| A Guide for Green Committee Members |
A valuable USGA publication - and it's free!
USGA Staff |
 While we hate to say it, the truth is that effective Green Committees are about as common as 1-irons these days. Problems include a lack of tenure, favoring pet projects and attempts to micro-manage course operations - just to name a few. On the other hand, a well-run Green Committee is a valuable asset that can benefit everyone concerned with the facility.
This 14-page guide provides a wealth of information on Green Committee management and responsibilities. Topics include how to avoid common mistakes, duties of the committee chair and members and how to plan for and manage capital improvement projects. This document is must-reading for everyone involved with golf course management. You can view and/or download the document free of charge by selecting the link below.
A Guide for Green Committee Members |
| What is the USGA Green Section? |
| A video about a part of the USGA that impacts the game in ways you may not have realized |
USGA President
Jim Hyler  | Spend just a couple of minutes watching this video that was first aired at the 2010 U.S. Open. It features USGA President Jim Hyler and USGA Executive Director David Fay discussing the agronomic branch of the USGA and why the efforts of the Green Section are important to your game and your golf course. Watch the video (less than 3 minutes).
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| Superintendents and Golfers Think Alike When it Comes to Green Speed - Who Would Have Guessed! |
| Green speed survey results |
A reliable way to achieve faster green speeds |
In last week's Record we ran a short survey asking golfers and golf course superintendents how they felt about green speed. Historically, the two groups were often at odds - golfers wanting faster surfaces (which usually meant lowering the cutting height) and superintendents trying to keep the greens healthy (which meant raising cutting heights). A lot has changed over the years, making it possible to at least come closer to keeping everyone happy. Check out the survey results for yourself. |
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USGA-Funded Turfgrass Research That Directly Impacts You - The Development of Drought- and Salt-Tolerant Grasses (video) |
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Dr. Shaun Bushman of the USDA-ARS discusses important turfgrass breeding work in layman's terms in this short video | Communities across the nation are struggling to find enough water to properly care for their golf courses, athletic fields, and parks. One solution is to tap into recycled water sources; however, many turfgrasses are not tolerant of the salts that are frequently found in these water resources. USGA-funded research is working to identify new grass varieties that are more salt tolerant and able to use less water.
Drs. Paul Johnson of Utah State University, and Joe Robins and Shaun Bushman of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have collected grasses from around the world that have shown good salt and drought tolerance. Since most of these plants are not suitable for fine turf, they are used as parents and, through breeding, crossed with finer-textured grasses. The end result is the development of new varieties that have the best of both worlds. Dr. Shaun Bushman describes this work in this four-minute video.
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| Revenge of the Triplex Ring |
| by Bob Vavrek, senior agronomist, North-Central Region |
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Triplex mowers are regaining their popularity due to improved designs and the need to reduce labor costs, but triplex ring is making a comeback. | Many superintendents have been hand mowing greens so long that a triplex ring is a distant, faded memory. However, painful cuts to maintenance budgets in the wake of a sluggish golf economy have forced numerous courses to resurrect the riders with hopes of saving a few hours of labor each day.
Some courses returning to the riders have noticed the putting surface dramatically decline along the clean-up pass during the past few weeks of unusually hot, humid weather. Experienced superintendents can't recall the last time turf has taken a nose dive so quickly in response to some stressful weather. Is there more going on besides good old triplex ring injury? Read the rest of the article |
| Weekly Update Archive |
Looking for a previous issue of the Weekly Update?
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Looking for something? |
Would you like to see the Weekly Update issues you missed? Or, maybe you heard about an article or video in a previous update. All of the issues are stored in one convenient location - the Green Section Weekly Update Archive.
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| The USGA Green Section Portal |
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A Valuable Resource For All, And It's Free
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Be sure to take a minute to visit the Green Section's portal at http://gsportal.usga.org. There you will find information regarding upcoming live webcasts and links to recordings of more than 30 previously delivered webcasts, as well as announcements regarding upcoming USGA Green Section activities, education conferences, and meetings.
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