The USGA Green Section
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September 17, 2010 -- Volume 48, Number 15 |
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| The Miser's Makeover | Golf rounds are down, which means less revenue from dues and green fees. Streamlining maintenance operations can help keep struggling facilities afloat during a difficult economy.
by Robert Vavrek, senior agronomist, USGA Green Section
| | Golf and golf courses are struggling with the fact that rounds played in the United States have decreased during seven of the past nine years. When rounds are down, revenue is down, and when revenues are down, there is less money available for turf maintenance operations. It is no surprise that most superintendents have received mandates to squeeze every possible penny from tight budgets.
Most golfers in the United States have developed unrealistic expectations for nothing less-than-perfect playing conditions in a sand bunker. The cost of bunker maintenance at some high-end courses equals or exceeds the cost of putting green maintenance.  | At some point, doing more with less will affect the level of course conditioning, yet keeping the golfer satisfied is essential when courses are competing for green fees and membership dues. Hard times require golf facilities to think outside of the box if they want to be one of the last courses standing when the game begins to recover. One option to consider is to develop an architectural master plan designed to reduce maintenance costs. This is a departure from traditional course renovations that typically make the course more challenging, by adding bunkers, water features, or additional yardage. Read the rest of this article.
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| All Things Considered - A Green Section Staff Opinion | | Grass Choice Changes the Game
Southern golf courses are making advancements to produce firmer putting greens that improve the game.
by Patrick M O'Brien, director, Southeast Region |
Just the way you want it. An ultradwarf bermudagrass green is the answer.  | A knock on southern golf courses that have bentgrass putting greens has been that in the summer months the greens lack firmness. They contend that a key challenge of the game is taken away. In many ways, the critics have been accurate. When players are provided with softer putting greens, they can drop a ball out of the sky directly to the hole location without fear. Softer golf courses can compromise strategic design, but firmer conditions can bring back the architectural line of attack. Well, the game is changing in the Southeast, and the solution is not only much less expensive than adding back tees to make courses longer, but it draws out the element of firmness, which architects have preached for years as an essential challenge in the game. The ultradwarf bermudagrasses (Champion, MiniVerde, TifEagle) are the answer. Read the rest of this article.
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| Is PCNB Gone? What Are Your Options? | A USGA Webcast Recording
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Gray snow mold  | USGA agronomist Bob Vavrek and University of Wisconsin-Madison pathologist Dr. Jim Kerns delivered an outstanding webcast regarding the loss of PCNB for snow mold control. In this webcast recording you can hear and see their presentation regarding the latest on the EPA regulations as well as your options for controlling snow mold in the future.
This is a large video file so please allow time for loading. Watch the video. |
| A funny thing happened at the course the other day... | | by the Green Section staff
 The agronomists of the USGA Green Section visit thousands of courses each year and take a lot of pictures along the way. This short video (5 minutes) is a small sampling of some of the images that might give you a chuckle or two.
Watch the video on your PC or
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| The USGA Green Section Portal | |
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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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| USGA Green Section
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