11372 Strang Line Road
Lenexa, Kansas 66215
1-800-362-8873
1-913-829-8873
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Testimonials
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We use ISTRC testing each year on our benchmark greens to track the effectiveness of our cultural practices. The results tell us if our aerification is frequent and deep enough to combat our problem with too much surface organic matter. The report is also a good tool to convince the management and members of the importance of aerification.
Lee McLemore, CGCS Director of Golf Operations The Country Club of Birmingham
I have used this unique system for the past seven years. The information I have gathered is unique to the ISTRC System and has allowed me to manage the turf much more effectively and objectively than without. There is no other testing facility that can dissect and analyze growing mediums and furnish more complete information. I have used this information to justify and convince my respective golfers the necessity of increased aerification, identify potential concerns, and implement alternative cultural practices before it was too late. ISTRC has made it possible for me to implement accurate and successful agronomic principles to the management of our turfgrass. I was amazed when realizing the consistent application of inputs to the turf often creates varying results in the growing medium.
I have often felt that management of turf is part art and science. ISTRC has made it possible to implement good agronomic science to an otherwise subjective decision.
I use ISTRC because of the information it gives me in regards to the health of my greens pertaining to physical properties. A doctor will not make a diagnosis unless he does a battery of tests to find out what your problems are. We need the same type of information in regards to our greens. As superintendents we throw a lot of money at golf greens. We will do anything to keep good greens, and yet 90% of superintendents out there do not know what their greens consist of and as a result cannot know how their greens are going to react to the chemicals, products and fertilizers we are throwing at them. There is no difference between having an annual check up for prostrate and having an annual physical on our golf greens. By having an annual physical I can avoid major surgery. ISTRC is one of the best tools that I have found in the industry.
While doing a green re-construction in 2000 the Superintendent used ISTRC to determine if the soil profile would support the new varieties of Bermuda grass. After the testing was completed the recommendation was made that the greens would need re-grassing and not a complete re-construction, saving the company thousands in construction costs and down time. It was during this time that I discovered how valuable a tool the ISTRC system is.
I use ISTRC for the simple fact that I have to know what's going on under the turf. The soil profile is far too imprtant an issue to leave to guesswork. I can spend all the time in the world with fertilizer, pesticide and cultural programs, but if my soil base is the true problem, I am waisting my time. Testing my soil profile once a year allows me to set a benchmark, monitor, and adjust my cultural programs according to results. I will not start a greens program without first laying the groundwork, and ISTRC does just that. ISTRC is an invaluable tool in today's Superintendent's arsenal.
I use the ISTRC system to monitor the physical properties of the greens on our 27 hole course and have done so every year since 2000. The information provided by the system allows me to justify my cultural practices and to adjust them so I do not do more than I have to, or less than is needed.
My use of ISTRC is very simple. It is the best tool to monitor the structural integrity of your soils. The information we get from these tests is used to evaluate how we are doing with our cultural practices and to build programs that will give us sustainability and turf health. The use of ISTRC has already saved Troon Country Clubs members down time and lots of money. Time, money, sustainability, turf health. That’s pretty simple.
I have been using ISTRC for physical soil testing almost since its inception, first at Metedeconk National Golf Club in New Jersey and then in 1997 during the construction phase of Cape Cod National Golf Club in Brewster, MA. I was looking for an alternative to the traditional physical testing labs, due to what I felt were inconsistencies in the results they were producing. Part of what makes ISTRC unique is that they bring no preconceived notions or baggage to the table. They will look at anything with an open mind, in an almost intentionally naïve way. Given the soil amendments and various cultivars in use today such an approach is critical, at least in my mind.
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