Divot Mix

The best golfing grasses vary in color. They may be red, brown, blue, dark green, light green, yellow, and at times even white and gray. A golf course that is consisted entirely of one shade of green would be merely ugly. There is great charm and beauty in the varying shades of color on a golf course. -- Alister Mackenzie

Patriot Golf Day set for Sept. 1

The USGA and the PGA of America have joined to support the first Patriot Golf Day on Sept. 1, 2007. That day, each golfer at participating facilities will be asked to donate a dollar to support the Fallen Heroes Foundation and Wounded Warriors Inc., tax exempt non-profit programs awarding educational scholarships and counseling to families who have had a parent wounded or killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Patriot Golf Day is the creation of Dan Rooney, a 34-year-old USGA and PGA member who has served two tours of duty in Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot. He got the idea as a way to remember our true heroes: those who have died in military service.

A native of Oklahoma, Rooney is a golf professional who struggled on the smaller tours and in 1997 tried unsuccessfully to attain his PGA Tour card through qualifying school. After that failed attempt, he and his father, John, bought Grand Haven (Mich.) Golf Club, a fixer-upper golf course along the shores of Lake Michigan.

He hopes to raise millions of dollars for the foundation, between individual and corporate donations.

"Patriot Golf Day is a call to action – a call to American citizens to help the children of our fallen heroes," Rooney said. "Its success depends on the patriots who support it. I humbly ask for the assistance of the great men and women in the golf industry to help our families in this time of war. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference."

A listing of participating facilities is available online at http://www.playgolfamerica.com/. For more on Patriot Golf Day, also contact http://www.fallenheroesfoundation.org/ or http://www.woundedwarriors.org/.

"Golf Courses - Public" gets Yellow Pages attention

According to the Yellow Pages Association, the "Golf Courses - Public" Yellow Pages heading ranks 58th out of more than 4,000 headings and generates nearly 39 million references annually.

"Historically, owners of golf courses have relied on print and Internet Yellow Pages to help generate business because of the medium's high return on investment – the average local display advertisement generates nearly $52,000 in revenues annually," said Larry Small, director of research of YPA. "More than 91 percent of Yellow Pages searches for golf courses result in a transaction."

Project EverGreen sees increased support

Support for Project EverGreen's national efforts at preserving and enhancing green spaces is steadily growing. Commenting on financial contributions received in the first half of 2007, executive director Den Gardner said, "Thus far this year we have experienced a significant addition to the number of contributors who have stepped forward to underwrite our educational mission. The number--and the breadth--of these contributions is particularly gratifying since it represents participation from all segments of the green industry."

Gardner's comments were made in conjunction with release of the names of 26 green industry suppliers, contractors, associations and private individuals who contributed to Project EverGreen during the second quarter of 2007. They include:

• Atwood Lawn Care Inc
• Bayer Crop Sciences
• GCSAA
• Hunter Industries Inc.
• Husqvarna
• Jacobsen
• John Deere C&CE
• Kirk Hunter
• Maryland Nursery & Landscape Association
• Monsanto Co.
• PBI/Gordon Corp.
• Nufarm Americas Inc.
• Ohio Lawn Care Association
• Ohio Turfgrass Foundation
• Phil Fogarty
• Professional Grounds Management Society
• Professional Landcare Network Inc
• R.B. Farms
• Sloane's Landscaping and Nursery
• Syngenta Crop Protection
• The Brickman Group
• TOCA
• Turfgrass Producers International
• Turf-Logic
• Weed Man USA
• Westlawn Corp.
• Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association
  
  Contact http://www.projectevergreen.com

Rounds up two consecutive months

Same-facility rounds in the U.S. had been down 9 percent through April, but after two months in the black (May up 5.4 percent and June up 3.4 percent), rounds are down only 1.8 percent through June. This improvement in the year-to-date figure is due to the fact that the volume of rounds played nationwide is higher in May and June as compared to January through April. What happens in July and August, however, will go a long way toward determining 2007 overall results.

The best performing region in June was the Northeast, due in part to a rebound from poor performance the year before. In fact, operators in the Northeast reported 2.3 more play days on average in June 2007 vs. June 2006. The worst performing region was the South Central where rain and flooding have taken their toll. There were 2.5 fewer play days in the region on average in June 2007 vs. June 2006.

Rounds Played, 2007 vs. 2006