Golfdom, February 2019

WHERE TURF MASTERS MEET The largest ever Golfdom Summit brought superintendents from around the country to meet with 20 of the industrys most cutting edge companies BY THE GOLFDOM STAFF We just might be getting the hang of this The eighth annual Golfdom Summit was the largest yet combining 20 industry vendors with 40 top level superintendents from around the country for three days of meetings networking and troubleshooting Yes there were speakers Thom Nikolai Ph D and Golfdoms Clark Throssell Ph D and yes there was golf 18 on Reunion Resorts Arnold Palmer course But the focus of every Golfdom Summit is making connections within the industry so now a superintendent in Texas knows a plant protection company in Canada or a marketing manager at a Philly chemical company can dial up a couple Washington state supers on his or her speed dial The Golfdom Summit means relationship building said Chris Benevides growth development manager for FairwayiQ Its one of the few opportunities Ive seen in golf that generates quality time among people It provides a chance to shake hands and learn about people and what they care about To learn more about the Golfdom Summit and to apply to attend only qualified superintendents are accepted and we must limit the field to 40 each year visit GolfdomSummit com As a service to our readers and our 20 partners we offer this recap of what those 20 cuttingedge companies were discussing with the superintendent attendees Bluebird Turf Products 2018 marked Bluebird Turf Products first appearance at the Golfdom Summit and it made sure it had plenty of equipment to show off to superintendents gathered in Orlando Bluebird has been in the turf renovation business since 1960 It changed ownership in 2014 and the new owners are former engineers and executives from the automotive industry The new leadership intends to bring automotive design and manufacturing to turf care products said Chris Durig vice president of sales and marketing for Bluebird The company offers a wide range of commercial turf equipment and Bluebird arrived in Orlando with a lineup of equipment specially selected for golf course superintendents including hover mowers bed edgers sod cutters and chippers Bluebirds service experience was one of the major factors the company emphasized during the Summit Customer service has been our No 1 focus weve really brought in what we feel is a quality service team Durig said Continued on page 22 20 Golfdom February 2019 Golfdom com PHOTO BY LOU FERRARO PARK SOUTH PHOTOGRAPHY