Golf Industry Show and GCSAA Conference Wrap Up

Last week I was in Orlando Florida for the Golf Industry Show and Golf Course Superintendents of America annual conference. For the golf industry this is the biggest and best offering of continuing education, networking, and showing of products and equipment in the world. This marked my 18th consecutive conference and I continue to learn and get better at my craft through participating in this event. For the last 2 years I have co-taught a weather seminar for superintendents and I have found that to be very gratifying, and it keeps my meteorology skills sharp. I have shared below some of the products and ideas that I have brought back with me.

Some of the products and interesting things found at the show.

Remote control slope mower

Remote control and robotic mowers with gps are getting more and more popular every year. I think they are a few years away from being relevant for most golf courses, however some day I think they will be commonly used, especially in hazardous areas like steep slopes. For now I use pgs and gis for fertilizer and irrigation programs, but not mowing.

Fairway roller

Fairway rolling is becoming very popular quickly across the country for a couple of reasons. It has proven to lessen disease, it enhances the firm fast playing conditions desired on most golf courses, and it can reduce the number of days of mowing. For now I am keeping the rolling to the greens, where we roll on average 3 times a week.

Azospirillum bacteria

There are new biological / sustainability products coming out every day. This is a trend and some times trends come and go, however there are a lot of products that are proving in university studies to be contributing to better soil and ultimately better turf and playing conditions. TerraMax is a company that produces nitrogen fixing bacteria that we will be trying at La Rinconada this year. If the product lives up to the claims and research results, it will allow us to apply less fertilizer and pesticides and have deeper rooted grass.

I am always on the lookout for new products and have tried 3 or 4 new ones on the course this past year. Most of them fall short of there claims, but trying new things is how you get better and frankly it keeps me stimulated.


Kevin