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The USGA Green Section Weekly Update
April 9, 2010 |
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| All Aboard! |
| Working together has never been more essential
by Keith Happ - Director - Mid-Atlantic Region |
The golf professional is on the front lines, receiving a great deal of face time with the golfers. They are privy to many issues that pertain to other departments at the golf course. Comments, concerns, and complaints can be relayed to the appropriate department.
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This is the second of a three-part series that examines the views and perspectives of the three parties most involved with meeting the needs and desires of golfers: The general manager, the golf professional, and the golf course superintendent. This article presents the responses of four golf professionals to the same questions posed to the general managers and the golf course superintendents. Once again, anonymity was preserved to elicit open responses.
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| Grow Your Career Beyond Growing Turf |
| Why superintendents should be prepared when opportunity knocks.
by Jared Viarengo, CGCS, superintendent and general manager of Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pa. |
As both superintendent and general manager, communications with other staff take on an even greater role. What may have been a casual conversation in the past is now filled with important information regarding daily operations at the clubhouse - in this case, clubhouse manager Bill Phillips.
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Advancing your career, as with just about everything in life, is all about being prepared. In the fall of 2008, when the board members
at Applebrook Golf Club, a private, 18-hole course, approached me with an offer to take on the dual role of general manager and golf course superintendent, I was ready to wear both hats.
Some things never change. If you enjoyed this article, you will also enjoy reading one that was written by former national director of the Green Section, William "Bill" Bengeyfield in 1962. How to Maintain a Healthy Job Outlook |
| Regional Update - Florida Region |
Glimmers of Hope
by Todd Lowe - Agronomist, Florida Region |
Florida Region
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This past golfing season is one that many golf course superintendents would rather forget. The past two months saw extended periods of low soil temperatures, low sunlight, and increased rainfall. El Nino was initially only a nuisance that caused prolonged turf discoloration, but eventually accentuated turf thinning on many golf courses throughout the region. The weather is sometimes thought by some unreasonable golfers to be simply an excuse for turf management and, if that is the case, there were many excuses given this past winter. Read this update |
| Regional Update - Mid-Continent Region |
| Spring Fever
By Ty McClellan, Agronomist, Mid-Continent Region |
Mid-Continent Region
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The 2010 golfing season is underway across the upper Mid-Continent Region. With daytime highs consistently reaching into the 60's and 70's for nearly two weeks now, soil temperatures have risen to around 50�F. Although the cool-season turfgrasses have greened up, and putting greens have been mowed at least once, they probably are still several weeks away from the 60�F threshold that is necessary for vigorous growth and recovery. Read this update |
| Regional Update - Southeast Region |
| Rounds for Research Auction Begins
By Patrick O'Brien and Chris Hartwiger, Southeast Region |
Southeast Region
 | Outlined in this update is information provided by Trent Bouts, Editor, Carolinas Green, on the 2nd Annual Rounds4Research. In order to generate much-needed funds for turfgrass research, we need golfers to be aware of this program and bid on tee times. Please forward this email to any golfers in your club or any list of golfers you have. 900-Plus Foursomes To Go Up for Bid at Rounds4Research.com. Golfers can bid for more than 900 tee-times across five states when the second annual Rounds4Research.com auction opens online on Wednesday, April 7, Masters eve. Some of the most prestigious private facilities in the country are on a 650-course menu in a golfing feast laid on to raise money for golf turfgrass research. Read this update
To register for this year's auction, which runs from April 7 through April 21, and view a complete list of courses and packages, go to www.Rounds4Research.com. |
| Educational Video Clip |
| TV Golf Versus Daily Play
a USGA Green Section Animation |
It is the worst time of the year for many golf course superintendents. Courses are just emerging from the long winter and showing the scars of winter injury while the players are sitting in front of the television watching The Masters. This video animation discusses why it is unreasonable to compare the courses seen on TV with those played on a daily basis.
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| History Lesson - August 1925 Bulletin of the Green Section |
| Reducing Upkeep Expenses
by Robert B. Hillis, Green County Country Club, Waynesboro, Pa. |
"Clubs with limited membership or very moderate means should be careful to avoid building a course which will cost more for upkeep than they can well afford. The largest item of expense after the course is finished is cutting grass. This should be given some consideration, especially if your greens are very large, say 90 feet across and 140 feet deep. Don't make the mounds and traps so steep that they can not be cut with a mowing machine; the same consideration applies also to the banks of the greens and to the tees. By all means use good material in the greens. Don't build them against a hillside or in a hollow, as they must have good drainage; you are in for a lot of expense and poor greens if you don't observe this rule."
Mr. Hillis had many other interesting observations in his article. Read the entire article by clicking this link. Read this article |
| $500 discount on the Turf Advisory Service |
Don't forget that if you pay for a Turf Advisory Service visit by May 15, 2010 you will save $500 on the cost of the visit.
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| USGA Green Section
P.O. Box 0708
Far Hills, NJ 07931-0708 908.234.2300
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