It is also available in two color options.

Is the pad material safe for my kids and pets?

We independently test all our products for heavy metals and lead, and only carry products that pass the most stringent guidelines. Only then can they get the AZTM seal of approval. The play pad comes in 1” with a critical fall height of 4' or 2” play pad with a critical fall height of 8'.

Playground Turf Installation Scottsdale, Phoenix & Tucson

Custom Playgrounds Designed for the Way Kids Play
From one-of-a-kind backyard playgrounds to larger play spaces for schools, daycares, parks, and HOA communities, every project is designed around your space, your needs, and the children who will enjoy it. We thoughtfully combine play equipment, artificial turf, safety surfacing, and creative features to build an outdoor environment that feels uniquely yours.

For parents, it is a backyard where the kids actually want to be — outside, off the screens, playing in the hose on a hot day with no mud and no bugs — clean knees, nothing tracked in, and a surface built to catch them when they fall. For grandparents, it is making your home the house the grandkids beg to visit — safe for little ones, ready the moment they arrive, and never a lawn to keep up with.

Cushioned Play Surfaces, Built for Arizona

Arizona Turf Masters installs complete playground turf systems: durable play-rated turf over a soft play pad, engineered so children land on cushion instead of dirt, gravel, or scattered wood chips. Our systems use the SGS Power Play System™, an advanced turf-and-pad combination that is independently tested to be free of lead and heavy metals, designed according to IPEMA and ASTM fall-height standards, and independently lab-tested to ASTM F1292, with fall-height rated pad options matched to your equipment.

The turf is slip-resistant and practically maintenance-free — no mud, no bare spots, no re-raking loose fill, and no irrigation — with both 100% American-made and imported options to fit your project and budget. It installs over compacted base, existing concrete, asphalt, or contoured mounds and slopes, which makes it a fit for almost any play space in the Valley.

Who We Build For

Daycares and preschools
Schools and school districts
City parks and municipalities
HOAs and apartment communities
Churches and community centers
Backyard playsets and swing sets

Shaded artificial turf play area under shade sails in Arizona — Shade-covered turf play areas keep Arizona play spaces cooler and usable year-round

How the Fall Protection Works

Fall protection comes from the complete system, not the turf alone. Every piece of playground equipment has a required fall height its surfacing must meet or exceed — and the play pad under the turf is what carries that protection.

Play-rated turf on top. Dense, soft, lead-free fibers built for daily traffic and Arizona sun.
Play pad underneath. Available in 1-1/8" and 2-1/8" thicknesses — pad thickness drives the rated fall height, so we match the pad to the tallest equipment on your playground.
Engineered base. Compacted, draining base (or direct installation over existing concrete or asphalt) so the surface stays flat, firm, and dry.

Independently lab-tested to ASTM F1292. The 1-1/8" pad carries a 4-foot fall-height rating and the 2-1/8" pad an 8-foot rating — verified at 25°F, 72°F, and 120°F, so the rating holds in Arizona heat. Manufacturer-rated options up to 11 feet are available for taller equipment. Pads are rubber-free, lead and heavy-metal free, free-draining, and carry an 8-year warranty. Test reports available for your bid package.

Simpler than poured-in-place, cleaner than loose fill. Turf-and-pad systems are safer and easier to install than poured rubber surfaces, and less expensive to maintain than wood fiber, sand, or other loose-fill surfacing that scatters, thins out, and needs constant topping up.

Backyard playset with slide on a bordered artificial turf play area — Backyard playset on a bordered turf play area — clean, cushioned, and mud-free

In-Ground Trampolines

One of the most requested features in high-end Arizona backyards: an in-ground trampoline set flush with the lawn, surrounded by clean, always-green turf instead of dirt, rock, or patchy grass. We finish the turf tight to the trampoline frame for a built-in look — no raised edges to trip on, no bare ring worn into the yard.

Flush, tailored turf edge around the trampoline frame
Play pad in the surrounding landing zone — the manufacturer recommends added pad protection around in-ground trampolines, swings, and climbers
Drainage detailing so the pit and surround stay dry
Pairs cleanly with play lawns, putting greens, and pool surrounds

Designing a full backyard? Trampoline surrounds, play lawns, and putting greens are quoted together as one design — one crew, one seamless finish.

School, Park & Municipal Procurement

We have installed artificial turf at more than 31 Arizona schools, and school business officials may know us from Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) events. We know how Arizona public purchasing works — from district RFPs and CIP plan sets to cooperative purchasing programs like Mohave, 1GPA, and TIPS — and we will meet the procurement path your district or agency uses.

Written specs and product documentation for bid packages
Pad specification documented per playground
Plan-set and blueprint review for parks and CIP projects
School-calendar and facility scheduling

A note on certifications. Fall-height performance applies to the complete installed system — turf plus pad plus base. We document the system specification for your records on every commercial playground install, and ASTM F1292 test reports are available for bid packages.

Backing Options

Playground Spring

Playground Fescue

Playground Turf Questions, Answered

Do I need a safety pad under playground turf?

If children will be falling from equipment — swings, slides, climbers, in-ground trampolines — yes. The pad is what provides fall protection; the turf alone is a play surface, not a fall-attenuation system. For open play lawns without equipment, turf without a pad can be appropriate.

What fall height does the system protect against?

Our pad systems are independently tested to ASTM F1292: the 1-1/8" pad carries a 4-foot fall-height rating and the 2-1/8" pad an 8-foot rating — verified at 25°F, 72°F, and 120°F. Manufacturer-rated options up to 11 feet are available for taller equipment. We match the pad to the required fall height of your equipment, and every commercial install includes a documented pad specification with test reports available for bid packages.

Does playground turf get too hot in summer?

Like any outdoor surface, turf warms in direct summer sun. We design around it: shade placement, lighter infill options, and layout choices that keep play areas usable. A quick rinse cools the surface fast, and mornings and evenings stay comfortable year-round.

Is it safe for kids — what about lead or toxins?

The products we install are independently tested to be free of lead and heavy metals. The turf is also slip-resistant and eliminates the mud, standing water, and scattered debris that come with loose-fill surfacing.

How does turf compare to wood chips or poured rubber?

Loose fill like wood fiber and sand scatters, thins under swings, tracks into buildings, and needs constant topping up to stay compliant. Poured-in-place rubber performs well but is costly to install and repair. A turf-and-pad system installs faster than poured surfaces and needs far less upkeep than loose fill.

Can it be installed over concrete or an existing surface?

Yes. The Power Play system installs over compacted base, existing concrete, asphalt, and even contoured mounds and slopes — which is often what makes a courtyard or converted space work as a playground.

Request a Playground Site Assessment

Bring your equipment list and your problem areas. We will measure the space, spec the right pad for your fall heights, and put a written, procurement-ready number on it — for one backyard playset or an entire campus.

Request a Free Site Assessment

Call or Text (480) 751-4343 | AZ ROC 234276

See our pricing guide, or explore pet turf and putting greens for the rest of your property.