Toro has teamed up with TURF Insight to offer drone-based boundary mapping for its GeoLink Precision Spray System. All current and new GeoLink Spray users can access TURF Insight’s mapping service at a discounted rate.
TURF Insight uses RTK-based aerial imagery to give a detailed view of the whole golf course on a web-based platform. GeoLink Spray users can create spray boundaries directly from the drone images, including in areas that are hard to map on the ground but can be reached by the sprayer boom, such as bunker faces. The maps can also be adjusted manually, so superintendents can change target areas without driving the machine.
The integration supports GeoLink Spray’s “multiple inclusion zones” feature, which lets a single spray task be assigned to any group of mapped boundaries, such as greens and collars. It also gives exact acreage and elevation data for all managed turf areas, removing the need to map with the sprayer or a handheld device. The data can also support construction and renovation projects, and day-to-day decision-making on the course.
Authorised Toro distributors can preload drone maps before equipment is delivered, so the maps are ready on day one. This saves crews setup time during the busiest part of the season.
Ben Smith, global product marketing manager, commercial division at Toro, said: “Partnering with TURF Insight to deliver this exclusive drone-mapping capability was a natural choice as we continue to find new and innovative ways to deliver more value to our customers. All too often we find that spray applications are being planned around the limitations of a machine. By mapping and defining each feature individually with GeoLink Spray, superintendents can plan spray applications around best practices for the turf.”
David Hunsucker, founder of TURF Insight, added: “We built TURF Insight on the belief that golf courses are constantly evolving. By bringing all the information used to manage them together into a single, reliable platform, we’re giving superintendents a trusted digital foundation that evolves alongside the golf course. Our partnership with Toro brings that capability directly to GeoLink Spray customers.”
The mapping integration is available exclusively to Toro GeoLink Spray System users, with the discounted subscription purchased directly through TURF Insight.