April 27, 2012 -- Volume 50, Number 09       

This webcast is hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America 

The TruFirm in use at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Pictured from left to right are Dr. Matt Pringle, research and development manager, USGA Equipment Standards, Mark Woodward, past GCSAA president and Torrey Pines superintendent in 2008, and Pat Gross, USGA agronomist.

Topics covered in this webcast will include:

• Background and future development
• Use of the TruFirm system at USGA championships
• Practical applications for daily play
• Firmness and ball reaction
• Thatch, moisture and rolling - impact on firmness
• TruFirm and bunker sand testing

USGA experts

Matt Pringle, Ph.D., and TruFirm developer
Larry Gilhuly, director, Northwest Region
Pat Gross, director, Southwest Region
Derf Soller, agronomist, Northwest Region
Darin Bevard, senior agronomist, Mid-Atlantic Region
Brian Whitlark, agronomist, Southwest Region
Jim Moore, director, Green Section Education

Details

GCSAA Member price: Free
Nonmember price: $60
Chapter price: $100
GCSAA Education points: 0.2

The approaches in front of greens don't have to be as fast as the greens, but they should be firm enough to allow the bump-and-run option.
by Larry Gilhuly, director, Northwest Region   

The approach to the green is one of the most critical areas of every course due to its high visibility and impact on how the game is played.

The hole is located at the front of the green, the green is firm, and the wind is at your back. How many times have you faced this type of shot on a golf course? Most golfers would respond by landing the ball in front of the green (if the contour allows) and playing the bump-and-run shot that was prevalent so many years ago. Take the same example and make the approach area considerably softer, without the golf ball releasing to the front hole location. For a regular player without the skill to spin a ball, what are the choices? Approaching this issue from the maintenance perspective is the answer, and the players deserve it.

Over the years of playing the game and watching it at the highest levels, there is no question that the most difficult and frustrating shot faced by the majority of golfers is the shot into a firm green with a soft approach. Previous articles on this subject recommended basic programs of aeration and sand topdressing to address this situation. However, in the ensuing time other major improvements have been made with equipment, irrigation application, and the ability to truly compare firmness between a green and approach. Let's take a closer look at this critical area that has received more attention, but still can be improved on many golf courses.

 

(Above left) Dr. Bob Shearman and his colleagues at the University of Nebraska have developed improved cultivars of buffalograss that exhibit much greater drought tolerance and lower water use rates than grasses currently used on golf courses. (Above right) Over the past two decades, the USGA has funded several projects to quantify the tendency for both pesticides and fertilizer nutrients to reach surface and groundwater supplies.

Managing golf courses demands a broad range of knowledge. Superintendents need to have considerable skills, not only in the financial, communication, and other business management aspects of the position, but they must also have an in-depth agronomic understanding of managing turfgrasses. This requires a knowledge of soils, irrigation technology, fertility requirements, species and cultivar performance, turfgrass diseases, weeds, insects . . . the list is a long one. In addition, because more information is generated each year, the tide keeps rising. Research is defined as "the careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge undertaken to establish facts or principles." The work challenges what we currently accept as fact, discovers what we need to investigate, and develops the expertise that allows us to adapt to changing times. In other words, research and the science it creates allow us to navigate in this sea of information.

The United States Golf Association has a long history of supporting turfgrass research dating back to the days of Piper and Oakley in the 1920s. The USGA continues to recognize the essential need for research today in its support of the USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program. Since 1983, the USGA has provided more than $31 million in support of more than 450 projects at research institutions across the nation. Each year, the USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program invites scientists to submit research proposals over a wide range of topics. If successful, researchers are awarded grants ranging from $3,000 up to $25,000 per year for projects typically lasting two to three years. Longer-term projects, such as the development of new turfgrass cultivars, are typically renewed for multiple funding cycles.

To see a list of the many turfgrasses developed through USGA funding and to learn more about this important USGA program read the rest of this article. 

If you were unable to attend the Green Section Education Conference at the 2012 Golf Industry Show we have good news! 

Current research at Clemson University explores the use of Diamond zoysiagrass on putting greens. 

by Nick Menchyk, Frank Bethea Jr., and Dr. Haibo Liu  

The USGA Green Section agronomists see an amazing variety of issues and challenges as they visit golf courses across the country. Be sure to read the highlights of each region since many of the topics covered apply to courses everywhere.

Mid-Atlantic Region

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