Who wouldn’t feel pride in being in the company of some of the most beloved and greatest Golf Course Superintendents in the industry? To share a conference room with them is even better! That’s where we unveiled the TurfTrainer – at a friendly gathering near the great GIS show in San Antonio, Texas. A flight delayed by several hours left Rodney to present on his own, with only hand-written thoughts on note cards and two samples of the TurfTrainer. Thanks to electronics and the ‘cloud’, copies were quickly made of what should have been a projected PowerPoint presentation. In the long run, perhaps that’s as it should have been – the presentation was simple like the TurfTrainer and, effective like the TurfTrainer.
Rodney Hine, Golf Course Superintendent at Boston Golf Club, former golf course designer with Hanse Golf Course Design, and inventor of the TurfTrainer, explained how the TurfTrainer came to be. As straightforward a tool as the TurfTrainer is, its design process followed the typical engineering methodology in that Rodney started with a need, for which he created a solution. He wanted to stand grass up to provide it the light it needs to grow thick, full and strong and to achieve the best golf playing surface he could for his members. The device he would design would need to follow the surface contours and not require extra efforts by the staff or the mechanic. He wanted to be able to do all this with ease and at the drop of hat. This lead to the birth of an idea that was rigorously prototyped, tried, and tested. With the patent application submitted, Rodney is ready to share his innovative idea with fellow Superintendents and Turf Managers. To this great community, one which is collaborative, caring, trustworthy, constant and family, Rodney presents the TurfTrainer; a simple-to-use tool that won’t break the bank.