Joel Beason was a golf course superintendent for 10 years before joining SiteOne Landscape Supply as a sales representative. He has been with SiteOne for more than two years, now.
“I’m focused on applications versus install of plants. So, chemicals, fertility products, control products, that’s my line within SiteOne,” said Beason.
He was the superintendent at Moore’s Mill Club in Auburn, Alabama. There, Beason managed turf grass that did not go 100 percent dormant in winter.
Beason is experienced in using both pigments, such as Endurant TE, and paints, including Endurant Premium. Now, Endurant has a brand new product, a hybrid of pigment and paint, Endurant FLEX. The other Endurant turf grass colorant options include the original Endurant TC, Endurant FW (Fairway) and Endurant PR (Perennial Rye). Mulch and tree colorants also have their benefits.
“If we had an unusually cold winter or cold snap, often in the January or February timeframe, we could be on the brink of complete dormancy. Then, we made paint applications,” said Beason.
For the purposes of the Alabama golf club, he used a combination of pigments and paints but only on the greens. He did not use them on fairways and tees at that time.
“When I was at that golf course is when Endurant became popular on social media,” he said.
“We did our research and like everyone was saying, the superintendents and everyone, the consensus was that Endurant was the top of the line when picking brands,” said Beason.
Other benefits of Endurant include the ideal shades of green provided by the colorant. Secondly, Endurant offers longevity of color. Third, the service from Geoponics, the makers of Endurant is the best in the field, said Beason.
Application tips and other advice were easy to come by with Geoponics’ service. This is true whether as a superintendent using Endurant, or now as a salesperson working with Geoponics through SiteOne. Geoponics offers clients the best service possible.
“My go-to Geoponics and Endurant rep Brad [Driggers] is easy to get a hold of, follows up, helps with my clients and pricing and all that goes along with it,” said Beason.
On the golf course, Beason used a mixture of the handgun application technique and the boom spraying method on the greens. He used Endurant Premium, a rich dark shade of green on the Bermuda grass greens, he recalled.
“Selling in a territory where I once worked and having used the product, it really helps selling it,” said Beason.
SiteOne began offering Endurant to customers more than a year ago.
“I was so excited when I found out we would be able to sell it. It’s the most popular product out there. Especially in my area,” said Beason.
Most Endurant customers include golf courses, lawn care operators, universities, high schools and municipalities.
“University of Alabama really likes the product. Athletic Field Manager Jon Dewitt has been several places and used Endurant everywhere he’s been,” said Beason. “We do a ton of work with Alabama, in Tuscaloosa and with trendsetters having a good influence on others doing sports fields,” said Beason.
We’ve got Kathy Harrison, Supervisor of Athletics, at University of Alabama Birmingham, and the Birmingham Legion pro soccer team, started painting last year with Endurant, he said.
For golf, users look for ways to increase rounds and revenue on the backside, and that can be having the competitive edge of Endurant providing pristine color, getting tournament ready and/or TV ready.
LCOs, landscape operators, benefit from Endurant in multiple scenarios, also in terms of competitive edge, at least in terms of increased curb appeal for their customers. A short term chemical burn or herbicide application gone awry can be masked with Endurant while the grass recovers.
“There is a lot of opportunity,” said Beason.
The most eye-catching and competitive might be the athletic fields. The high profile fields they’re on ESPN and they want to be as green as possible in HDTV (high definition TV).
In transitions, an application of Endurant can help mask that dormant leaf blade as the bright green rye grass comes in as well, said Beason.
We get people enjoying Endurant’s quicker green up of Bermuda in the spring time as the colorant helps hold the heat, bring in that sunlight and naturally boost chlorophyll production for added agronomic benefits as well as aesthetic benefits.