November 20, 2008

  • Play Golf America celebrates five-year anniversary
  • California team wins John Deere World Championship
  • IGF presents case for Olympic golf
  • Law and order; Immigration laws and hiring procedures
  • Inside your environment; new EPA emission rules
  • President's message
  • Friday afternoon musings
  • Time for a coffee break
  • The Village People visit GCSAA HQ
  • Everglades GCSA donates to The Institute
  • NGCOA names 2009 Player Development Award winner
  • Rare eagle sightings at FarmLinks Golf Course

  • New formulation of Chipco Signature now available
  • Axion to provide high-performance, "green" bridges and walkways
  • Precision Laboratories offers ResourcePak
  • Toro's Pro Force blower now shipping
  • Kubota zero-turn mower line
  • Gehl/Mustang approves Arnco ecoflex flatproofing
  • GCSAA Class A superintendent Andrew Kjos, CGCS, is hosting the ADT Championship
  • Superintendents in the news
  • Cleary awards scholarships to Rutgers students
  • Syngenta names Rider as lawn and garden territory manager
  • Upcoming events in the world of golf course management

Product News

New formulation of Chipco Signature now available

A new formulation of Chipco Signature fungicide is now available for use in turf according to Bayer Environmental Science. The new formulation has a larger granule and is less dusty than the current formulation.

"Both the new and the previous formulations of Chipco Signature are 80 percent concentrate formulations, so there is no need to change rates used on golf course, sod or sports turf," said Richard Rees, fungicide development manager. "The new formulation is easier to handle, disperses easily in water and provides improved turf response."

Chipco Signature, with StressGard technology, is a systemic product registered for use in a seasonal program for control of Pythium diseases on golf course turf, sod farms and sports turf. The company says it improves turf quality and inhibits fungal growth and development, providing protection against anthracnose, summer turfgrass decline and bentgrass deadspot, among other diseases.

"Signature stimulates the production of phytoalexins, which are natural pesticides produced by the plant," explained Rees. "It helps maintain carbohydrate, protein and natural pigment levels in plant tissues, which in turn helps turfgrass better survive periods of stress. Finally, Signature stimulates the production of mycorrhizae, which improve the plant’s growth and health."

For more information, contact a local Bayer sales representative or visit http://www.BackedbyBayer.com.

Axion to provide high-performance, "green" bridges and walkways

Axion International Holdings Inc. has established a golf division to provide its vehicular and pedestrian bridges and walkways made from 100-percent recycled materials to golf courses.

The company is entering the golf industry with a decade of its high-quality, green bridges and railroad structures in use by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Union Pacific, Chicago Transit Authority, Bay Area Rapid Transit and Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

According to Axion, several golf course architects have already committed to using the bridges for their projects, in part to satisfy environmental guidelines of planning and zoning authorities, and homeowners’ associations.

In addition to crossing water features, environmentally-sensitive areas and rough terrain, the green technology can be used to create attractive landscaping materials for bulk-heading and framing walkways, cart paths, tee boxes and steps.

Thanks to the patented mechanical properties and design they are said to rank extremely high in independent tests for durability, lasting more than 50 years with minimal wear and tear.

Additional advantages of Axion bridges include:

  • A textured surface that doesn’t absorb water and get slippery like wood
  • Tolerance of severe weather and flooding
  • Customizable for extreme traffic and weight
  • Classic and contemporary models that blend with course surroundings
  • Minimal color fading over time
  • Imperviousness to moisture decay, fungus and insect infestation
  • Absence of toxins that eliminates pollution
  • Quick installation by contractor or course staff
  • No requirement for painting, staining or patching
  • Low cost per square foot

"There’s a proliferation of golf courses employing green practices, and our company is the only provider of 100-percent recycled materials for bridges," says James Kerstein, CEO.  Visit www.axionintl.com.

Precision Laboratories offers ResourcePak

As cost increases cause budgets to tighten, more turf professionals are looking for additional ways to maximize their return on investment. Now Precision Laboratories says it has a new purchasing tool for its products, including surfactants, adjuvants and spray pattern indicators, that can help do that.

Don Spier, vice president of turf and ornamentals, said, "To accommodate this ever-important agronomic need, Precision is offering a new purchase option that enables turf professionals to customize a program that takes full advantage of the benefits Precision products bring to reducing water, time, labor and overall budget."

The Precision ResourcePak allows buyers to custom-build a resource management program, consisting surfactants, adjuvants, spray pattern indicators and dyes, aquatics and equipment maintenance products for their unique needs and specifications.

ResourcePak early orders received before Dec. 12, 2008, include a value-added incentive of five heavy-duty soil probes and one pH tester, and gain entry into a drawing for a one-in-ten chance to win a soil moisture sensor, and an opportunity to win a free ResourcePak.

For more, visit http://www.precisionlab.com.

Toro's Pro Force blower now shipping

The Toro Co.'s  new engine-driven Pro Force debris blower with turbine-type fan assembly is now shipping. 

The company says the Pro Force blower produces more air flow to create greater debris clearing power to deliver faster removal of grass clippings, leaves, twigs, pine needles, aeration cores, garbage or other debris from golf course fairways, greens, or other maintained turf, as well as cart paths and other paved areas.

The blower's nozzle is a single piece of rotomolded plastic that is impact resistant, extremely durable and less prone to damage than metal ductwork. An electronic governor is activated by a hand-held wireless RF controller, which can start and stop the blower, adjust engine throttle up and down for high- to low-speed operation, and rotate the nozzle 360 degrees, all from the seat of a utility vehicle. Visit Toro.com.

Kubota zero-turn mower line

Kubota has introduced the ZD221 and ZD323 models to its line of zero-turn mowers.

The ZD221 powered by the company's 21-horsepower diesel mower in a compact zero-turn frame, while the full-size ZD323 has a 23 horsepower engine. Both feature professional cutting capabilities for a wide range of applications.

"Kubota’s diesel engine provides increased power and torque, improving fuel efficiency," said Kyle Hagen, turf product manager. "In fact, the torque-to-horsepower ratios of all Kubota diesel zero-turns translate into true savings. When compared to competitive gasoline machines, Kubota’s diesel goes beyond simply offsetting the price of diesel, but can significantly reduce overall fuel operating costs as well."

The ZD221 can be used with 48- or 54-inch Pro-Commercial mower decks and operates at a maximum speed of 9 mph. The larger ZD323 has a 60-inch Pro-Commercial deck with an industry-leading 6.5-inch depth, and a maximum speed of 9.3 mph.

Both have high-performance, shaft-driven hydrostatic transmissions, offering hydraulic PTO clutches while providing hands-free operations in both a hydraulic deck lift and parking brake.

All Kubota zero-turn mowers feature a flat operator platform, as well as features such as a hands-free parking brake and hydraulic deck lift to reduce operator fatigue.

An optional advanced mulching system on all ZD Series models provides an extra-fine cut due to a Kubota original closed-system baffle, leaving a professional finish, even in thick grass.

Contact http://www.kubota.com.

Gehl/Mustang approves Arnco ecoflex flatproofing

Gehl Co. has approved Arnco’s new patent-pending ecoflex tire flatproofing fill for use on all Gehl and Mustang skid steer loaders and telehandlers.

Ecoflex is an eco-friendly tire fill formulation from Arnco that consumes 50 percent less petrochemicals by using renewable and environmentally based components in the production process.

The announcement was made by Steven Ownby, Arnco marketing manager who said that Gehl has determined the new polyurethane flatproofing meets the design and performance criteria set forth by the company following an extensive testing period.

Ownby pointed out that the ecoflex and ecofil materials illustrate a commitment to a greener planet by Arnco, the world’s largest supplier of polyurethane flatproofing products for off-road vehicles.  

"In addition to offering equipment operators substantial cost-saving advantages, both ecoflex and ecofil work with tube-type or tubeless tires, are designed to handle the most arduous applications, and are safer to use than standard flatproofing materials," he added.

Visit http://www.arnconet.com.