Golf Course Care and Upkeep products

As many of you know, I have spent most of my life in the golf course industry and have been involved in every aspect of the course operations, golf course superintendent and golf course designer of various courses including Star Pointe Ranch in Park City, Utah and Johnson Ranch in Queen Creek, Arizona. 

Currently I am the golf course superintendent at FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona. FireRock is a premium upscale private course that opened during early part of 2000. As a part of our new Golf course, we had significant challenges. The root zone consisted of crushed rock and soil that ran through a crushing plant then applied at a depth of 6 inches through out the course. The soil had minimal organic matter and poor nutrient content. Fortunately, one of the important soil nutrients that we used was granular New-Mex Humate provided by U-Mate International, Inc. New-Mex Humates came in granular form with high content of humic and fluvic acids together with trace elements which served as plant growth and root nutrient uptake stimulants. 

U-Mate International product that we applied to the soil and the turf was important in the development of the turf. the decision to use the granular Humate was made because of the high organic content of being in excess of 80%, the many trace elements and the high content of organic humic and fluvic acids. We applied the granular Humate with a Lely spreader at a low height and slow speed and our results have been positive. We believe that we now have a superior turf quality with substantial root systems and overall positive results. 

For a new golf course, our turf is in outstanding condition. We believe that the Humates from U-Mate International were instrumental in producing the turf quality, which we currently have. In many respects, the turf with the application of Humate is superior to the turf that has yet been treated. 

While Humates are amenable to year-round applications, they may be particularly important for applications during over-seeding periods were you could mix into your sand to spot treat week areas. I personally support and recommend the application of Humates to all types of turf and particularly in area where difficult soil conditions and limited soil nutrients exist.  Sincerely, 

Ken Watkins  Golf Course Superintendent