Giant South Bay Grass Mural Honors Memorial Day Heroes

MILPITAS, CA — From parades to barbecues, many typical Memorial Day celebrations went out the window this spring, but one Bay Area company created a tribute that's hard to miss: a giant grass mural on a South Bay golf course, honoring the nation's veterans.

The large-scale tribute comes courtesy of Pleasanton-based New Ground Technology, which creates temporary designs on grass fields using a "TurfPrinter" that uses air to bend grass.

Earlier this month, New Ground teamed up with Patch to create a 150-foot mural in Pleasanton, honoring essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

For this project, Kelli Pearson and Pete Davis, the husband-wife team behind New Ground, worked with Greg Jetter, who owns Spring Valley Golf Course in Milpitas.

The TurfPrinter creates a contrast that can be seen only from above: blades bent away from the viewer are lighter, while blades bend toward them are darker. Grass is not harmed in the process, Pearson told Patch this month.

The folks at New Ground have created murals to mark other significant moments this year, including the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl appearance and the death of Kobe Bryant.