In addition to the challenges and responsibilities of today's golf course superintendent, the reputation of a golf course – and the superintendent who maintains it – is often determined by the consistency of its greens. Understanding the significance of these issues, The Experience at FarmLinks continuously explores new innovations and solutions in order to help superintendents do their jobs…and do their jobs better. And one of the newest partners in The Experience offers the ultimate solution for one of the oldest, routine practices used for maintaining putting greens: rolling.
Tru-Turf, FarmLinks’ newest On The Course Partner, manufactures golf green rollers. With a wide range of expertly designed products to suit any superintendents’ needs, Tru-Turf offers rollers for maintaining consistent greens speeds without jeopardizing turf quality.
“Tru-Turf rollers are very efficient, and their unique, three roller design gets the job done quickly while giving you a smooth, true putting surface," says Mark Langner, FarmLinks’ director of agronomy and applied research. "We have been rolling the greens here at FarmLinks with the Tru-Turf rollers and achieving a higher quality surface while decreasing labor by 50 percent versus rolling with walk mowers.
"Additionally, using Tru-Turf products increases the speed of the green and creates a putting surface that golfers love. For this and other reasons, we are proud to add them to FarmLinks’ educational programs.”
As the world’s first and only research and demonstration golf course, FarmLinks will provide an ideal proving ground for greens rolling and the study of effective greens maintenance programs, with Tru-Turf rollers at the forefront. With about 100 years of debate and dispute about this cultural practice, FarmLinks’ demonstrations will help provide even more positive answers about safe and effective rolling programs.
“Michigan State University studies have shown that use of a roller may give superintendents the opportunity to raise the height of cut and still maintain equal or greater green speed,” Langner says. “I have used the roll instead of mow philosophy for years during stressful periods. Furthermore, FarmLinks will be incorporating Tru-Turf rollers in a new demonstration this summer in which we’ll mow a day and then roll a day to take some of the stress off the turfgrass from mowing.”
Ray Dufty, Tru-Turf’s managing director, says, “Tru-Turf, with this unique opportunity to be a partner with FarmLinks, will be able to allow superintendents to experience first-hand the important results of incorporating greens rolling into their management programs. With a visual-to-hands-on approach, guests of The Experience will witness why the Tru-Turf roller is the only roller endorsed and chosen by the PGA Tour to prepare their tournament courses for their high-caliber players.
“Through the partnership with FarmLinks, Tru-Turf will also be encouraged – by superintendent feedback – to ensure that we will continue to offer the most sought-after roller in the marketplace,” Dufty adds. “We look forward to working with the team at FarmLinks and to meeting the challenges that lie ahead.”