TURF report to the GCSAA and GOLF INDUSTRY SHOW

GIS 2023 - Back to Full Strength

This year, Orlando once again hosted the GCSAA conference followed by the Golf Industry Show. After almost three years of the pandemic, which had severely limited international participation in the show, both visitor and exhibitor numbers, as well as seminar attendees, reached very good levels again. A group of "turf-crazy" individuals from TURF also travelled to Florida for a week to learn about new things and to examine new products and helpful tools for greenkeeping in Germany, Austria, and Europe. Visits to some suppliers were also on the agenda, including one of the partners for soil amendments, who invited them to their new production halls and laboratories.

Professional exchange at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course

But let's start the report on the GIS outside of the fully air-conditioned Convention Center - south of Jacksonville, at the headquarters of the PGA Tour TPC Networks, at TPC Sawgrass.

In the United States, there are generally many golf courses where the possibilities seem almost endless. And then there are the TPC courses, where an extra "layer" is added. One of them is the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, where preparations for the Players Championship tournament, which took place from March 7, 2023, were in full swing. Since Floratine has several experimental fields and a laboratory within the premises of the facility, an update on the latest research results could be combined with a tour of the course and a visit to the clubhouse.

During the course tour with Superintendent Lucas Andrews (PGA Superintendent of the Year 2022), the famous "17th" hole, one of the most challenging holes in the world, and its island green were closely examined. Incidentally, the naming of some of the alligators present was also "clarified." There was also a lot of information about the everyday maintenance of the course, tournament preparations, budgets, the fleet of machinery, and anecdotes that were hard to believe in terms of their magnitude. The budget for pine needles used to cover beds on the course is $750,000 per year, just one of many "hard-to-digest" numbers.

About four weeks before the Players Championships, the mowing heights were already almost in tournament mode, but Lucas was imposed a significant restriction by the PGA: the green speed must not exceed 13 feet at any time, as the ball would not stay on the green due to the winds. During tournament week, the team has two hours in the morning to double mow and roll the entire course. Before the afternoon round, the team has another two hours for at least one more mowing pass and minor adjustments. For these tasks, Lucas can rely on 105 volunteers from all over the world to reinforce his team. The set mowing heights for the tournament start on March 7, 2023, were 2.41 mm for the greens, 6.35 mm for the approaches, 7.24 mm for tees, 7.62 mm for fairways, and 63 mm for the rough.

Practical knowledge at the Convention Center

With these spectacular impressions and the knowledge of what is possible on a golf course when all the "gears," including finances, come together, the two-hour return journey to Orlando was undertaken, and the GCSAA educational sessions could begin. Traditionally, the GCSAA Championship was played among over 450 greenkeepers, this time at the Omni ChampionsGate Golf Resort and Orange County National Golf Center. Dylan Foster from the Verandah Club in Fort Myers, Florida, was the winner this year.

The fact that the total number of visitors to the professional development courses and the trade fair this year would be higher than the previous year in San Diego was expected beforehand, as there were few to no more COVID-19 restrictions. However, the final numbers of 6,300 seminar bookings and over 11,000 trade fair visitors, which were about 70% higher than the previous year and thus at pre-pandemic levels, still surprised most people a little. This was also evident in the trade fair hall, which was very well occupied with around 450 exhibitors on 23,200 m².

In addition to a wide range of new fertilizers, electric models in the machinery sector and autonomous mowing were of particular interest this year. For example, TRU Turf presented a highly efficient, purely electric roller, Baroness showcased significant technical advancements for all types of machines, Jacobsen displayed a completely electric fleet, and John Deere showcased almost every machine as a GPS-guided model. TORO had, as always, the largest booth area and an extensive range of machinery. Wiedenmann showcased a very interesting prototype of a hand-guided or remote-controlled aerifier. JRM showcased complementary tools, including innovative tips for spoons and spindles for all types of mowers. The booths of smaller companies are also always worthwhile to visit, as they often exhibit medium-sized, highly manoeuvrable sprayers that are operated standing up and guarantee very precise work.

Conclusion

Valuable information from various fields that will also influence the future of greenkeeping in Europe, and which can be shared with local greenkeepers in practice. Not only for that reason, the GIS in Orlando was a complete success - for the GCSAA, the exhibitors, greenkeepers from all over the world, as well as personally for us. Whenever possible, business relationships were deepened outside the exhibition halls at 25-28°C, new products for the portfolio were found, and professional discussions were held with experts in turf research to expand knowledge. See you next year in Phoenix, Arizona!

Benjamin Franke

Turf Handels GmbH

Impressions GIS 2023: