The Science & People Behind Better Turf Health

As winter turned to spring, we had a chance to sit down for a science focused roundtable with a quartet of industry experts at BASF. Senior technical specialists Jen Browning, Dr. Emma Lookabaugh and Kyle Miller, as well as BASF technical market manager Trevor Stacy are the type of people who can break down complex concepts into easy-to understand insights. Browning covers the West, Lookabaugh the Southeast and parts of the Transition Zone, and Miller the Northeast and Midwest. Stacy brings the perspective of a former assistant golf course superintendent-turned-researcher to the conversation. The roundtable started with overarching questions, delved into the specifics of a solution devised to elevate fairways and concluded with thoughts about the role of science in an evolving turf management ecosystem.

“When I hear the word science, I immediately think of lab coats and a sterile laboratory environment, which are major detours from the cart path,” Lookabaugh says. “But the reality is much different. Of course, we have teams of chemists working in the lab. They are analyzing; they are mixing; they are optimizing. That’s all part of the science we put into the jug. The second part — and arguably the most valuable part — is that scientific process that goes into figuring out the best ways to use products in the field.”

Browning embraces a prove-it instead of a boast-it mentality when evaluating what touches golf turf. “I’m always thinking, show me the data,” she says. “You can see a lot of claims out there for a lot of different products. It’s the science and the empirical data that really tell the story about whether or not something is different than something else. That’s what drew me to BASF tech services.”

When Stacy ponders science, he relates it to what anybody who’s successful in any industry, including golf maintenance, ultimately becomes: a go-to solutions provider. This mindset means the people developing plant protectants resemble superintendents and their teams. “For me, we use science to solve a problem, whether that’s in turf or any industry you are in,” Stacy says. “Science is the process we use to answer a question. In the instance of turf and BASF, we use science to develop and deliver innovative solutions to golf course superintendents.”

When developing Aramax^™ Intrinsic^® brand fungicide, BASF addressed two key questions from superintendents:

• What diseases were causing issues on warm- and cool-season fairways?

• How could solutions to those diseases be delivered in an efficient, cost-effective application?

The BASF team leaned on teams of scientists to thoroughly seek and discover a solution. “You have all these people who have their hands on that product for a number of years before it comes to market who are able to answer really complex technical questions about everything from molecular behavior to formulation questions to environmental fate questions,” Browning says. “We might not get those questions answered in 20 minutes. It may take us a day or so, but there are a lot of people who have their hands in product development and research and development. That’s what makes original manufacturers different from someone who licenses a product a little bit farther down the line.”

The science behind Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide dates to 2010, according to Miller, when BASF teams learned the active ingredients pyraclostrobin (QoI, group 11) and triticonazole (group 3 DMI fungicide) possessed potential to work as a pre-mix combination. At the time, both active ingredients had been successful as solo products in Insignia^® SC Intrinsic brand fungicide and Trinity^® fungicide. Nearly a decade and a half after first studying the combination, BASF released Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide to the golf industry in 2024. Because of the methodical science behind the solution, the team involved with Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide was both excited and confident when it debuted.

“It’s way more than an active ingredient or two active ingredients in a jug,” Stacy says. “There’s extensive research and testing that goes into creating a new product like Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide. It takes years to ensure components such as formulation type, a.i. loading, inert ingredients, formulation stability, tank mix compatibility, are investigated and ultimately optimized in the research and development stage of a new product. We have done our homework. It didn’t just happen. The science extends well beyond just the active ingredients and because of that we set superintendents up to have the best opportunity for success.”

Science that answers questions like: how does our product flowability compare to generics or what are the rates per acre, what about product stability across varying conditions? BASF also looks at jug ergonomics, packability, safety information and proper application training as well as labels in Spanish.

BASF has an extensive testing network of proven university researchers and curious superintendents who conduct trials of potential new solutions in myriad condi tions and environments. The company did nearly 100 demonstration trials with selected customers in anticipation of last year’s release of Aramax. Trial amounts were large enough to treat more than seven acres of fairways, giving super intendents large enough samples to compare results to existing control tactics. 

“We test these products inside and out, North to South, East to West, with university folks and with superintendents to build confidence and make sure we are going to deliver what we say we’re going to deliver,” Miller says. “Once a superintendent gets a new product, it’s important to put it side by side with what they are currently doing so they have a true understanding, and it’s not just us telling them it’s going to work.” 

Determining the need to use new sci ence in the field, Browning says, requires a superintendent or turf manager to scope out where an existing program might include coverage, longevity and efficiency gaps. Providing golfers with great turf requires an unyielding commitment to honing programs and a lot of questions.

“Are they making more sprays than they want to, using more products than they need to or do they just want to look at how many modes of action they are using throughout the season … is there a better way to do that?” Browning says. “Could they use combination products like Ara max Intrinsic brand fungicide where they can get two modes of action in a single product? Then, could they use a product like Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide that’s going to deliver disease protection and built-in resistance management.””

In short, solutions packed with more science could offer less hassle for time-chal lenged superintendents. “A lot of what we do when creating and marketing a product is asking how does this simplify or make it easier for the superintendent to use?” Lookabaugh adds. “Some of it is the formulation itself: a more convenient formulation with less mixing and fewer bottles to rinse out. Triple rinsing is super annoying. Any time you have lower rates going out, you have fewer bottles to rinse. All of that goes into it.”

Stacy’s experience as an assistant su perintendent taught him silence suggests a solution is working as intended. 

“For their four hours on the course, golfers shouldn’t be think ing about the super intendent,” he says. “They should be enjoying the game of golf and enjoy ing the company of their friends, their family, whoever they are playing with, and trying to make birdies. If they are talking about the superintendent while they are out there, it’s usually not a good thing. We want them, maybe, when they’re in the grill room counting up their scores thinking, ‘Course conditions were awesome today. I’m looking forward to coming back.’”

Fairways represent a critical element to the golfer experience, with the surfaces comprising the most acreage of short-cut turf. Blemishes will be noticed. The Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide label covers 26 diseases with applications providing up to 28 days of control. The fungicide can be used on cool- and warm-season turf. 

Before unveiling Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide, BASF lacked a portfolio solution for two problematic fairway diseases: large patch and snow mold. The scientific backing includes assurance programs covering both diseases. Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide also controls dollar spot, brown patch, fairy ring, leaf spot, rapid blight, summer patch, take-all root rot and take-all patch. The versa tility and broad-spectrum impact led to BASF including the fungicide in its popular Intrinsic Holiday Spray Program for fairways. 

“We now have a fairway product priced for fairways, delivering the broadest spec trum that we ever had of the many prod ucts that we use on fairways,” Miller says. “It’s just something that fits very nicely for a superintendent.”

While several fungicide options exist, the release of new products has slowed since BASF unveiled Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide last summer. 

“Generic products have always been around, and I think that today the scientific and technical basis of branded products becomes that much more valuable,” Lookabaugh says. “It’s not just the active ingredients. Bringing products that are consistent and perform the same way every time that also have the expert technical support behind them is really important.”

"You’ll see a lot more creativity in a sci ence-based approach because that’s what’s necessary,” Stacy says. “I don’t think you’re going to see novel A.I.s and novel modes of action roll out as often since there are only a very few manufacturers like BASF who still invest heavily in discovery biology. Because of that you’re going to have to get creative in how the whole market innovates moving forward, ranging from innovative technology to how spray programs are structured.”

“We’re going to have to look at new ways to bring new technology to the market,” he says. “That’s the direction we’re going in — a much more balanced approach. We have been providing plant health benefits to superintendents, and they really welcome that. We want to continue to unearth and demonstrate new ways of using our Intrinsic products to improve plant health.” 

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