Presenting Golfdom’s 2022 Super’s 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.
ProGator from John Deere (Photo: John Deere)
ProGator
“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.
Cirrus PRO from Rain Bird (Photo: Rain Bird)
Cirrus PRO
“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.
Gravity S 26-8-16 from WinField United (Photo: WinField United)
Gravity S 26-8-16
“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
HP11-III greens roller from Salsco (Photo: Salsco)
HP11-III greens roller
“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.
2-inch plug stacker from Miltona (Photo: Bryan Tipton, CGCS)
2-inch plug stacker
“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.
taskTracker from taskTracker (Photo: 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.)
Manuscript from Syngenta (Photo: Syngenta)
Manuscript herbicide
“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.
Overseeder 3D 1575 from Redexim (Photo: Redexim)
Overseeder 3D 1575
“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.
Super 600 from Wiedenmann (Photo: Wiedenmann)
Super 600
“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.
Field Scout TDR300 and TDR350 from Spectrum Technologies (Photo: Spectrum Technologies)
Field Scout TDR300 and TDR350
“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.
Serata fungicide from FMC (Photo: FMC)
Serata fungicide
“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
Tekken Fungicide from PBI-Gordon (Photo: PBI-Gordon)
Tekken Fungicide
“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.
Triwave 60 from Turfco (Photo: Turfco)
Triwave 60
“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.
Aquaritin from Lakes & Ponds (Photo: Aquaritin)
Lakes & Ponds
“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.
Turf Pro from POGO (Photo: POGO)
Turf Pro
“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
Zipline from Aquatrols (Photo: Aquatrols)
Zipline
“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.
Procore 648 aerator from Toro (Photo: Toro)
ProCore 648 aerator
“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
Acelepryn from Syngenta (Photo: Syngenta)
Acelepryn
“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
HCU and HCAs from The Andersons (Photo: The Andersons)
HCU and HCAs
“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.
Spray Bug from Hahn (Photo: Hahn)
Spray Bug
“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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