Agronomists talk about how to choose the best turf paint at TPC Scottsdale, host of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The course gets tournament- and TV-ready using Endurant turf colorant and has tried them all.
The Phoenix Open is sometimes called the "greenest game on grass" because of the environmental strides taken by the PGA and coordinating organizations. But also, TPC Scottsdale shows off a natural and vibrant shade of green enhanced by Endurant turf colorants for high definition television (HDTV) at WMPO.
As the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course undergoes renovations, including at famous hole No. 16, before the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Geoponics, the makers of Endurant, stopped by to hear about the project and the organization's use of Endurant over the years.
“We found what we were looking for with Endurant — something a little darker in color— that magic combination or potion."
Brandon Reese, TPC Scottsdale’s Director of Golf Course Operations
TPC Network was among the very first users of Endurant 10 years ago and has tried every colorant on the market before selecting Endurant.
Reese is in good company, as colleagues at golf courses and sports fields around the world also choose Endurant.
“We started using Endurant here originally just to create heat,” says Reese. “Although that sounds counter intuitive,” he adds. At the time of the interview, in early August, it is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit on the course in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Due in large part to the heat, the Champions Course and the Stadium Course, the site of the televised Waste Management Phoenix Open, are closed for a couple weeks.
Arizona is known for relatively extreme temperatures, including cool winters as the course is surrounded by the Sonoran Desert and the McDowell Mountains.
“We use the Endurant for heat in the winter. It keeps the ryegrass moving in the right direction, warming the canopy by as much as 6 to 8 degrees when we go dark,” says Reese.
The TPC Network, owned by the PGA Tour, and TPC Scottsdale specifically, have also long used the colorant to get the best possible look and playability for tournaments and high definition television.
“Endurant gives the course that extra pop, that ‘wow' factor, that our Waste Management Phoenix Open golf fans love.”
Blake Meentemeyer, PGA Tour agronomist, former TPC Superintendent and USGA agronomist
The TPC Network, which includes more than 30 golf courses across three continents all owned by the PGA Tour, uses Endurant specific to the needs of the particular course.
“TPC began using Endurant about 10 years ago, as soon as we had the line,” says Nick Lubich of Fertizona, Geoponics’ master distributor of Endurant on the U.S. West Coast.
TPC San Antonio, for example, used Endurant to paint non-overseeded greens. And, TPC Scottsdale was among those first properties to use it for optimizing agronomics, appearance and playability.
“We were among the first people in the valley using it, that’s for sure,” says Reese, referring to central Arizona's Phoenix Metropolitan Area, which is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States.
Reese has been a superintendent in numerous areas around the world, including Korea and TPC Louisiana. He used Endurant to add heat, for showing up great on television and to address severe soil conditions or rapidly changing weather conditions.
TPC Network has used every colorant available from the original Endurant TC to the newest in the line, Endurant Flex. Flex is a paint & pigment combo made especially for improving transitions.
The TPC Network has used just about every brand of colorant over the years as well.
“We noticed with Endurant that it played a little better,” says Reese.
Endurant TC, the original turf colorant, was first used because it was the only paint available. Then, Endurant added concentrates to the line, adding more variations and different shades. These include:
Although TPC Scottsdale has used all the colorants in the Endurant line, the course uses the pigment, Endurant TE, as well as Endurant FW, the darkest shade, most often. TPC Scottsdale has also benefitted from Geoponics' offering of custom blends, available when ordering in large quantities. Their customization included adding extra black to the colorant to get that rich, dark color and added heat that the course managers prefer prior to the televised winter tournament.
“Endurant supplements our color at a time when growth has slowed due to cold, and sometimes frosty, January mornings,” Meentemeyer has said.
The Endurant paints, particularly the concentrates, are used on dormant grass that is completely brown during the winter in some areas. However, in Scottsdale, they are still used to complement existing grass color. In this case, TPC Scottsdale often uses FW, which is the darkest concentrated Endurant paint, or TE, the pigment, which is used exclusively on grass that has chlorophyll and is actively growing.
“We used the pigment on the rye grass. We were not spraying here in Scottsdale on dormant grass,” says Reese.
He is using the pigment on turf grass species that is also somewhat specific to Scottsdale. TPC is 80/20 turf grass, a mix of chewings fine fescue and rye to combat salt issues of the area that can lead to disease, such as rapid blight.
“We’ve used Endurant everywhere— the tees, fairways, greens and rough. We use a dialed back rate on the greens,” says Reese.
While Reese was golf course superintendent in New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, host of the Zurich Classic, Reese used Endurant differently than in Scottsdale.
“New Orleans is the wettest place on the planet,” he says, smiling.
There, Reese used Endurant on tees and roughs in particular, and learned it can be handy to keep some for emergency.
“Endurant is the best player on the team. It’s nice to always have it in the dug out. When you bring out the Endurant, it saves the day,” says Lubich.
And one day, a week before Reese's televised PGA tournament, the course needed some saving.
“It was early spring, we had overseeded greens. We were struggling with color, especially in the rough,” says Reese.
He called Lubich, of Fertizona, and Jennifers Seevers, of Geoponics, for advice.
“We’re really ugly,” he says laughing. “I need some help,” he recalls saying.
Seevers suggested Endurant Flex, the newest product. He had no time to experiment with it the way he usually would.
“I have time to spray this once. The window of opportunity in Louisiana is hours. It rains all the time,” says Reese.
“This was a Hail Mary pass. The Flex was really good. She hit the nail on the head,” he recalls.
Seed shortages and price hikes coast to coast are leading to increased demand for colorants. Geoponics has sold more truck loads of Endurant to distributors earlier this summer during its Early Order Program than ever.
Along with water shortages and increased water costs, the demand for colorants will continue to increase.
Reese and many other golf course superintendents have used Endurant on non-overseeded greens and turfgrass as well as in conjunction with overseed. From TPC San Antonio to East Coast golf courses, liquid overseed has gained popularity.
"Many golf courses are dropping their overseed rates by half and using pigments. Some guys just aren't going to get seed this year. There is just not enough," says Reese. "If they want green, they're going to have to go to pigments and paints."