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USGA GREEN SECTION Weekly Update |
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| For Good Golf and Good Turf - Use Less Water | | Mandatory Reading for Golfers and Superintendents
By John A. Zoller, former executive director, Northern California Golf Assn. |
Cutting back on water is not a new idea, but is more important now than ever before.Type caption text here. |
With water usage by golf courses playing such an important role in the game's quest for economic and environmental sustainability, it is well worth your time to read an article that first ran in the Green Section Record in 1983. It is not only entertaining, it is amazingly prophetic. Here is an excerpt and the link to the entire article.
I grew up on a golf course located outside Hamilton, a small town in Ohio. My earliest recollection of going to the golf course was to tag along after my older brother, who had a summertime job of herding sheep on the course. I also have a second recollection. One day a passing motorist carelessly threw a cigarette out the car window, and a grass fire resulted that burned the entire golf course. Now, when you talk about not willingly wanting a brown golf course, I know what you mean! Read this article |
| Winter Injury to Poa annua - How Bad Was It? | | A Green Section Survey
By the Green Section staff |
Winter injury to Poa annua |
The past winter brought conditions that damaged turf in many parts of the country. While southern courses struggled with the loss of bermudagrass, many courses in northern regions suffered severe injury to Poa annua greens, tees, fairways, and other areas.
Please help us gauge how widespread and severe this damage was by completing a short survey. It will take only one or two minutes to complete, and you will see the results immediately.
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| Maintenance Facilities - Best Management Practices | |
Live Webcast on Tuesday, May 4th, 10:00 a.m. EST
By Tim Hiers, CGCS, director of agronomics
The Old Collier Golf Club, Naples, Florida |
The design and daily operation of a sustainable maintenance facility is integral to today's golf maintenance operations. If a golf course is serious about implementing best management practices, along with environmental stewardship and good business procedures, a properly designed maintenance facility will be the foundation to achieve those goals. This webcast will illustrate one way to achieve some of those goals. Length: approximately one hour.
Environmentally sound maintenance facilities require good planning, construction, and management.Type caption text here. |
To attend a USGA Green Section webcast, you will need to install the Microsoft Live Meeting Client on your PC. Click on the "Check Your System" link below, before you attempt to join the webcast. Note: if you do not install the CLIENT, you will not be able to hear the webcast.
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| Acid Substitutes and pH Reduction | An evaluation of the new acid-replacement products for improving water quality and the soil rootzone environment.
By Brian Whitlark, agronomist, Southwest Region |
Strategies for water treatment should be scientifically based and carefully selected.  | Given the increase in the use of recycled water for irrigation, some turf managers seek alternative acidification products that are advertised to improve water quality. Materials historically used for industrial cleaning are now being used to acidify irrigation water that contains bicarbonates and sodium. Although the benefits of using traditional acidifying agents, such as sulfuric and N-pHuric acid, are well known, the implications of using acid-substitute materials are unclear and warrant further investigation.
Read this article
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| Finally the Grass has Started to Grow | | An Update from the Florida Region
By John H. Foy, director, Florida Region |
Florida Region |
After a challenging winter season, Florida temperatures are returning to more normal levels. The resumption of turf growth is a good thing, but the trade-off is a small decline in putting speeds. In no uncertain terms, there is a real likelihood for negative consequences if putting greens are pushed too hard and maintained at extremely low heights of cut, including turf loss.
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| Selecting Hole Locations | A Green Section Animation
By the USGA staff |  Few maintenance tasks have more direct impact on the golfer than hole location selection. Hole locations affect the difficulty of the course, speed of play, and wear and tear on the greens.
To find out more about how hole locations are selected, click on the link below. |
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| USGA Green Section
P.O. Box 0708
Far Hills, NJ 07931-0708 908.234.2300
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