Sportstraq is all about scalability. Traqnology developed Sportstraq to solve everyday maintenance challenges. Investing in GPS technology as a single use system can be a mistake. Sportstraq is not a trendy short-term GPS solution. Sportstraq has been developed to be robust so it can handle the hard lifting of everyday use, season long!
Much of the GPS technology introduced into the turf market over the past few years has been short sighted. It seems some manufacturers have gone after the cool factor by producing equipment that is not robust nor scalable at a premium price. Traqnology is not that company. One-dimensional products do not serve the customer. Cool is cool, until it breaks and is unfixable. Sportstraq is not that product.
A Turf Manager’s Perspective
To say I have a passion for high quality turf would be an understatement. I have spent two decades in the turf industry after completing my bachelors in Turfgrass Science. Working for high end private country clubs truly honed my turf skills. Managing a revolving door of skilled and unskilled labor became my largest challenge. The past two years has proven even harder to find skilled labor. Honestly, having most of my crew show up feels like a win. Trusting them to do a quality job when they are out of my sight, now that is a significant worry.
I ran across Traqnology and Sportstraq last Summer through a mutual business partner. I was invited to the National Sports Center near Minneapolis to watch a demo. To watch a Toro workman auto steer itself and paint laser straight lines on a soccer field almost made me fall over. I immediately wanted to hop on the workman and learn about what I was seeing. The athletic field manager was telling me all about the same problems I described in the previous paragraph. With over 600 acres of athletic fields to mark, re-mark, and change, took over a dozen employees. This GPS system allowed only one employee to mark all the fields, even faster than all those employees.
If I had access to this kind of GPS assisted equipment when I was managing turf, wow, think of the benefits. I did think of the benefits and what I learned. After speaking with a Traqnology engineer he informed me I was only seeing one of many turf applications. Imagine: GPS assisted mowing, aerification, seeding, fertilizer applications, chemical spraying, even snow removal. All performed by the same system. I’m in!
Traqnology North America
Two years ago, I was invited to become part of a growing GPS Network company. I have learned from the best and most knowledgeable GPS professionals in the industry. My professional life has been turned on its head and it has been an amazing experience. We know GPS. We also know that current GPS technology offerings for turf are not the best. Much like agriculture 15 years ago, turf is finding its way with technology.
I want nothing more than to see my turf manager colleagues have access to the best equipment. After months of discussions and planning, I was able to form a partnership with Traqnology and our GPS Network company, Traqnology North America was born. We are taking the Turf specific products from Traqnology and backing that with North Americas largest RTK Network and years of technical support.
Assisted GPS Applications
What Traqnology is offering is a base GPS system that is cost effective, simple, and app driven. If we go back to me watching the Toro workman auto steer and paint a perfect line. The operator was merely controlling the throttle. Sportstraq was steering the workman and controlling the line painter. What I liked was that there was an operator on the workman to verify if any problems came up, like a clogged paint nozzle. The “cool” factor, if you want to call it that, is that Sportstraq was controlling the job quality. Perfect lines, perfect circles, high productivity. As a turf manager, I like that.
Sportstraq allows you to control operator quality for several agronomic procedures. Sportstraq can be installed on any fairway, greens, or approach mower. Have perfectly straight lines, minimal overlap, control tire placement for compaction while the operator verifies the mower is running perfectly. Sportstraq can also steer and map aerification done with a tractor. Imagine knowing your hole spacing time after time. Other applications include over-seeding, fertilizer applications, snow removal, ect.
Sportstraq is Assisted GPS designed for Turf. This system helps control quality and piece of mind. There are not many pieces of equipment available that can offer that. Sportstraq also works with your current equipment. No need to purchase new equipment to go along with your new GPS system. Use the equipment you already own, whatever brand! Sportstraq is the GPS system every turf manager needs to consider.