Record-breaking attendance bodes well for the newly restructured Golf Industry Show
Major suppliers to the club and resort market took advantage of the expanded attendance and length of the GIS to make many major announcements and significant new product introductions. Here’s a roundup of some of the activity that took place:
The Toro Company announced a host of new products and service initiatives at the GIS:
• A new Synergy Series of golf irrigation products, including: Dual Trajectory sprinklers that allow selection of either 15- or 25-degree angles with a simple rotation of the nozzle module; a new version (SitePro Synergy Series) of the company’s central control software that is targeted specifically to mid-size and smaller golf courses; two new types of satellite controllers, Network LTC Plus and the wireless OSMAC RDR; and a Golf Decoder Control (GDC) field control system that can be installed underground, to reduce installation and wire costs while also being more aesthetically pleasing and vandal-resistant. “The [GDC] is new to the U.S.; it’s been very popular overseas,” said David Angier, Golf Marketing Manager for Toro’s Irrigation Division. “But because of the significant savings it can offer in wire and installation costs, we’re now getting strong interest here from customers that we didn’t expect; this is looking like it could be a ‘surprise hit’ for us in 2007 and beyond.”
• The new ProCore Processor, designed to sweep, process and disperse aeration cores from large turf areas in one single-pass operation. The ProCore, which Toro said has been field-tested for the past six months at a full variety of courses around the country, will start to ship later this year. With its70-inch processing width, it can reduce aerations that now shut down some courses for two to three days to “less than a day in many cases,” according to Bob VandenBoom, Senior Marketing Manager for Toro’s Golf Commercial Products Division.
• Toro announced new ASAP and ASAP+ (ASAP Plus) parts delivery services, a national program through which Toro, in conjunction with its distributors, can now offer U.S. customers next-day parts deliveries at standard UPS ground rates. If the distributor does not have a part, the ASAP+ option can still provide next-day delivery directly from Toro’s parts warehouse.
• Toro announced that all of its diesel-powered golf course, sports fields and grounds equipment will be “Biodiesel Ready” by 2008, including the Reelmaster, Groundsmaster, Greensmaster, Workman and MultiPro product families. Upgrade kits for these product lines, to convert diesel models already in production or in the field to compatibility with biodiesel fuel blends of up to B20, are expected to all be available by June 2007 (with many already available).
• Toro also announced a partnership with the State of New York to provide three hydrogen-powered utility vehicles, based on the Toro Workman chassis, for use in Niagara Falls State Park. The hydrogen version of the Workman was on display at Toro’s GIS booth.
• An agreement in principle was announced with the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) to extend Toro’s status as a preferred equipment and irrigation supplier for five years, through 2012.
• Toro announced the launch of a new Web site, www.toroused.com , where equipment will be listed as it comes off lease.
• Toro’s National Support Network (NSN) announced Training in Ten—a series of no-cost, critical-topic 10-minute-long training modules for Toro central irrigation control systems that are now available via streaming video at www.toronsn.com/training .
After declaring at the 2006 Golf Industry Show that it was going to “reestablish its focus on the customer,” Jacobsen rolled out several new products and services at this year’s show to demonstrate how it is seeking to deliver on that promise. Announcements made by the Textron Inc. company included:
– Introduction of the Eclipse 122 F walking greens mower, which the company says “redefines tournament quality-of-cut” by using a new cutting head that is capable of 50 percent more float than competing machines.
– A new Turf Groomer designed for simplicity, with reels that can be sharpened with the groomer in place and a roller that is continuously cleaned, even when raised.
– Two new additions to the Jacobsen aerator line, the PerformAire 60 and PerformAire 80. Both are three-point mount, variable depth aerators (one to 16 inches), available with solid or coring tines, that offer the flexibility to vent or core-aerate large areas of turf in short periods (65,000 sq. ft and 98,000 sq. ft. per hour, respectively).
– Enhancements for Jacobsen’s all-electric walking greens mower, the E-Walk, to make it more durable and easier to operate (settings for reel and mow speeds can now be adjusted on the fly, choosing menu options from an easy-to-read LCD screen).
– A new MAGsystem for bedknives that features a trivalent coating for increased rust resistance and stronger magnets for holding MAGknives to the bedbar.
Jacobsen executives also provided an update on its new Charlotte, N.C. headquarters operation, located on a new street, “Quality Drive,” that is four miles from its Charlotte manufacturing plant. By this April, approximately 150 employees will have been located to the new 185,000-sq. ft. facility that will house executive offices, a global distribution center for whole goods and parts, and the new “Jacobsen University” training center that will be used to host turf professionals, students, dealers and new employees for sales and technical training.
With the new training center in place, Jacobsen is now set to reinstate its Future Turf Managers program, which offers exclusive training seminars to top students from the country’s leading turf colleges and gives them the opportunity to learn and interact with industry professionals, including superintendents from courses that have hosted major tournaments. The first group of 30 “Jacobsen University” students is scheduled to arrive in Charlotte this May.
And while the period between the 2006 and 2007 Golf Industry Shows was clearly a quite active one for Jacobsen, momentum is in place for even more announcements to be made at the 2008 GIS in Orlando. “We’ve revamped our product development operation, and will nearly double our spending in that area this year,” Jacobsen President Dan Williamson said in Anaheim.
In addition to making the major announcement about its acquisition of LESCO, Inc. (C&RB, March 2007, pg. 8), John Deere used the occasion of the Anaheim GIS to unveil five new mowing and maintenance products to the line of equipment offered through its Golf & Turf One Source unit, and also release an update to its Aurora Professional Series golf irrigation software.
The company also announced an agreement of principle to become the exclusive golf course irrigation supplier to the PGA Tour and TPC Network.
The new products introduced by John Deere in Anaheim included:
* The 2653B Trim & Surrounds Mower, featuring a new traction system that provides flow equally to each wheel motor, to reduce slipp
age and improve hill climbing.
* The 2500B Riding Greens Mower, available with liquid-cooled gas or diesel engines. The mower features 22-inch cutting units that come with eleven blade reels, 3-mm standard bedknives, and a smooth or grooved front roller.
* The 2500E Hybrid Riding Greens Mower, billed as the first of its kind in the industry, featuring electric reel motors with 102 fewer potential hydraulic leak points, reduced sound levels, and increased fuel efficiency.
* The C-Series Walk Greens Mower line, available in models with 18-, 22- and 26-inch cutting widths. All mowers have dual-traction drives with improved rear drum and drive systems for straighter tracking; for all models, an optional gear-driven Greens Tender Conditioner is available that counter-rotates to stand up the grass prior to cutting.
* The Pro-Gator 2020A (gas) and 2030A (diesel) heavy-duty utility vehicles, with five-speed synchromesh transmissions to allow operators not only to shift on the go, but also start in any gear, and an energy-conserving, manual-engage 4WD system.
For its irrigation software, John Deere said the new version of Aurora (6.0) has been enhanced, based on customer feedback, with increased user-friendliness and improved flow management capabilities, “The latest version allows users to control a complex system more easily,” said Rick Hill, irrigation product manager for John Deere One Source.
The irrigation agreement with the PGA Tour represents an expansion of John Deere’s status as both the official equipment and one source supplier to the Tour. Through the agreement, John Deere will now supply golf irrigation systems and ongoing maintenance and support for all PGA Tour and PGA-owned properties. The initial installation of John Deere Golf Irrigation will begin with the Tour’s new championship-length course in Scottsdale, Ariz., which is scheduled to open in November 2007. The agreement is in effect until 2014.
Asked if the acquisition of LESCO represented the last major piece needed to complete the portfolio of products and services offered by Deere’s One Source unit, Gregg Breningmeyer, Director of Sales and Marketing, said no—and added that he didn’t know if that would ever be the case.
“One Source is a work in progress, and may always be so,” said Breningmeyer. “We will continue to try to add goods and services for the customer, but only where they make sense and can add value. Certainly, we’re a lot closer to a ‘soup to nuts’ offer, now that we’ve [added LESCO], but the goal has never been to be all things to all people. The goal is to continue to find ways to help our customers be more efficient and save money.”
In addition to again sponsoring the annual Golf Course Superintendent of the Year award (see photo), Club Car featured these new products at the GIS in Anaheim:
* A new electric version of Club Car’s popular Carryall Turf 252 utility vehicle, featuring the IQ Plus drive train, which allows superintendents to customize the vehicle’s top speed between 5 and 17 mph, that the company has incorporated into its entire utility vehicle lineup for the past two model years. The new electric model of the Turf 252 features a nearly six-foot cargo bed, independent front suspension, all-terrain tires, headlights and a trailer hitch.
* A single-point battery watering system, developed for Club Car by Flow-Rite Controls, a leading manufacturer of fluid control products. The system’s interconnected valve apparatus eliminates the need to remove the caps before adding water; the valves act independently during the filling process to sense the correct water level and shut off water flow to the cells when they are full. The system cuts the time needed to fill a golf car’s batteries from several minutes per vehicle to approximately 20 seconds, Club Car says. And, by decreasing the possibility of overfilling, the likelihood of costly acid corrosion damage is greatly reduced. Club Car customers will now have the option of choosing the single-point watering system, or a bag protector, as a standard accessory. The system can also be ordered through Club Car’s aftermarket department and installed in the field.
* Club Car also rolled out is new 2007 model year Precedent golf car, featuring a new color choice (reddish-brown Cayenne) and a stronger rear bumper, plus a factory-installed single-point battery-watering system (see above). With the addition of Cayenne, Precedent now comes in eight available colors. The new bumper has more energy-absorbing materials inside an injection-molded design.
In an interview with Club & Resort Business at the GIS, John Garrison, President of E-Z Go, said that his company is focusing on adopting new technologies from other markets that E-Z GO and its parent, Textron Company, serve, to help the golf industry realize new energy-related efficiencies.
“There are significant headwinds blowing with respect to cost increases for all energy commodities that we can’t ignore,” Garrison said. “And it’s not just for petroleum. Take lead, for example, of which there are 240 pounds in a typical golf car battery pack. We’ve seen the price of lead go from 22 cents a pound to 84 cents. That means a battery that once cost $35 to replace could now cost $85.”
Because of these trends, E-Z GO is renewing its focus on “helping to drive improvements for the operator,” Garrison said. “We’re really only limited by our creativity in the ways that we can help [club and course] operators find ways to cut costs and be more efficient.”
A new product featured by E-Z GO at the GIS that demonstrated this focus was the Power-Wise QE 36-volt battery charger. Weighing only 9 pounds (representing a 75% weight reduction) and half as small as previous chargers, the Power-Wise QE uses a system of user-friendly operations and fault codes to help avoid overcharging and alert operators to problems as soon as a charge begin.
The Power-Wise QE can reduce charge times by 15% and produce energy savings of up to 30%, according to E-Z GO.
E-Z GO also introduced a new customization division, “Innovative Designs by E-Z GO,” at the GIS. The division, which will be based at the company’s Augusta, Ga. Headquarters, will accessorize the full range of E-Z GO vehicles, including TXT feel golf cars, MPT turf maintenance vehicles, ST trail utility vehicles and Shuttle personnel carriers to precise individual specifications. Allen Evans has been named Manager of Custom Vehicle Applications to head the new division.
Rain Bird’s Golf Division marked its 30th year of providing centralized control systems to the industry with a presentation by Jeff Kiewel, National Sales Manager, that traced the evolution of irrigation technology and looked ahead to a world where water restrictions only promise to become more stringent, especially for commercial users like golf courses.
“Imagine a day where any flow of water for non-household use that’s greater than what comes out of a shower will be closely controlled and recorded, to make sure there is no runoff or contamination,” Kiewel said. “That reality is really not very far away, and many [club and resort properties] are already preparing for it today. If golf courses are to survive, they are going to have to address the issues that come from water availability continuing to drop at the same time that regulation, costs and environmental sensibilities will continue to increase.
“So even though Rain Bird’s [control] products are now 30 years old, they’re actually 30 years young in the sense of being a platform for what’s going to be needed to address the future needs of the industry.”
Looking ahead to that future, Rene
Evelyn-Veere, Rain Bird’s engineering scientist who is credited with being the inventor of computerized central control, said he eventually sees irrigation software serving as a “business center” through which superintendents and other club managers can more closely integrate watering decisions with all aspects of club operations and activities. Evelyn-Veere also foresees growing dependence on technology like that introduced by Rain Bird in 2004 with its RainWatch product, which includes sensors to shut down planned irrigation if it starts to rain, and also factors rainfall and soil moisture into recalculations of initial watering plans.
Development of these kinds of systems will continue to not only do a better job of “taking advantage of meaningful rainfall,” said Evelyn-Veere, but also to ensure that courses remain “politically acceptable” by not having sprinklers on during storms.
Rain Bird also made these specific announcements at the show:
* Introduction of the EAGLE 705/755 Wind Tolerant Rotors, which the company says are the first rotors specifically designed to deliver efficient head-to-head water distribution in persistently windy areas of the golf course. An inverse, wedge-shaped spray pattern, larger droplets, unique flow channel design and optimum spray trajectory help the rotors deliver water to where it’s needed even in the face of the most persistent winds and avoid misting, overspray and runoff, according to Marc Negus, Rain Bird’s rotor product manager. The new rotors should only be used in areas that experience consistently windy conditions, Negus noted.
* Rain Bird also featured its Eagle 351B Rotor Series at the show, as an alternative to commercial landscaping rotors that can help to achieve greater short-throw coverage, improved water distribution and irrigation efficiency when watering tee boxes and other small turf areas on the course.
* Rain Bird also brought its popular “Smart Pump Challenge” interactive Web display back to the GIS, to help superintendents and course managers learn how to use Smart Pump software, in conjuction with Rain Bird’s Central Control Version 5.0 system, to cost-effectively monitor actual flow and continuously balance system supply and demand in real time.
* Two new executive appointments: David Behrmann, formerly with Intel Corporation, as the new Global Marketing Manager for Rain Bird’s Golf business unit, and Paul Roche, formerly with S.V. Moffett Company, a Rain Bird Golf irrigation distribution partner, as the Golf Division’s new National Specification Manager. In this role, Roche will be responsible for the development and management of key relationships with architects, irrigation designers and contractors serving the golf market.
After a GIS seminar speaker warned attendees that less than 4 percent of golf courses currently meet requirements for providing access to the disabled, and that mandates for even more stringent requirements are likely to be imposed in the future, already-brisk traffic at the SoloRider booth picked up even more. (The speaker had also stressed that, in the eyes of the law, having “no demand” for access is not an excuse for failing to provide it.)
But while having a single-rider golf car in a fleet will help to qualify a course as handicapped-accessible, that shouldn’t be the only reason for a club or resort to have one, said Tom Durbin, SoloRider Vice President of Sales.
“We estimate that at least a million of the 12 million people who make up the ‘mobility impaired’ portion of the disabled community and use assistive devices or wheelchairs and scooters are golfers—and that number is growing annually,” Durbin said. “And that number doesn’t include the large and growing group of seniors who are ‘unofficially disabled’ but have developed mobility and stamina issues as they’ve aged.
“All of these people want to play golf, and [club and course operators] don’t realize how much they’re willing to travel to do so—and that they don’t travel alone,” Durbin added. “We get calls regularly from individuals looking for [properties] with golf cars for mobility-impaired individuals.
“Private clubs should also be offering [mobility assistance] as a member service, particularly for their aging members,” Durbin said. “Keeping just one senior playing for another year can [justify the cost of specialized equipment].”
At its GIS booth, SoloRider featured a new electrically actuated swivel seat as a key enhancement for its 2007 model year. The new feature, an option on the 2007 SoloRider, is activated by a toggle switch on the car’s console so the seat can now swivel electronically (rather than manually) to put golfers in the desired hitting position and then back to the driving position after they’ve played their shot.
“For players who have limited motion and strength in their hands and shoulders, the electric seat is going to make playing a round of golf far more enjoyable,” said Roger Pretekin, SoloRider President. “It will also help to reduce fatigue over 18 holes.”
Clubessential demonstrated its NetCaddy tee time reservations system at the GIS. Available as a stand-alone product or an integrated module that can be added to any Clubessential Axis website, NetCaddy can take advantage, in either form, of Clubessential’s roster, e-mail, messaging, marketing and dynamic editing capabilities. System features include:
* Rich graphic design that is customized for each club.
* Member-friendly navigation, with easy identification of available times and nearby players.
* Consistent branding, as the reservations system shares artistic integrity with the website.
* Tight integration, with a single roster supporting both the website and reservations system.
* Custom lotteries, with a uniquely flexible system supporting any form of lottery rules.
* Custom play restrictions, through a flexible “rule definition” engine that supports virtually any kind of privileges and restrictions on play.
* Advanced messaging that Includes notification, partner searching and other announcements by way of e-mail, telephone or text messaging.
Becker Underwood, an Ames, Iowa-based manufacturer of specialty colorants and bioagronomic products, introduced several new products at GIS:
• Black Onyx WSP Lake and Pond Colorant, which can transform pale, off-colored water to a decorative, mirror-like black color, to create the “black water lake” look that is becoming popular at golf courses and resort locations. A high-concentrate colorant that comes in a water-soluble packet that is easily applied to contained bodies of water, Black Onyx is environmentally safe and won’t harm or stain fish or other animals, or require any restrictions about fishing, swimming or recreational use either during or following application. The treated water can be used immediately for irrigation, and will not harm grasses or plant life. Black Onyx can be used in conjunction with Becker Underwood’s LakePak WSP for an effective nutrient management and water clarity improvement program.
• Salute WSP, a turfgrass conditioner with potassium silicate. Designed for use in spray programs, Salut WSP will help to increase turf wear tolerance, enhance ball roll, and facilitate uniform cutting of turfgrass. Other benefits include reduced stress and stimulated root growth through enhanced water and nutrient uptake, as well as promoted recovery and healing.
• Turf Mark Ultra Green high-concentrate temporary spray indicator, to provide a discreet but visible mark for the ap
plication of pesticide and fertilizer spray solutions. TurfMark Ultra Green dissipates quickly in wet or dry weather.
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