Consistency is key

One word rings out when turf professionals talk about the Turf Fuel^™ line of products – consistency.

One turf pro who couldn’t help but mention the C-word several times in a recent interview was Target Specialty Products’ Territorial Sales Rep, Gary Morgan. “I don’t sell the Turf Fuel line of products because I’m told to sell it,” says Morgan, who is based on Florida. “I sell the products because they work and I believe in them. In all my years in the business, I’ve never seen more reliable, consistent results.”

And Morgan’s professional turf career includes more than 20 years as a golf course superintendent, and another 20 on the sales side, serving golf course superintendents up and down Florida’s east coast, from Palm Bay northward to the first exit across Georgia’s state line.

“Safe to say I’ve used a lot of products over the years,” Morgan says. “And I’ve sold a lot of products, as well. But I’ve never seen anything perform like this.”

Turf Fuel offers many choices for superintendents to consider, Morgan says. Some of these choices fall into the nutritional category, others into specialty items. With assistance from a local Target Specialty Products’ rep, turf managers can find the best mixture of Turf Fuel products right for them and their course needs.

Nate Maurer has been taking advantage of several Turf Fuel products for some time now. “I consider them great building block products,” says the superintendent at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. “Consistency, of course,” he adds, “but best of all, low-input usage with a quality return for what you’re putting in.”

Maurer is referring to the low amount of nitrogen (N) in the Turf Fuel line. His favorite product is Element 6, which is a carbon-rich fertilizer enhanced with Nutrifense and high levels of silica. This popular product has been proven to help plants with resiliency and significantly increase root production.

Quickgreen, a 14-20-0 high phosphate, is another Turf Fuel product Maurer uses at Jacksonville G&C. Quickgreen includes a biostimulant that promotes lateral growth. It’s also a great choice for coming out of aerification.

“It’s the first thing in the tank after every aerification,” Maurer adds.

The third Turf Fuel product in Maurer’s rotation at the Jacksonville private club is Photo Fuel. Photo Fuel produces incredible turf color, and includes Nutrifense to trigger the plants natural defense systems to fight against multiple stresses. Maurer first came across Turf Fuel when he took over for a superintendent who retired after 25 years. “He’d been using the Turf Fuel products and I loved what was happening,” he says. “It was clear he was on to something. I’ve just kept the program going.”

Working together with Morgan, his Target Specialty Products rep, Maurer has been able to utilize the right products for his operation at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. And having products that can help you get through the bad times, as well as the good, are what turf managers like Maurer are looking for.

“We just had a two-week period here where we got almost eleven inches of rain,” he says. “And that was followed by a sunny period of about 20 straight days. You have to have nutritional products that get you through extremes like that.”

Morgan sums up the Turf Fuel line: “All of the Turf Fuel nutritionals are based on the simple premise of helping the plant out. What I’ve really found, being out in the field, talking to superintendents, is that when they’re using our products, their greens just don’t go into the peaks and valleys that can cause so much concern.”

Again, consistency comes to mind. Although Morgan made the conversion from superintendent to sales rep 20-some years ago, he couldn’t help but add, “These Turf Fuel products almost make me wish I was a superintendent again.”

Ron Furlong is a golf writer and a frequent GCI contributor