I think that although the look of all grass is nice, it is not so user friendly. I do really like the low hedge of shrubs that hides the pool cover, that is a super idea.
I see some very high traffic pathways.... diving board, slide, table and chairs. I also see a grill, a picnic table, also things that need better footing in the dark. Can you sit on those chairs in the grass and not poke so far into the ground that the chair tips? Some chairs have a bar across the bottom so it distributes the weight but others are more like a ladies high heel, concentrating the weight on a tiny space which means it sinks in damp ground. Depends on how wide the foot of the chair leg is.
When the diving board is in use, do kids jump in, get out and do it again? You need a pathway from the access point (steps) to the board. Ditto for the slide; if they slide, get out and run right back you will have a muddy path and muddy, slippery ladder. I see that one as a safety issue.
With 3 sides of the pool subjected to high traffic, assuming that the diving board and the slide are used, I think you will regret having grass there. Wet grass just does not stand up to traffic well.
I have to leave the concrete decking to go to the pool equipment and in the winter when we get a lot of rain I have to wear clogs because the mud squishes up between my toes on the path I have worn over to the pad around the corner. In the summer the grass recovers but I have to knock off the weekly grass clippings before I get back into the pool or go in the house. I only go over there maybe once every other day, round trip, maybe twice if I have to turn stuff off then on again. Still way less than a few kids using the diving board or slide.
Now, on the other hand, is there any chance that things can move? Diving board obviously has to stay there if it stays but he slide could go to the other side which would bunch those things together on the same bit of concrete and then if the steps are on that side as well you could leave the far side grassy. Then you can bunch the grill and tables together near whatever walkway there is to the house. I can't see where the house is but I guess that photo is from an upper window so the hedge will block the view of the pool from the house, not a good thing sometimes if you worry about seeing the kids there.
I'd probably want to have the grill very close to the house, the picnic table near that, then the nicer table alongside the pool. The nicer table needs a good footing as most of those chairs will need it, but the picnic table can be on grass. Most of all, I'd be very careful about how it looks from the house, since for a lot of the year you only get to look at the pool, not actually get in it. When I do landscape designs I usually stop at the main living area windows and plan out ways I'd want it to be seen from there, then go out and work out how that can be done.
Dave
