LebanonTurf’s Two Top-Five Lists of 2016

Looking Back at Industry Trends and the Best from LebanonTurf

The year is coming to an end, and it’s been a good one. A great thing about this industry is that every year brings new opportunities, challenges and tools to help us all succeed in our turf management roles. No year is exactly the same as the one that came before it.

Because each year is special, we’d like to take a look back at some of our best moments as LebanonTurf, but also at some of the turf trends that defined 2016.

LebanonTurf’s Five Best Moments of 2016

Launching Proscape Fertilizer with Acelepryn plus Dimension

We began the year strong with the release of one of our most exciting and versatile products to date. We billed it as a “one-two-three punch in turf care,” and that’s exactly what it is. It prevents crabgrass and other weeds, kills current crabgrass and weeds, and also kills harmful insects like cinchbugs and weevils.

It’s an innovative product that helps you tackle multiple problems with one application. In fact, in most environments, one spring application is all you’ll need.

You can learn more about it in our first ever blog post.

Taking San Diego by storm with GCSAA TV Live at GIS

GIS is always a spectacle, but we were especially proud to be a part of it this year as the title sponsor of GCSAA TV Live. We brought the experience to those who couldn’t make it, and we enhanced it for those who were in attendance. The broadcast included dozens of segments throughout the week, several of which included our own Chris Gray talking about news from LebanonTurf.

Our booth—which was right in the heart of the show—also featured prizes, new product information, and people campaigning for their dogs in our yearly dog calendar.

See the 2016 coverage of GIS here, and we hope to see you at the show in Orlando in 2017!

Helping create tournament-quality turf at the 2016 U.S. Open

The U.S. Open brings the best in golf into the spotlight each year on the world’s best courses. And this year at Oakmont, LebanonTurf played a key role in making it all possible. Superintendent John Zimmers said that his staff uses LebanonTurf products at Oakmont, and they relied on them heavily leading up to the tournament.

He added, “To use products from Lebanon on our famous greens here, I think you don’t have to go any further. It’s a fantastic product. They have been a tremendous part of us preparing to make this grass look so good.” It’s hard to get a better endorsement than that.

You can read more about John Zimmers and watch a recap video of our involvement at the U.S. Open here.

Getting rough at the 2016 PGA Championship

The U.S. Open wasn’t the only tournament we had a hand in this year. At the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, the staff discussed how they used our products to get their rough into championship shape.

Dan Kilpatrick, Superintendent of Baltusrol’s lower course, said, “LebanonTurf [Country Club M.D.] was a product we used to get the juices flowing in the rough and stand it up and get it going pretty thick. It’s been really successful.”

Check out our blog post and recap video on the PGA Championship here.

Getting into the Instagram game

We’ve flexed our social media muscles a lot this year, including recently making a new addition to our social landscape. LebanonTurf is now on Instagram! Check out our page here and follow us at @LebTurf, and you’ll be a part of our growing social media efforts.

The Five Biggest Turf Trends and Challenges of 2016 (and 2017)

The ongoing battle between short-term control and long-term peace of mind

It’s an age-old question when it comes to turf management. So in that sense, it’s not a trend, but it’s definitely a reality. Do you want to use slow-release products that do their work or do you want to be adaptable to the changing weather and conditions? \

We wrote a blog post about this, and how Country Club M.D. and Emerald Isle Solutions can help you get the best of both worlds. You should check it out.

Water conservation

Especially out west, water conservation was a huge topic of conversation all year long. Some people even took drastic measures to either remove their lawns or to even paint their lawns green instead of watering them.

Some people feel that lawns can be a detriment to the environment, but there’s a lot of research that says otherwise. At LebanonTurf, we believe that there is a way to conserve water AND have healthy turf. Many of our grass varieties (including Winning Colors Tall Fescue Blend) are drought and stress tolerant, so they can thrive even if they don’t get an ideal amount of water.

Managing heat

The scary term of “climate change” looms large in our society, and regardless of what the cause is, it’s something that our turf has to deal with. According to NASA, the first half of 2016 was the warmest on record, and it was a pretty long and hot summer for a lot of the United States.

To help your turf succeed in the summer, you need something that can take the heat. Many LebanonTurf varieties exhibit strong heat tolerance, and our fertilizers help provide nutrients to combat heat, too.

Eco-friendly products and processes

“Going green” isn’t just about green grass. It’s a worldwide movement to take care of the environment. We want to be a part of it too. Our ROOTS line of products in unique because they not only treat the plant’s health and performance, but it improves the health of the soil and environment.

And also, we may have some more eco-friendly products coming out soon…

Promoting the health of bees

Recent research has shown that the bee population is in decline, which could be bad news for crops and the environment as a whole. Though they don’t know what exactly has caused the decline, many are taking a proactive approach to it, creating bee apiaries on their golf courses to increase the population.

We wrote a blog post on this earlier this year if you want to see what all the buzz is about.

Thanks for a memorable 2016, and here’s to a great start to the New Year.

Happy Holidays from all of us at LebanonTurf!