Supplier news

Clickitgolf added 12 new golf courses to their growing list of affiliates: Bent Tree Golf Club, Blackhawk Golf Club, Chapel Hill Golf Course, Cooks Creek Golf Club, Fox Fire Golf Club, New Albany Links, Oakhaven Golf Club, Phoenix Golf Links, Royal American Links, Shamrock Golf Club, The Landings at Rickenbacker and The Legends at Locust Lane golf courses, which all are in the Columbus, Ohio area. Affiliate members enjoy benefits that include a professionally driven marketing campaign via www.clickitgolf.com to help increase rounds and revenue.

Clickitgolf has more than 70,000 golfers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio that use its Web site, according to Robert Browning, v.p. It launched in May of 2001 and currently is partnering with more than 180 golf courses. Clickitgolf developed a way for golfers to use the Internet to save on a variety of services offered by its affiliate courses.

The new United States Golf Association recommendations for putting green construction include inorganic amendments that meet specific requirements. Profile Porous Ceramics, an inorganic soil amendment, meets these requirements.

Profile particles are 74 percent porous and have an ideal balance of water and air pore space that promote a healthy root zone. Tests show Profile enhances the ability of the greens mix to retain water and nutrients while increasing infiltration rates to allow for proper drainage. A Profile/sand mix meets the USGA’s recommended saturated hydraulic conductivity of a minimum of six inches per hour. Profile’s particle sizing falls within the medium to coarse particle range of the USGA Guideline, which is 0.5 mm to 0.25 mm.

Rain Bird Corp. release of a four-part white paper that examines the depletion of the earth’s supply of usable water and the recommended solution of efficient irrigation. The paper, "Irrigation for a Growing World," provides insight into the importance of practicing water conservation through efficient irrigation. The paper, available in downloadable form at www.rainbird.com, underscores the company’s more than 70-year commitment of promoting water conservation.

The Charlotte, N.C., plant of Jacobsen, a Textron company, recently exceeded one million hours of operation without a lost-time accident. Recognizing this accomplishment, Jacobsen was awarded the Textron Award of Merit for the second time.

Promoters of the independent film "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius" used a grassroots marketing strategy that includes GPS advertising on golf cars and posters in golf clubhouses in addition to traditional advertising and public relations campaigns. Club Car, which manufactures golf cars and utility vehicles, signed on as a national corporate sponsor to help promote the movie. Through its IR Media partnership, Club Car and UpLink Corp., a provider of GPS-based communications and course management software, provided advertising materials to more than 50 golf courses across the country to display in golf cars equipped with the UpLink technology. Twice during their rounds golfers saw images from the film on screens that are attached to their golf cars. Bobby Jones Film LLC also enlisted the support of the PGA, PGA Tour, USGA, American Junior Golf Association, National Golf Course Owners Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Executive Women’s Golf Association. The organizations lended their names and logos to collateral materials that Club Car sales people distributed to about 1,500 courses throughout the country.

Lesco opened nine new service centers in the first three months of 2004. They are in: Brookfield, Conn.; Kaukauna, Wis.; Wilmington, N.C.; Matthews, N.C.; Pleasant Valley, Mo.; Collinsville, Ill.; Lewis Center, Ohio; Millersville, Md. and Austin, Texas. There were 256 service centers throughout the country as of March 31, 2004. The company’s net sales during the first quarter of 2004 increased 8 percent to $102.0 million from $94.5 million during the first quarter of 2003. Lawn care gross sales improved 10 percent to $85.7 million from $77.6 million in the year-ago period, while golf gross sales declined 4 percent to $17.2 million versus $17.9 million last year. Service center sales grew 10 percent to $68.3 million from $62.0 million, while same-store service center sales increased 5 percent to $64.9 million compared to $61.8 million during the same quarter last year.

Klingstone, a manufacturer of a patented polyurethane soil stabilizer designed to treat the base of golf course bunkers to stop side wall erosion and sand contamination, will be featured on "Terry Bradshaw’s Pick of the Week." The production company, Broadcast News Channel LLC, searches for companies that represent the backbone of America’s economy. Klingstone was chosen for its forward-thinking and consistent principles that have led to its growth and success, according to Dan Usry, executive producer. The two-minute segment aired on MSNBC June 16.

Adverse Weather Insurance Group introduced a seasonal and annual weather coverage program to the golf industry. Golf courses can purchase single-day coverage in bulk for a period of several days, weeks or months to protect profits during peak periods. If it rains during the period of coverage, golf courses can generate a profit during those days instead of losing revenue. Weekend seasonal, holiday weather, multi-day weather and tournament weather coverages are available.

DryJect LLC has four new franchises: Scott Szydloski in Northeast Texas, John Fleck in New York, John Majernik in southern Ohio excluding Cincinnati and Casey Dorn in Arizona. This brings the total number of U.S. franchises to 24. Since 2003, 16 franchises have been added. DryJect Service Centers are capable of injecting large volumes of a variety of dry materials into the soil while aerating, including sand/top dressing, granular insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, biologics and root stimulants.