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Aramax Success Stories
By Pat Jones
After a full season on the market, top university trials continue to confirm the effectiveness of Aramax ... but superintendents rave about the low rates and ease of use.
Maximum Simplicity
Snow mold is a tricky opponent for courses in the north as well as some unexpected locations like California's wine country. Application timing is critical, as is choosing the right preventative approach. If either of those miss the mark, the superintendent is often faced with a poor start for turf quality and playability. "It just nukes us," says David Walter of Silverado Resort. "It won't recover."
So, there's a lot on the line and there's also uncertainty about the future of some of the products in the crazy cocktail tank mix that northern superintendents have had to use in the past.
That's why the launch of Aramax™Intrinsic® brand fungicide has generated so much attention in the snow mold belt: it works as well or better than other brand-name options or generic combos. The low rate and smart packaging simplify sprays, and it contains two proven BASF actives - pyraclostrobin and triticonazole - that hammer snow mold and offer broad spectrum control of 20+ other diseases.
2025 University Research Results
Aramax came to market last year after an extensive testing program at more than 100 courses as well as years of pre-launch university trials. And those trials continued over the winter of 2024-2025 at key northern turf programs like Wisconsin, UMass, and Michigan State. For the past decade, Dr. Paul Koch's research team at UW has dug into snow mold solutions with badger-like tenacity. And, among all the '24-'25 trials, their plots at Marquette GC in Marquette, Mich., saw the most pressure from the disease. Koch's team treated the plots the first week in November and the ratings were performed in mid-April. What did they observe about Aramax?
"Snow mold pressure was much lower than normal across the western Great Lakes last year, but Aramax still performed very well in our trial at Marquette," says Koch. "Effective disease control is first and foremost with any product selection, especially with a disease as important as snow mold where you don't really get a chance to correct a mistake, but many supers are now considering alternative factors in their choice. This includes use rate."
Koch adds that sometimes less is more for busy supers. "Given all that's going on as superintendents are trying to winterize the golf course, I think they are increasingly appreciating the simplicity of fewer products and fewer jugs going into that sprayer."
Trevor Stacy, who oversees BASF Turf's trials and field testing, summarized the results from UW and other winter trials this past year:
• Overall, Aramax showed it's an excellent snow mold material and can perform both alone and in combination with other chemistries depending on severity.
• In 2025, snow mold pressure was in the light to moderate range, but even at 50% snow mold damage, Aramax effectively knocked down the disease pressure and turf came out clean for the spring.
• Users can feel confident based on trials and positive feedback from turf pros who used Aramax in the "real world" last fall and winter with success.
"In this year's university trials, Aramax performed exactly as we expected," says Stacy. "It works extremely well on snow mold and, as we saw in other trials, numerous patch diseases and other pathogens."
Confirmation at the university level is incredibly valuable, but how did real customers in the real world fare? We reached out around the country to find out.
Team Aramax
"I tried Aramax as a test product two winters ago and we had great results, so I went full throttle with it this past winter for snow mold," says E.J. Chea, the longtime super at Pease GC in New Hampshire. "It performed perfectly. We had zero issues or breakthrough with moderate to high pressure snow mold this year. It was very, very clean."
What impressed him most? "You could see exactly where I turned the booms off this year," he says with a laugh. "That's always a great indicator."
Chea says the simple, 1 oz/1,000 rate is the biggest selling point of the product. "The old generic mix I used was 5.5 oz/1,000. The other name-brand product I relied on was great, but it was 11.5 oz/1,000 and I needed 15 mini drums in the shop to spray snow mold. Now, with the 1 oz rate, I was able to use one 2.5-gallon jug of Aramax to spray all 28 of my greens this winter."
A Safe Bet
Chris Hickman oversees one of Iowa’s coolest courses, The Falls at Grand Falls Casino & Resort. The Rees Jones design opened in 2015 and excellent conditions are always part of the experience.
The course, which is near Sioux Falls, S.D., deals with the dreaded disease every year. “Pink snow mold is public enemy number one,” says Hickman.
He’s been trialing Aramax the past two years and comparing it head-to-head with other branded “go-to” products. He literally split fairways with half Aramax and half products from another basic manufacturer. Snow mold pressure was light but here’s what he did learn:
“One of the things I noticed right off the bat with Aramax is the low use rate. Only 1 oz/1,000. Snow mold applications are usually one of the biggest annual sprays we make and it’s daunting when you see that pallet of stuff that you have to load into the tank. Aramax is nice because one jug covers 7 acres.”
Final thoughts? “I would definitely recommend it as an option, particularly as stuff goes off the market,” says Hickman. “And the support we get from BASF is great and we appreciate it.”
Winning in Wine Country
David Walter moved from the east coast to Napa Valley three years ago and has been learning about the microclimates, the year-round cycles, the lack of sunlight in winter, and “how crazy snow mold can get in northern California.”
He says the snow mold surprised him during his first winter at Silverado Resort. “It was an eye opener,” Walter recalls. “In the winter, the snow mold gets cracking here. And the second you get it, you’re going to be living with it. That’s been our big struggle… trying to understand how to get a handle on it and stay ahead of it. My big focus during winter is staying clean without overdoing it.”
Walter hosts a PGA Tour event at Silverado’s North Course each September. Balancing the fertility he needs for the event with weird weather and prime snow mold conditions is tough. That led him to shift his fungicide program more into the winter and less during the golf season.
He tried Aramax two years ago and liked it. “We did a pre-label study and the test worked great that first season,” he says. “Then last year we did Aramax on fairways in early spring. I was super impressed with 30 days of clean performance. Considering that the average temp in February was 46 degrees and prime snow mold conditions…and we stayed clean? I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Walter notes he mixes a little ferrous sulfate in with the Aramax, but that’s it. “I rarely put two fungicides in one tank.” He’s also a fan of EOP. “It’s a good business decision for us and, I think, most superintendents.”
How important is Aramax and keeping snow mold at bay? “When we get snow mold, it just will not go away. On greens, if we get it, we’re plugging it out. It is not going to recover. That’s why we like what we’ve seen so far with Aramax.”
Final Thoughts
Kyle Miller, longtime leader of the BASF Tech Team, summed up the product's growing impact: "Aramax demonstrated its ability to provide excellent snow mold protection whether applied as a solo product or tank-mixed with another product," said Miller. "When you combine those finding with BASF's assurance program, which is built on the ability to add a tank mix partner(s) depending on snow mold pressure, it's clear Aramax is an excellent foundational product to keep superintendents worry free."
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Aramax is a trademark of BASF, and Intrinsic is a registered trademark of BASF.
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