Luis Silva, assistant superintendent at Bella Collina Golf Club in Monteverde, Fla., demonstrates a John Deere GPS sprayer during the Equipment Management in Motion Interactive Facility Tour at the 2026 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show. Photo by Abby Olcese
Chilly temperatures required a few changes to this morning’s Equipment Management in Motion Interactive Facility Tour at Bella Collina Golf Club in Monteverde, Fla. Spirits and interest remained high, however, as Kyle Johnson, GCSAA Class A superintendent and the course’s crew demonstrated the tech that helps them keep things running. That tech ranged from the USGA’s GS3 Ball to digital job boards to GPS sprayers.
Luis Silva, the course’s assistant superintendent, demonstrated a John Deere GPS sprayer in a lot behind one of the maintenance buildings, rather than on the course, which was still thawing out. It may not have been treating turf, but Silva’s demonstration still generated plenty of questions and hands-on interactions.
“I can jump around and spray this tee box and spray this approach, and it’ll keep track of it all,” Silva said, indicating the sprayer’s mapping screen. “Being so precise and so good, it really helps your pockets.”
Shaun Donahue, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Tidewater Golf Club and Plantation in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., chimed in with another benefit: “Pesticide regulators love it, too.”
Donahue’s club also uses a GPS sprayer (theirs is a Toro) and he says he was interested to see how the crew at Bella Collina uses similar technology. “It’s good to see how everyone skins the cat,” he says.
Donahue, who’s been coming to the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show since the mid-90s, says the Interactive Facility Tours have become a particular highlight of his experience.
“Talks on soil diseases are great, but for me they run together after a while,” he says. “Getting out here and meeting people who do the work and seeing how they solve problems really helps.”
Like Donahue, Krista Johnston, golf course supervisor and grounds crew for the City of Gahanna, Ohio, says the chance to interact with industry professionals in their element is immensely helpful.
“I love these sessions because I’m still learning,” Johnston, a one-year GCSAA member, says. “Hearing from people in the industry and seeing how they work, it’s a great opportunity.”
This was the second GCSAA Conference and Trade Show experience for Johnston, who says she picked up some inspiring ideas to take back with her.
“Seeing all the tech they use is amazing,” she says. “I’d never seen a GPS sprayer in action before.”
Abby Olcese is GCM's online editor