All About the Turf

Golf has been enjoyed for generations around the world, and turf is a vital part of the playing experience.Thousands gathered in Orlando, Florida this month, for the annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference. The GCSAA has been around for nearly a century, and their conference and trade show brought together industry experts from throughout the US and around the world.In addition to a showcase of new products and technology, increasing industry sustainability was a common theme.“It’s more important than ever and it’s only going to get more important,” remarked Tom Coyne, best-selling author who gave a talk in the booth of Aquatrols, which partners with Redox to market turf products. “In the golf industry, we have to do more with less, and water is at the very top of that list.”“It’s absolutely number one,” said Michael Fance, Technical Support and European Account Manager with Aquatrols. “Legislation is really, really harsh in my trading area, so the eyes of the world are on nitrates in water, etcetera.”  He said their products provide a major boost to this effort, aligning nitrogen reduction with improved turf health.Another key issue with turf is helping fight off abiotic stress.  How to fight it depends on several factors, but there are effective solutions available.“It really does depend on what stress we’re trying to address,” said Graham O’Connor, European Business Manager at Aquatrols. “What we’ve found is that, when we can home in on whatever it is, then we have a product that’s a “go to” to deal with an issue. Then people say ‘well, let’s look at more. Let’s look at something else. We want to see what else is on this line, because it has ticked that box.’”Whatever the challenge, Redox and Aquatrols gain great satisfaction in providing valuable tools to healthy golf course turf.Ken Maltby, Senior Superintendent of Florida’s Grand Cypress Resort, has been a satisfied Redox customer for nearly a decade.“Once you get on a steady program, then you can adjust your rates, you actually start using less product almost, once you address those soil issues” he said. “That’s another great value of having the Redox products is the adjustability or compatibility with all of the products they have.”