Way-Cool Products

Golf Course Superintendent and Golfdom Contributing Editor Christopher S. Gray Sr. scouted the trade-floor at the Golf Industry Show and found some neat new products.

During the Golf Industry Show in San Diego last month, I donned my most comfortable shoes and hit the trade-show floor in search of the most interesting and creative maintenance products and innovations to hit the golf course industry marketplace. Or, to put it much simpler, I hunted for some of the coolest products the show had to offer. However, considering the considerable size of the show, I didn't get to see everything so I know I missed some products that would've made this list. But here's what I did find.

The Swiss Army Knife of Irrigation Tools
Underhill International’s Irrigation SuperKeys
With separate designs for both Toro and Rain Bird, these well-thought-out SuperKeys provide an all-in-one service tool for your irrigation heads. This tool really does do a lot. It cleans outs the debris around the manual control knob, turns your head on and off, removes the snap ring for the internal rotor assembly, and even removes the snap ring for the bottom valve. The Rain Bird version can also remove the solenoid plunger and the control assembly of the head.

Crafted out of glass-filled composite plastic and aircraft-grade stainless steel, this is a must have item for your irrigation toolbox. And priced at only $17.95 each, IT should be an early Christmas present for your irrigation technician.

The I-Never-Have-To-Replace-My-Blades-Again Mower Blades
New Edge’s Sure Cut Plastic Cutting Edges
This is a really cool concept that’s unbelievably affordable. This custom-made blade system consists of two parts -- a metal blade constructed of industrial tubing and reinforced steel, and replaceable ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene cutting edges that attach to the blade through a double-locking insert rail. When the cutting edges wear down with use, the edges can be slipped off and on without ever taking the blade off the mower. And even if you need blades of different lengths, the cutting edges are universal.

For blades 21 inches or less, they cost $19.95 each and the cutting edges are as low as 65 cents each (if you buy 500 at a time). Smaller quantities are a little more. Still, this is a no-brainer for any matching fleet of mowers. Oh, and the cutting edges can only go on one way, so even I couldn’t screw this one up. Well, maybe.

The Coolest-Way-to-Change-Your-Pin-Placement Cup Cutter
The FSH Machines eCutter
Straight out of Denmark, this totally electric, high-tech cup cutter takes out all the back pain that comes with changing cups, while providing a perfect and uniform cup hole. Running off of an 18-volt battery that drives an electric motor, the eCutter works in any soil type due to it gentle oscillation action. This thing weighs only 18 pounds, but has enough power to cut over 27 holes on a single charge.

The cup cutter comes complete with a footplate to help protect the green during cutting and has an easy depth-control system for both the standard depth cups and putting green cups. Priced at $1,300, this is probably the last cup cupper you’ll ever buy. This is the coolest thing to come out of Denmark since Metallica’s drummer Lars Ulrich.

The How-to-Protect-and-Renew-My-Course-Accessories Solution
Vinyl Guard Golf’s Shrink-Wrap Products
These shrink-wrap products are awesome in every conceivable way. There’s nothing I hate more than having to repaint flagsticks, rake handles and all the various posts on my course year after year. Now I don’t have to anymore; I can wrap them. With more than 40 years of experience in the electrical insulation-manufacturing field, these shrink-wrap products make much sense for our industry.

You simply cut the right amount of shrink-wrap material for the accessory and then use a high temperature heat gun to heat the flexible plastic into a form-fitting covering that looks unbelievably professional. There are specific shrink wraps for specific accessories that range in cost from 50 cents per foot for tournament flagsticks to 60 cents per foot for rake handles. You won’t be disappointed.

The No-More-Workers-Comp-Claims Water Hose
Kochek’s Lightweight 1-inch Hand-Watering Hose
The worst part of hand-watering has always been manhandling that incredibly heavy 1-inch hose around the course during the hottest time of the year. It’s about time someone figured out how to make one that weighs less. A standard 100-foot, 1-inch hose weighs 34 pounds. This new hose weighs only 18 pounds. No more back pain from loading and unloading in the back of a utility vehicle.

Developed from the firefighting profession, the hose resembles what is known as a booster hose  that hangs on the back of a fire truck. Once you handle this hose, you'll never want to use a standard hose again. Available in standard lengths, this hose can also be ordered to any desired length. Don’t be afraid of the cost either, a 100-foot section is $279 -- far less than one trip to the doctor for a strained back.

So there you have it, my selections for some of this year's coolest products. But, like I said, I didn't get to see everything. So feel free to e-mail your coolest products to info@golfdom.com.

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