Presenting Golfdom’s 2022 Supers’ Choice Award winners

Let’s play favorites! For one issue, instead of featuring only the newest products available for golf maintenance … what if we featured readers’ favorite products? 

We asked and readers responded. The following products are readers’ top products for 2022, as well as their favorite products of all time. 

What products got left out? You tell us. Email Golfdom Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.

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ProGator

John Deere

“I’ve used the ProGator in so many ways that I can’t remember them all. Its towing capacity, payload capacity and steering ability are better than any other utility vehicle on the market. If you perform proper maintenance on a ProGator, they will easily last for more than 10 years; they are extremely durable.”

— Nick Hanson, CGCS, Desert Horizons CC, Indian Wells, Calif.

 

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Cirrus PRO

Rain Bird

“It makes operating an irrigation system mirror everything else in our lives; it’s simple and at your fingertips. You don’t have to be in front of a central computer to have full utility (access). It eliminates points of failure by not having to use radio communications and downloads.”

— Connor Healy, superintendent, Conway Farms GC, Lake Forest, Ill.

 

 

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Gravity S 26-8-16

WinField United

“I can’t say enough about Gravity S from Winfield United. We spray it wall-to-wall on all three grass types we have out here. It is super cost-effective, easy to melt down and has the perfect ratio of macronutrients for turfgrass, and even comes with micronutrients, so you can save from buying the designer foliar brands. The plant response is epic.”

— Nick White, superintendent, Bellerive CC, St. Louis

 

 

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HP11-III greens roller

Salsco

“The HP11-III has three rollers, which saves us time and labor. It’s a useful machine because it helps us take days off from mowing if we need to.”

— Zach Anderson, CGCS, Willows Run Golf Complex, Redmond, Wash.

 

 

 

 

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2-inch plug stacker

Miltona

“I had one green that had a lot of silvery-thread moss on it, and I remember two of us spending two or three hours plugging that out with cup cutters. I did the same thing in about 15 minutes by myself with the plug stacker.”

— Bryan Tipton, CGCS, superintendent, Hillsview GC, Pierre, S.D.

 

 

 

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taskTracker

taskTracker

“You can have employees on there and customize it, so it shows their first assignment … and then it won’t show their second until they’re done with that. Any job you can think of on the course? You can pick and choose them. It really makes a difference.”

— Ed Batcheller, superintendent, CC of Orlando (Fla.)

 

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Manuscript herbicide

Syngenta

“Tropical signalgrass is a weed that has become a problem here in central Florida. Prior to Manuscript, we were only able to push it back. With Manuscript, we’re able to really control it, and it’s made a big difference in our product on the course.”

— Mike Bellino, superintendent, Heathrow CC, Longwood, Fla.

 

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Overseeder 3D 1575

Redexim

“With seed prices inflating and extreme drought conditions in the Midwest, the seed-to-soil contact that the Redexim Overseeder 3D 1575 provides assures me that I am getting a very high germination rate to help recover from our extreme summer conditions.”

— Jonathan Bennett, superintendent, Sunflower Hills GC, Bonner Springs, Kan.

 

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Super 600

Wiedenmann

“We use this unit to verticut 50 acres of fairways within days. The Super 600 can verticut and sweep up most of the remaining debris simultaneously. It can also raise high enough to dump into our F-450 with a dump bed.”

— Derrick Dreyer, superintendent, Frost Creek GC, Eagle, Colo.

 

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Field Scout TDR300 and TDR350

Spectrum Technologies

“These help us greatly reduce the guesswork and better decide when to water or not, especially a few days after a rain event. We also use these to overall reduce the amount of water applied to the greens daily with overhead irrigation, then use the moisture meters and hoses to target areas around the greens that may need additional water. As an old-timer with over 40 years on golf courses, I used to scout certain notoriously dry or wet areas and use educated guesses to make the decisions. These tools have been a game-changer.”

— Chris Thuer, CGCS, Bear Slide GC, Cicero, Ind.

 

 

 

 

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Serata fungicide

FMC

“We have the best roots we’ve had in 15-plus years on A1 bentgrass greens in the Southeast after adding Serata into our program. Serata was put to the true test this summer with disease pressure remaining pretty high throughout the majority of the summer, and it performed flawlessly on 21-year-old bentgrass greens.”

— Craig Harris, director of agronomy, Greenville (S.C.) CC

 

 

 

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Tekken fungicide

PBI-Gordon

“I consistently get 28-day control on my tees and fairways, and with limited labor, that is a huge help because I don’t have to spray every two weeks. I have used numerous fungicides that claim 28-day control but never saw the results. Tekken is a combination fungicide with two actives which helps me out in that I don’t have to mix multiple products in the tank.”

— Jim Canning, director of grounds, White Eagle GC, Naperville, Ill.

 

 

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Triwave 60

Turfco

“I use the Triwave for so many different applications; I don’t know how I could go without it. I can seed a multitude of different seed sizes and guarantee germination. The Triwave saves my overseed every year, especially in light irrigation coverage areas and south-facing slopes.”

— Nick Hanson, CGCS, Desert Horizons CC, Indian Wells, Calif.

 

 

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Lakes & Ponds

Aquaritin

“The Aquaritin reduces the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels in our ponds. The product promotes diatom activity which increases oxygenation of the water. With the reduction of TDS, this also balances out the water, including the pH. I like the ability to not only oxygenate the pond without the need of aeration pumps and electricity but also to have an environmental approach in maintaining stored water without the need for algaecides. Most importantly, having the ability to boost oxygen levels in the water that is used to irrigate the golf course has been a big factor as well. Anything we can do to improve water quality shows in turf and soil health.”

— Bryan Morison, Eagle Springs GC, Wolcott, Colo.

 

 

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Turf Pro

POGO

“With the drought, we’re looking at our water use. I’ve liked using it on the greens the last few years, you can dial things in. Pogo is really easy to use once you get the areas set up. I love the mapping and cloud features. It saves everything as you go and makes it easy to compare data over time. I think this summer, I used 40 to 50 percent less water on my greens. This fall, we purchased a second one, so my assistant can help.”

— Brian Roth, CGCS, Oquirrh Hills GC, Tooele, Utah

 

 

 

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Zipline

Aquatrols

“It’s our wetting agent of choice. We went through a bunch, but this one fits our niche. It helps us maintain consistent moisture throughout our program. It’s a phenomenal product. You notice when it changes efficacy, we’ve found that three-week window to be our hot spot. It’s consistent moisture. I’m of the mindset that if you have a three-legged stool, moisture being a critical leg, Zipline allows us to weather any thunderstorms and dry periods, we can irrigate dry periods, and we don’t have to worry about that ‘Oops! It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and this place is on fire.’”

— Paul Van Buren, golf course manager, Kanawha Club, Manakin-Sabot, Va.

 

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ProCore 648 aerator

Toro

“The Toro ProCore 648 offers us the ability to get our agronomy practices in places where we cannot use a tractor-mounted aerifier. The reliability and performance of the 648 gives great peace of mind. We can send almost any of our employees out on it and they are able to proficiently use it and we don’t have to worry about anything going haywire. We have two of them and use them at least bi-weekly on all areas of the golf course all season long.”

— Dan Frederiksen, superintendent, The GC at Black Rock, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

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Acelepryn

Syngenta

“Acelepryn from Syngenta is some of the best bang for your buck out there! The first and last time I think about grubs all season is the day we go out and spray Acelepryn. Not to mention when the Twitterverse is going crazy over armyworm sightings, we have zero concerns knowing that Acelepryn was sprayed this season. It is super safe, super effective and super long-lasting.”

— Nick White, superintendent, Bellerive CC, St. Louis

 

 

 

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HCU and HCAs

The Andersons

“The addition of a humic coating on the fertilizer not only does very well at promoting growth in the plant, but it also promotes root growth.”

— Brett Grogan, superintendent, Kitsap G&CC, Bremerton, Wash.

 

 

 

 

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Spray Bug

Hahn

“It is very easy to use. It simplified a major challenge during construction as well as allowed us to spot-treat small areas of greens expansions and sod work as necessary. No dragging hoses for Sprayhawks. It was very helpful during a large construction project where we could not even get close enough to areas that needed applications with our sprayer that had a hose attachment.”

— Connor Healy, superintendent, Conway Farms GC, Lake Forest, Ill.

 

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SPaRKS program

SPaRKS

“It allows you to input and keep track of pesticide applications. It’ll log what you did, say, in November of last year and that way, you have a baseline of what you might need this year.”

— Ed Batcheller, superintendent, CC of Orlando (Fla.)

 

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Fame fungicide 

FMC

“Fairy ring on greens was a big issue during the summer drought of 2022. Our usual cures helped but did not work as they had in the past, so we decided to try Fame. The results were slightly incredible. It quickly killed off the fairy ring and seemed to help rapidly heal the areas. Fame is now our go-to product for fairy ring.”

— Alan FitzGerald, CGCS, MG, LedgeRock GC, Mohnton, Pa.

 

 

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Core Max 48 

Ecotronics

“The Core Max 48 has improved the quality of the semi-annual core aerations to our putting surfaces. The cores of soil land inside the box and never touch the surface of the green. As a result, virtually no organic matter is smeared onto the turf. The Core Max has effectively reduced the percent of organic matter in our greens and allowed us to aerify in less than optimal weather conditions when other core removal systems can’t be used. We can now aerate in March and do a better job than we used to do in April. Our members noticed the improvements in the playability of the greens in early spring and throughout the golf season.”

— Ken Flisek, CGCS, The Club at Nevillewood, Presto, Pa.

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Floratine

Floratine

“The ease of mixing and superior results allows me to customize my foliar applications down to the micronutrient. It also provides the ability to leave out nitrogen on greens ahead of tournaments if necessary.”

— Derrick Dreyer, superintendent, Frost Creek GC, Eagle, Colo.

 

 

 

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Kalida and Rayora fungicides

FMC

“Kalida has become a trusted stalwart in our fungicide program, especially for the control of dollar spot. Rayora provided great control on its own, now combined with a novel SDHI to create Kalida, it has extended the efficacy period and provided even stronger disease prevention. Kalida is an integral part of our program for dollar spot.”

— Alan FitzGerald, CGCS, MG, LedgeRock GC, Mohnton, Pa.

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VC 60 verticutter 

1st products

“This unit seems to be well built and is very productive. First thing in the morning, we can get a few fairways verticut, wind row blown and swept in a few hours. We do a few a day as the schedule for our small staff allows. This unit, combined with solid-tine aeration, has taken the place of core aeration while allowing us to still manage the soil profile with much less cleanup and disruption to play.”

— Chris Thuer, CGCS, Bear Slide GC, Cicero, Ind.

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Polyon

Harrell’s

“The control that you get with that is pretty darn good. The fact is that it saves on labor. You put it down in the spring and, especially in the mid-Atlantic, it gives you the fertilization that you need for that period of time.”

— Jason Hollen, superintendent, Pete Dye GC, Bridgeport, W.Va.

 

 

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Excalibur 

Aqua-Aid

“Over my career, I’ve toyed around with several different wetting agents, and when I started using Excalibur just over a year ago, we saw that it was balancing everything out. We weren’t holding water where we didn’t want to and we weren’t drying out anywhere, either.” 

— Stuart Wiseley, superintendent, Audubon CC, Naples, Fla.

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Air2G2

Foley

“It bridges us between our aerification cycles. We host an LPGA event in May, so we like to kickstart our greens without being too disruptive to the playing surface. Then by the time we get to July,
the greens have been rolled so many times we hit them again just
to gain porosity and air exchange through the soil profile. Then we hit them one more time at the beginning of winter, we get relief in the soil without any surface disruption.”

— Michael Brunelle, CGCS, Upper Montclair CC, Clifton, N.J.

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Ninja GPS Sprayer 

Frost

“It’s been a big tool for us in the last year in that the GPS capabilities have helped us save on chemical inputs. It defines the areas that we spray through GPS capabilities, so it only sprays where we want to. There’s no overspray outside of the determined GPS boundaries.”

— Tim Davis, superintendent, Legacy Ridge GC, Westminster, Colo.

 

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GreenKeeper App 

GreenKeeper

“The GreenKeeper App has been a game-changer for about the last seven years for me. Being able to have digital records of our spray applications, with an easy-to-read and follow print-off, is just the first thing that is valuable. What has changed everything is the ability to quickly know when the next application is going to be without having to think about it. The time I spend calculating and planning spray apps, topdressing, cultivation and timing of sprays is only a few minutes a week. It is my No. 1 crutch for agronomy decision-making, planning and tracking.”

— Dan Frederiksen, superintendent, The GC at Black Rock, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

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500 series backpack blower

Husqvarna

“They’re a great bang for your buck. They get put through the wringer by our guys bouncing around on carts, and they can take anything that the crew can throw at them. We’ve had them for about a year now and they’ve been a great addition.”

— Ben Ellis, superintendent, Fort Belvoir (Va.) GC

 

 

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HIO Cup-Cutter

Par Aide 

“It gives a consistent depth and it really speeds up everything. Plus, it keeps the plug itself intact instead of making it a two-piece. It’s easier to get it out in one piece. We had been kicking it around for a couple of years, but we finally pulled the trigger on it, and it’s made a difference.”

— Eric Johnson, superintendent, Chambers Bay GC, University Place, Wash.

 

 

 

 

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Musketeer

SePRO

“Our course is on the older side, so we’ve got a lot of different grass types. When you use one (turf growth) regulator or even two, the grasses won’t all regulate at the same rate. We gravitated to Musketeer, which is regulators all mixed into a formulation, and it works very well. I was not expecting the uniform regulation that it gives. At the same time, there’s a greening effect by using the product, and it has the ability to fight against dollar spot.”

— Steven Friedell, superintendent, North Hills CC, Glenside, Pa.

 

 

 

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DryJect

DryJect

“I like it because of the variability of depth. We have a significant thatch layer here at Wolf Creek. The DryJect goes through that layer and the holes it creates are 100 percent backfilled. I like it so much that I do it three times a year, one time in the spring and we do it double in the fall. It’s a lifesaver.”

— Bill Irving, director of agronomy, Wolf Creek Golf Links, Olathe, Kan.

 

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Maximum N-Pact

Loveland Products

“It’s a 12-0-12 ag-based fertilizer, so it’s used primarily on crops. But there’s a nitrogen compound in there called triazone nitrogen that helps not waste any of the nitrogen. So, whatever you put down, all of it is getting into the plant. For starters, you don’t have to use as much as you usually would to get the results. You get a lot of bang for your buck, it’s almost become the backbone of what I’m doing.”

— Steven Friedell, superintendent, North Hills CC, Glenside, Pa.

 

 

 

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2700 E-cut triplex mower 

John Deere

“The 2750 improved upon John Deere’s great platform, the 2500, giving us more versatility on steep terrain along with a much more comfortable and engaged user interface along with continuing to integrate the QA technology that gave a great quality of cut.”

— Alex Stuedemann, CGCS, director of agronomy, PGA Tour Network

 

 

 

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Soil moisture sensors

Spiio

“It’s a great technology. Having just another tool to assist in our agronomic decisions that can come at the touch of a button on your phone is going to certainly be helpful as we continue to get more and more automated and have more challenging decisions to make as superintendents.”

— Alex Stuedemann, CGCS, director of agronomy, PGA Tour Network

 

 

 

 

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Suprado

Quali-Pro

“I’ve found Suprado to be an absolute game-changer in my ABW control. I applied Suprado at peak adult activity this spring and again at the beginning of the second generation of adults and have witnessed phenomenal results. Suprado provided me, hands-down, the best ABW control I’ve had in 12 years as a superintendent. Thanks to Suprado, ABW damage was nonexistent.”

— Logan Freeman, superintendent, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppatowne, Md.

 

 

 

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Greenmaster 1000 walk mower

Toro

“It’s a quality product. It’s another step in the right direction in their line of mowers. The parts availability has always been top-notch with Toro, too. Having them and then being able to get them when you need them is a huge help. In the end, the longevity of the product is a huge reason why we have them. They last forever.”

— E.J. Chea, superintendent, Pease GC, Greenland, N.H.

 

 

 

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Greens roller

Smithco

“I have relied on Smithco greens rollers for most of my career. We rely on the rollers to improve putting greed speed and smoothness, as a key component in cultural practices and to help with renovation projects. They are definitely a quality product and I have always experienced great customer/technical support from Smithco.”

— Travis Moore, superintendent, Dallas Athletic Club

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Umax UTV

Yamaha

“We have four of them and they’re all in the 600-to-700-hour range. They’ve been very cost-effective and great people movers and light-duty moving equipment. They’re definitely a cost-effective solution relative to the other manufacturers. We use them to pull lighter equipment such as greens rollers and our Buffalo blower. We use the beds for hauling sand and mulch.”

— Andrew Moore, superintendent, Bear Ridge GC, Waco, Texas

 

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Torrent 2 blower

Turfco

“Turbine-style blowers have become a staple on the golf course for good reason. Turfco’s Torrent blower does a great job moving everything from leaves to clippings to flood debris. Personally, I like the fast-rotating nozzle and excellent support from Turfco.”

— Travis Moore, superintendent, Dallas Athletic Club

 

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FS900 riding sweeper

Baroness

“Not only does it save on costs by doing the job of three to four laborers during core aerification, it also is multifunctional. We plan on using it on our driving range tees to sweep up divots and cleaning off debris from our putting greens after we verticut. It will be a game-changer for us and allow our staff to do more with less. Efficiency is the name of the game these days, and the Baroness FS900 helps us do that.”

— Chad Allen, superintendent, The Club at Chatham Hills, Westfield, Ind.