Drive2 PowerTech Li features Independent Rear Suspension system.

Yamaha Golf-Car Company has debuted its lithium-ion-powered golf car with Independent Rear Suspension. The Drive2 PowerTech Li with IRS model offers customers the same comfort, reliability and performance with a lithium battery solution. Yamaha is the only golf car manufacturer in the industry to offer a lithium battery with an IRS option.

Manufactured by RoyPow, the lithium-ion battery has been further optimized by Yamaha and made specifically for its products to optimal efficiency and comfort. RoyPow is known for being a leading lithium supplier to brands such as Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia Motors and Mercedes-Benz.

Yamaha officially debuted the Drive2 PowerTech Li with IRS at the 2022 PGA Show in Orlando. Yamaha also plans to attend next month’s GCSAA Conference and Trade Show and CMAA Business Expo. Both events are in San Diego.

Wilderness Club debuted for daily-fee and resort play in 2009.

Troon has been selected to manage the Wilderness Club Resort in Eureka, Montana. Troon Golf, the resort and daily-fee operating division of Troon, will manage golf operations, hospitality, food & beverage, agronomy and golf marketing.

Wilderness Club Resort is a semi-private club located in northern Montana near the Kootenai National Forest, approximately eight miles from the Canadian border. The property features an 18-hole Sir Nick Faldo-designed golf that is open for daily-fee and resort-guest play April through November. The course is located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, between the Whitefish and Purcell Mountain Ranges. Routed through natural streams, lakes and Ponderosa Pines, the golf course opened in 2009.  

“Wilderness Club Resort is one of the most beautiful properties in the world. Troon is honored to have been chosen to help manage this incredible property,” Troon EVP Mitch Harrell said. 

The 550-acre resort offers a collection of suites, cabins and cottages, a full-service spa, horse park, water park, sports park and a 21-acre lake for fishing.

“I'm very excited to have Troon as our partner,” said Brian Ehlert, managing partner of Wilderness Club. “I know they will deliver and improve our guest and member experiences. Troon's wealth of knowledge and expertise will benefit the Wilderness Club Resort in so many ways. Together, we will make our property even more desirable and stunning.  It's a must visit.”

The environmental nonprofit distributed more than $160,000 in funds last year, bringing its alltime total to more than $270,000.

Last year, The FairWays Foundation awarded more than $160,000 worth of funds to a varied cross-section of environmental projects in both the United States and Europe. Successful grant projects ranged from pond restoration to the establishment of native wetlands, and more.

The Fairways Foundation will begin accepting applications for its next round of grants on February 1. The submission window will remain open until April 30, and final grant recipients will be notified in October.

The conservation-focused non-profit encourages all businesses or individuals to apply who are looking for funding assistance for projects pertaining to our environment and natural resources. Application details are available online.

The FairWays Foundation is a 501(c)(3) stand-alone not-for-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding our environment, supporting conservation-based projects — big and small — as well as educational events for professionals, newcomers to the field and for future minds.

Environmental stewardship is not an initiative. It is a long-term investment into our future and the future of our industry. The FairWays Foundation directly funds local and global projects that advance the conservation of our natural resources. These projects will help to preserve the environment we live and work in while encouraging education and stewardship not only within our own industry but also within wider communities.

Ullrich helped revive and advance the company’s greens and fairway mower lines.

HD: Retired Toro innovator Helmut Ullrich recipient of GCSAA’s Edward Budding Award

DK: Ullrich helped revive and advance the company’s fairway and greens mower lines.

Helmut Ullrich, retired senior product manager for The Toro Company, is the winner of the 2021 Edwin Budding Award from the GCSAA.

The Edwin Budding Award, named for the inventor of the lawn mower, is given annually to an equipment manager or related innovator, technician or engineer who has made a significant impact in the golf course and turf industry.

Ullrich, a native of Germany, received an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from the State College of Germany and obtained his master’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota. Ullrich joined Toro’s international group in 1974 as a European field service manager. In 1980, after a corporate restructuring, Ullrich transitioned to the role of product manager with the responsibility of managing the commercial division product portfolio.

“When GCSAA President Mark Jordan called me about winning the Budding Award, I was in complete awe. It was totally unexpected. It made me feel appreciated and gratified for all the hard work during my career at Toro,” Ullrich said. “At the same time, I must say that I could not have accomplished this without the support of a talented team.”

While working at Toro, Ullrich made many groundbreaking achievements in product development and was a significant part of product innovation. He worked for Toro for 46 years before retiring from his role as a senior product manager in October 2020.

“He has been instrumental in shaping Toro and the industry with his work on golf course maintenance equipment,” said Tony Fergus, Toro senior product marketing manager. “His focus and dedication have built his legacy as synonymous with green mowers.”

In 1986, Ullrich was asked to focus his efforts on golf course equipment, including fairway mowers and greens mowers. This line of equipment was previously not profitable, and it was up to Ullrich to turn that around. He applied his engineering and business education, and within a couple of years, he improved the financial situation and established a positive trajectory, which continues today.

“GCSAA members have benefitted from the positive impact Helmut Ullrich has made on the golf course maintenance industry,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “Ullrich’s contributions are remarkable and will continue to influence the industry well into the future. Congratulations to him for this well-deserved recognition.”

Ullrich will formally receive the Budding Award at the 2022 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.

Agreement will bring sensor and visual integration into the Pilot Network.

Hunter Industries announced a partnership with POGO to bring new sensor and visual insight integrations into its Pilot Network.

Integrating the hardware and data from POGO with the Pilot Network will provide valuable insights that can help superintendents and their teams:  

“POGO’s technology is the best in the market,” Hunter Industries director of golf Jon Truttmann said. “Their approach fits well with our goal of making the superintendent’s life better through innovative and easy-to-use products. This visibility into what occurs between irrigation cycles is the logical next step in management.”

Truttmann added that partnering with a technology leader like POGO will allow Hunter to develop a comprehensive solution for golf course irrigation applications combining the best that both companies have to offer. Superintendents, field managers, and municipal grounds operators use POGO to make smart irrigation decisions that produce healthy turf. Integrating POGO’s technology into the Pilot Network will make it easier to implement those decisions.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Hunter sees the same value for its customers, realizing that what happens between irrigation cycles is so vitally important,” said Carmen Magro, vice president of Stevens Monitoring Systems and leader of the POGO Division. “Being incredibly impressed with Hunter's Pilot Network and seeing it as a large leap forward in our industry, we see great synergy in our technology relationship and look forward to where this takes us."