As the spring season approaches and the temperatures gradually rise, we know you, our customers, will be busier than ever getting your courses prepped for eager golfers ready to enjoy the game.
In the wake of a very challenging 2020, one unanimous silver lining was the renewed interest and popularity in golf as a safe outlet from the trials and tribulations of COVID-19. While we would all agree that this lift is a great benefit to our industry, it doesn’t come without its inherent set of challenges to superintendents around the country. Full tee sheets, early start times and ever-present labor issues make executing normal maintenance practices more difficult than ever.
In this “Focus on Fairways” special, we will highlight how the increased play volume has made managing quality turf on the largest parcel of your properties difficult — and how BASF can help rally to support you and address these concerns.
Focus on fairways
Brian Thompson, Turf Marketing Manager for BASF, takes a deep dive into the challenges to managing quality turf that superintendents have been experiencing, as well as the BASF chemistries that can help them be successful.
More play, less spray
Photo: Berkshire Valley GC
The 2020 golf season will be forever remembered by anyone working in the industry. Early on, there was some doubt if COVID-19 would be anything more than a news story. Then, it became a serious story for the industry, shutting down golf courses coast to coast. And then, the next twist, golf’s record-setting rounds played numbers based on the game being a safe, socially distant sport.
With so much tumult — and traffic — in one season, superintendents were put to the test.
We talked to four superintendents who rose to the occasion and provided fabulous fairways for a golfing public hungry for a safe break from the “new normal.”
Hear from Craig Kight, Superintendent of Eagle Brook CC and Regional Superintendent of Arcis Golf in Geneva, IL, to learn how he cut sprays by 50 percent in 2020.
In with the new
Maxtima fungicide and Navicon Intrinsic brand fungicide allow superintendents to stretch application windows, increasing efficiency. (Photo: Jim Kerns)
It’s not every day that a new fungicide arrives on the scene and causes a stir — but Maxtima® fungicide and Navicon® Intrinsic® brand fungicide made waves when Jim Kerns, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University, first encountered them.
“It’s a very exciting material dating back, gosh, five years ago was the first time I looked at it,” Kerns says. “A number of us in the turf pathology group were texting one another, ‘What is this material? What is this material?’”
Watch this video to see Kerns and Cameron Stephens, Ph.D., Technical Market Manager, Turf & Ornamentals, BASF, discuss Maxtima fungicide and Navicon Intrinsic brand fungicide and how they work.
Listen to Kerns and Stephens share the results they experienced in trials of Maxtima fungicide and Navicon Intrinsic brand fungicide.
EOP saves the day
Photo: The Architects GC
For Dan Livingston, superintendent of The Architects Golf Club in Phillipsburg, NJ, 2020 was a busy year for the Troon Golf-managed course. Livingston said the premise of The Architects Golf Club’s layout — which pays homage to the styles of famous golf course architects like Old Tom Morris, Donald Ross and Alister Mackenzie — garners a lot of interest. As the course reopened last year, the course went to single-cart drivers and daily rounds jumped to more than 200 rounds a day.
See how Livingston overcame resulting complications like dollar spot with Xzemplar® fungicide and the BASF Early Order Program.
The proof is in the numbers
In a challenging 2020 golf season, Maxtima fungicide and Navicon Intrinsic brand fungicide rose to the occasion. Surveyed superintendents reported how the products helped them stay in control.
To see the full feature recap, watch the below video.
Read the “Focus on Fairways” supplement in full here.
Header Image: John R. Johnson/golfphotos.com
This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff. However, the content on this page — and in the articles referenced — was created by Golfdom‘s editorial staff, as well as BASF staff. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information.
