Trufirm

[Pete_Pittock]

How widespread will this become in the golf industry. At $8700/unit will it only show up at upper echelon clubs? Or clubs/resorts with multiple courses?
http://www.usga.org/turf/green_section_record/2009/mar_apr/news_notes.pdf

What other sports could use the technology? Wimbledon could use it to keep Centre Court. Baseball teams could use it to customize their infield, outfield and base lines to their team's best interest. Football teams could use it to decide on cleats.
 

[JMEvensky]

Wasn't this originally called the Thumper?

[PCCraig]

This sure would be a great tool for clubs looking for a F&F golf course...but at $9,000 in this economy when clubs are hurting? That's a tough sell.

[DBE]

Only $8700??  Hard to believe a club or course would ever purchase one of these. Given the difficulty even the USGA had using the information and applying it to course set ups this year at Pebble Beach and Chambers Bay, perhaps in the hands of less experienced people, things could get out of hand.

[Bradley Anderson]

For many years now superintendents have been measuring organic matter percentages through their standard soil testing.

And measuring percent moisture in the green is already being done quite effectively with simple meters that cost about $1,000. You can read the moisture in every quadrant of a green in less than one minute with a moisture meter. Toro has even come out with a meter that you can install in the green for minute by minute measurements of moisture, soil temperature, and salinity right to your irrigation computer.

This tool simply does nothing to enlighten superintendents of any agronomic problems on greens that they are not already well aware of.

Essentially what this tool represents is another way to measure how the green is playing. And that begs the question: will we now be posting firmness readings for golfers along with stimpmeter readings? Gosh I hope not because the stimpmeter has done more to increase the cost of golf course maintenance than any accessory of the game, with the possible exception of the golf cart. The last thing we need now is another stimpmeter!

USGA if you are reading this: lock that tool up and hide the key!