A day at the raceway with Quali-Pro

Ian Rodriguez, Ph.D., (right) technical services manager at Quali-Pro and Steve McDonald (left), owner of Turfgrass Disease Solutions, spoke to superintendents who traveled to hear about Suprado. (Photo: Golfdom Staff)

Quali-Pro is offering superintendents a new way to control annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) with Suprado, which provides a new chemistry and mode of action to combat ABW.

In order to spread the word about the new product, Quali-Pro invited superintendents to Xtreme Xperience at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. The event was capped off with attendees driving some supercars.

“If you ask any golf course superintendent in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region about a new insecticide, they don’t care about white grubs, they don’t care about cotton worms,” said Steve McDonald, the owner of Turfgrass Disease Solutions. “It comes down to controlling annual bluegrass weevil.”

Ian Rodriguez, Ph.D., technical services manager at Quali-Pro, went on to explain that throughout test trials of Suprado, it proved to be highly effective against pyrethroid-resistant populations of ABW in addition to providing strong prevention of larval stages.

What the supers are saying

Logan Freeman

The importance of ABW control for superintendents in the area was backed up by Logan Freeman, superintendent at Mountain Branch Golf Course, Joppa, Md.

“(ABW) is the most important pest that I manage against,” Freeman said. “For me, if I don’t control ABW correctly in the spring, it can throw off my entire year. That’s what’s exciting about this product is that it’s a new tool for me to have in the toolbox.”

Freeman was able to receive an early test trial of Suprado to use on ABW at his golf course and explained his experience using the product.

“The main thing was that this was something that was different with more flexibility,” Freeman said. “I tested it and had the same or better control than what we have been using as an industry standard.”

Peter Danaher

Peter Danaher, superintendent at Hunt Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Md., was also in attendance to hear about Suprado.

Danaher explained how he attended the event to try and find a new product to help manage ABW as this year is his first year dealing with full pressure from the pest. His course mostly consists of Poa greens, which is one of the preferred spots ABW like to inhabit.

Rodriguez and McDonald explained some of the benefits of Suprado, including the ability to have strong ABW control across the pests’ different life stages, while Danaher explained that Suprado’s longer control and the ability to be more flexible with the application schedule made him excited about the product.

“If you’re out spraying adults, you’re going to get good control,” Danaher said. “And if you’re a little early on your timing, you have that potential to reduce the reproduction of the ABW. That was big for me because you’re extending that control that you can have.”

Freeman added that Suprado is a new tool for superintendents in the fight against ABW and that it may prove to be the strongest.

“As a superintendent it’s all about tools in the toolbox and the more tools you have gives you the ability to manage things better,” Freeman said. “Suprado might be the sledgehammer for ABW because I think it has the potential to really level the playing field and be a very useful tool.”

Time to drive

Brett Snyder, superintendent of the north course at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Del., drove this Ferrari following the Suprado presentation. (Photo: Golfdom Staff)

Following the presentation and excitement about the new product, superintendents were able to choose two of the eight different cars offered at Xtreme Xperience to take for a spin around the racetrack. With an instructor in the passenger seat, attendees put the pedal to the metal and pushed the supercars to do what they were built to do.

Brett Snyder, superintendent of the north course at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Del., signed up to take a Ferrari 488 GTB around the track hitting speeds over 100 mph. The car, which retails around $350,000 and is equipped with 660 hp, was one of the most popular of the day that supers were eager to drive.

To see some of the experience of driving around the track, watch below as Golfdom Digital Media Content Producer Joseph Ciccolini got behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracan.