Chris Walden, superintendent of Misty Creek Country Club in Sarasota, Florida, said he was skeptical at first when one of a slew of sales representatives came into his office claiming to have a superior wetting agent. It didn’t take long for Chris to change his mind about Geoponics products, he said.
Can you tell me a little about Misty Creek, the turf and soil conditions there?
Misty Creek has Champion Bermuda greens and the rest is 419 Bermuda. We have USGA greens. The soil is a mix of sand and a clay-type material.
Chris didn’t highlight the fact that Misty Creek is also the only champion golf course in Southwest Florida that is set in a wildlife preserve with resident eagles and live oak forests bordering almost every fairway. It is recognized by Audubon International for its environmental excellence, designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
When and how did you first discover Geoponics products?
A Geoponics salesrep came in telling me all the positives about the products. At first, I was skeptical. Everybody talks about their wetting agents being the best. I get bombarded with 20 sales agents.
The thing that impressed me when I first agreed to try the Penterra was that I said to the Geoponics sales rep, “OK I’ll spray it, but you got to come out the first time and see how it works with me.”
He came out at 5:30 in the morning.
(laughs) He talked it so much. Actually I think it was him who said “If you want, I’ll come out with you.”
So, I called him on it and sure enough he shows up at 5:30.
What results did you see with the Penterra?
When it comes to the Penterra, what the sales rep said it does, sure enough, it does.
I saw results immediately with the health of the greens and water movement.
I started using it in September 2011. Sometimes, the greens will seal up and in two to three minutes of watering, it will puddle up in some places. The rep said “You put this out there, you won’t have that affect after irrigation.”
And it’s true. Other products weren’t pulling the water through the way I wanted them to.
There are a few products that cost less and there are products that cost more, but for the price per acre with the results we are getting, it’s a great deal. It’s well worth it.
Any other unexpected results, how about cold weather?
Oh, yes. We had a cold snap two days in a row. We knew it was coming, so we sprayed the Penterra the two nights before. We had a good frost too and the greens weren’t touched at all. The Penterra kept the frost off the greens. (www.TurfFrost.com) Not all wetting agents have that capability.
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