National Golf Day brings leaders from across the industry together to educate elected officials on the value of golf. The growing event, organized by the American Golf Industry Coalition, saw 320 attendees this year. Each attendee has a passion for the organization’s shared goal: leveling the playing field for the golf industry. There’s a focus on highlighting the positive impact golf has on the economy and environment, its charitable side, and its health and wellness impacts. Lobbying is a major part of the event, but there’s also one day dedicated to completing a service project. Annually, attendees get hands-on with equipment on the National Mall and/or local golf courses to make a difference in the D.C. area. 

All 40+ partners within the American Golf Industry Coalition participate — from the PGA Tour to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America to The Toro Company. Associations, architects, builders and corporate companies all play a part in the coalition, creating a well-rounded group fit to induce change. 

Giving Back to the D.C. Community 

National Golf Day’s service project included maintenance at East Potomac Golf Links, which falls under the umbrella of the nonprofit National Links Trust. Their mission is to positively impact the community and change lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf. 

Toro, alongside our distributor Turf Equipment and Supply Co., sponsored the East Potomac leg of the service project. Les Lear, sales manager with Turf Equipment and Supply, and Dave Dynowski, Toro district sales manager, were instrumental in ensuring the fleet of Toro equipment was on-site and ready for action. 

Lear also participated in the service project work. “A lot of high-level members and other association chapters of the GCSAA were present at East Potomac. Some of those people drove hours and hours to participate and give back with their time. That’s what it’s all about. It was awesome and I was happy to be a part of it,” says Lear. 

Chava McKeel, GCSAA Director of Government Affairs, who helps oversee the events of National Golf Day, says “Volunteers are doing real, meaningful work that benefits the location and we couldn’t complete the projects without support from manufacturers like Toro.” 

At East Potomac’s Red Course (one of three courses on location), Toro equipment was used to aerify tees, approaches, greens and cart paths along the Red Course. Around 50 people participated in the project, using an Outcross 9060 outfitted with the ProCore 1298 Turf Aerator, ProCore 648, a top dresser, HD Workman utility vehicle and more. 

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d put the project at a 12. Everything went as well as I could have ever hoped. I’m looking forward to continuing a relationship and coming up with a fun project again next year,” says Tim Zurybida, Director of Agronomy for National Links Trust. 

The Issues at Hand 

McKeel explains the coalition’s approach to legislature; “Creating change for the industry isn’t a short game, but a marathon effort. We’re focused on steady progress and small wins, knowing that every step we take makes a difference.” 

For example, the coalition is proud to have reignited the Congressional Golf Caucus, a group of 141 congressional members who support the game of golf. The coalition also works to bring specific issues to Capitol Hill. This year, 240 individuals from 40 different states met with members of Congress to advocate for the industry. Three main issues were discussed: 

1. The PAR Act – Legislation aimed at removing certain language discriminatory to golf from the tax code. It has been reintroduced to the current administration and is steadily building co-sponsors and supporters. 

2. PHIT Act – The PHIT Act is led by the Sports Fitness Industry Association and supported by the American Golf Industry Coalition. This bill would allow individuals to use their pre-tax medical savings account (HSA) toward the purchase of golf or other sporting equipment, up to $2,000 per year. 

3. The Farm Bill – This bill passes every five years, and the coalition is working to ensure Congress continues to recognize turfgrass as a specialty crop within it, therefore, allocating resources towards turfgrass research. 

For more information on Toro’s latest product initiatives and programs, go to toro.com. 

Toro is always creating new ways to help golf course superintendents and crews maximize their most valuable resource — time.

At the 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, Toro showcased a complete electric and autonomous portfolio for the entire course — from fairways to roughs and clubhouse grounds to the driving range — to help free up time for tasks that require specialized skills.

Among these innovations are the Turf Pro™ 300/500 Series and the Range Pro™ 100. Both are equipped with cutting-edge technology, offer quiet operation and deliver consistently superior results.

Turf Pro 300/500 Series

The Turf Pro 300/500 autonomous mower provides a truly hands-free mowing experience. The Turf Pro 300 efficiently manages up to 11.1 acres with a 25″ mowing width, while the Turf Pro 500 handles up to 18.5 acres with a wider 40.7″ cut.

Unlike many autonomous mowers, no boundary wires are required for setup. Instead, RTK technology produces ultra-precise navigation, enabling both models to mow consistent patterns day after day. Wireless connectivity enables anytime monitoring, control and customization of working perimeters, no-go zones, mowing patterns, cutting height, transport paths and more. When it’s time to recharge, the Turf Pro automatically returns to its charging station.

Range Pro 100 Series

The Range Pro is an autonomous ball collector that can gather up to 350 balls at a time and an impressive 19,500 balls in a 24-hour period. This labor-saving device operates in defined patterns and can be set to target high-density areas. Utilizing the same RTK technology as the Turf Pro for wireless setup and control, these two units can even operate simultaneously, allowing operators to monitor individual machines or entire fleets from their fingertips. At the end of its run, the Range Pro automatically returns to its charging station.

Discover more about the Turf Pro, Range Pro and other autonomous innovations, including the GeoLink ^® Solutions™ Autonomous Fairway Mower, at toro.com.

It’s not every day you get to visit Torrey Pines, let alone prepare the grounds for a PGA TOUR event. The world-renowned course is located in La Jolla, California, and is home to the Farmers Insurance Open, attracting professional golfers and avid fans to its grounds each year.

Multiple turf professionals, nominated by their local Toro distributor, were invited to volunteer at the 2025 event, held January 22 – 25. These individuals assisted the Torrey Pines grounds crew with the influx of work involved with such a large event. Volunteers arrived a week early and began doing data collection, bunker maintenance, divot repair and several other tasks, allowing them to play a key role in event preparation, as well as maintenance during the event.

Nils Larsson, a volunteer and assistant head greenkeeper for Stockholms Golfklubb in Danderyd, Sweden, says, “It was so much fun to meet all the other guys and get to learn. I was working with guys from Canada and the US, so we had plenty to talk about and compare. We have a new Toro Lynx irrigation system at our course in Sweden and I took back some great tips and tricks on using that.”

Larsson enjoyed seeing the preparation and work involved in hosting an event as large as the Farmers Insurance Open. “It’s quite different from Sweden,” he says. “The crew was bigger and the course had a lot more resources.” Giving professionals like Larsson a chance to learn and grow in a hands-on environment allows them to improve operations on their own course. The impact extends long after they return home.

For more information on Toro’s latest product initiatives and programs, go to toro.com.

The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show is the premier event for the turfgrass industry, bringing together professionals for education, innovation and networking. This year’s event in San Diego featured a dynamic lineup of interactive education, hands-on experiences, golf events, product demonstrations and an expansive show floor with nearly 450 exhibitors.

A proud partner and sponsor of the GCSAA, Toro maintained a strong presence at this year’s event, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and equipment designed to streamline golf course management, improve efficiency and elevate course conditions.

Here are just a few of the many innovations that were on display this year:

Spatial Adjust Integration with Lynx® Central Control
Through a partnership with TerraRad, Toro is integrating its new Spatial Adjust software exclusively with the Lynx® Central Control platform. Built with superintendents in mind, this first-of-its-kind software tool provides precision irrigation control to help courses reduce operational costs, conserve water and create optimal turf conditions.

The new software leverages TerraRad’s turfRad smart sensors installed on Toro equipment to map soil moisture levels while mowing. The data is sent to Lynx Central Control, where it can be viewed in real time on color-coded maps that indicate moisture variations. To ensure proper irrigation customized to course needs, the software provides individual sprinkler adjustment recommendations that can be made with the click of a button.

Turf Pro™ 500/300
The Turf Pro™ is a state-of-the-art autonomous robotic mower capable of mowing up to 18.5 acres with precision and efficiency. It utilizes advanced technology to achieve consistently clean, well-maintained turf with minimal operator input and quiet operation, ensuring little to no disruption for golfers or nearby residents.

The mower cares for every inch of turf without sacrificing quality and frees up maintenance crews to apply their specialized skills to other needs across the course.

Range Pro™ 100
The Range Pro™ is an autonomous golf ball-picking robot that streamlines the labor-intensive task of collecting golf balls from the driving range. Capable of collecting up to 19,500 balls in 24 hours, the Range Pro™ is a game-changer for golf courses looking to save time and labor while freeing up staff for other important tasks. It keeps the range clean and ready for golfers all day — without disruption. Its design minimizes the need for manual labor, enabling course staff to focus on other critical tasks throughout the day.

Intelli360™
This web-based digital toolkit simplifies how equipment managers and superintendents keep operations running smoothly, from one day to the next. It allows users to manage equipment fleets from anywhere on the property, monitoring operating status, hours and upcoming maintenance needs. Additionally, the Intelli360™ home page gives users the ability to create work orders, schedule labor and set due dates — all from one central hub.

For more information on Toro’s latest products and initiatives, go to toro.com.