Business for plant growth regulators is booming. Once viewed as a luxury among turfgrass managers, the chemical innovation now offers them ways to produce healthier plants, denser turfgrass, greener color and overall more consistent conditions.

Subsequently, many turfgrass managers are using PGRs more readily than they did just a few years ago.

"PGRs are really used by close to 75% of golf courses at least on tees and greens," says John Spaulding, product manager for PBI/Gordon. "And many are using them on roughs and other areas of the golf course."

Once relegated to a part of most herbicide budgets, they've earned their own line item in the budgeting process. Demand, in large part, is being fueled by golfer expectations. PGRs allow superintendents to maintain shorter mowing heights on greens because they reduce plant stress. And fewer clippings in fairways means fewer clumps inhibiting a golfer's lie. Their good track record has prompted many to start using PGRs darn near wall to wall.

PGRs might afford superintendents the luxury of postponing or skipping a mowing. They can also keep wet areas that are susceptible to equipment damage from growing out of control.

"Many of the courses that have a large budget are really using them on greens, fairways and also roughs," says Roger Storey, vice president of turf and ornamentals for SePRO. "Even courses with limited budgets are looking at the value they bring because of labor savings and improving the quality of turf."

The once-overlooked labor savings that facilities might realize is a key driver in widespread adoption at lower-budget courses, sources say. On greens, PGRs create more consistent conditions by regulating blade growth, thereby allowing mowers to be more efficient and perhaps reduce the need for double-cutting on some days.

Those benefits might not eliminate tasks, but they can shorten the duration needed to perform a slew of turfgrass maintenance operations. As labor-strapped superintendents increasingly are asked to improve conditioning with a modestly increasing budget, every slight time savings can result in directing more labor to high-profile areas of the golf course.

"If superintendents use PGRs, they may only need to mow every other day," says Ben Cicora, herbicides business manager for Bayer Environmental Science. "They can then focus on other aspects of the course maintenance."

But it's difficult to skip mowing altogether on greens and fairways at some facilities, especially at high-end clubs that keep a tight rein on greenspeed and consistency. But that might not apply to roughs. Although it might be difficult to justify an extra expense for out-of-play areas, PGRs might afford superintendents the luxury of postponing or eliminating a scheduled mowing. Used as a preventive before a sustained rain or expected saturation, growth regulators can keep areas manageable in a wet duration when equipment might damage the turfgrass.

"Lower-end courses are realizing some labor benefits with reduced clippings and growth. A lot of times you can skip a mowing in the rough," says Dave Ravel, golf market manager for Syngenta. "But it's the repeated applications, as often as 10 to 14 days, that really makes a difference."