Divot Mix

Leadership Survey now online

The GCSAA Leadership Survey is now open on the GCSAA homepage, offering GCSAA golf course superintendents the opportunity to express their opinions on a variety of subjects. Class A and SM members who take the survey will qualify for 0.25 Service Points.

The results of the survey will then shared with the national media. "The goal of the survey is to get recognition for the profession and the association," said GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE. "We want to position our members as experts, and the survey is one means to accomplish this goal."

The survey can be taken online during the entire month of February, and at the Internet Café at the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Anaheim. Past survey topics have included trends in the golf industry, golf course management practices and environmental impacts.

In addition to the link to the online survey on the GCSAA home page superintendents attending the show can completed using a computer in the Internet Cafe.

"Sticks for Kids" program goes nationwide

The Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, has selected 100 NRPA facilities to implement its successful "Sticks for Kids" program.  More than 1,000 sets of golf clubs supplied by U.S. Kids Golf, a youth golf equipment manufacturer, have been sent to NRPA facilities in 39 states and three international U.S. military bases.

This golf instruction workshop is for youth who are between the ages of five and 15 and will introduce more youth than ever to the game of golf.  Especially designed for youth who may not otherwise have an opportunity to learn and play golf, the "Sticks for Kids" program offers a year-round program that includes instruction in both the classroom as well as on the golf course.

With over 6,000 municipal and county park and recreation agencies nationwide, the NRPA is a nationally recognized leader in providing park and recreational professionals the tools to manage programs for youth and adults.  A respected advocate for recreation in the United States, the NRPA provides an effective means to involve thousands of children nationwide in the GCBAA Foundation's "Sticks for Kids" program.

The "Sticks for Kids" program gives kids the opportunity to learn about such golf fundamentals as stance, gripping, pitching, chipping, putting and swinging from local golf course professionals.  Participants also learn golf safety, etiquette and discipline.

Youth in the program are also encouraged to learn and play golf beyond the workshop.  The GCBAA Foundation will provide each participating NRPA facility with 10 sets of golf clubs for participating youth to use throughout the year while they decide whether to buy their own sets.  The GCBAA Foundation also provides each municipality with the consulting services of a local GCBAA member for any program questions or support needs that arise. 

Municipalities interested in starting a "Sticks for Kids" program may contact the NRPA at 703-858-2162 or mailto:programs@nrpa.org.

Maryland survey shows importance of turfgrass

A recently released survey of Maryland's turfgrass industry reveals that about 1.1 million acres of turf were maintained in the state in 2005, representing approximately 18 percent of the state's total land area of 6.2 million acres.

The majority of the turfgrass--937,000 acres--was at single family residences with the balance on school and government property, religious facilities, golf courses, sod farms and recreational facilities.

The survey also shows that revenue from the sale of Maryland turfgrass products and services was just over $400 million in 2005, with $375 million in sales generated by lawn care firms and $28 million in sales by sod farms.

"This report is the most comprehensive picture to date of the scope and economic importance of the state's turfgrass industry," said Mary Ellen Setting, assistant secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. "It shows that this segment of the green industry is a significant contributor to the state's workforce, economy, and land use. Sod farmers are the foundation of a large and growing industry that has great benefit to the environment as well."

Other highlights of the survey, which reports data and activity in 2005, include:

• Nearly 31,000 acres of new turf were installed at an expense of over $89 million.
• The majority of the new turfgrass installed was by single family homeowners, who established an estimated 28,190 acres of turf.
• An estimated $1.2 billion was spent for the production, maintenance and use of turfgrass products and services in Maryland.
• The largest expenditures were for lawn care services ($426 million) and labor ($291 million).
• Residential households (single family homes) spent more than $667 million on turfgrass maintenance and accounted for 58 percent of all expeditures.
• The turfgrass industry employed an estimated 12,730 workers - two-thirds of them full-time employees – and paid wages of more than $291.3 million.

The survey was commissioned by the Maryland Turfgrass Council and the Maryland Turfgrass Association and conducted in 2006 by the Maryland Field Office of U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service with guidance from the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Complete results are available online at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Maryland/index.asp.

Roundup developer to join Inventors Hall of Fame

The National Inventors Hall of Fame has recognized the next group of world-class inventors who will be inducted into its ranks. This year's wide-ranging class includes inventors such as John Franz, who discovered the non-toxic popular weed killer Roundup, Allen Breed, who invented the automotive airbag, Maurice Hilleman, whose vaccines have nearly eliminated many common childhood diseases in developed countries, and Robert Metcalfe, who created Ethernet, the widely used local area network.

Franz was a Monsanto research chemist in 1970 when he discovered the glyphosate class of herbicides while searching for a systemic product that would be effective against perennial and annual weeds. Marketed under the brand name Roundup, glyphosate eliminates more than 125 kinds of weeds and is nontoxic to animals. It is among the most widely used herbicides in the world.

Glyphosate inhibits a key enzyme found primarily in plants, having no effect on mammals, birds, fish, or insects. It allows farmers to control weeds with minimal tillage, conserving topsoil, time and fuel.

Franz received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota. He worked at Monsanto Co. from 1955 until he retired in 1991. Franz was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1987 and the Perkin Medal in 1990. He holds more than 840 U.S. and foreign patents.

The rest of the 2007 class of inductees:

• Paul Baran: Digital packet switching
• Emmett Chappelle: Bioluminescence techniques
• Leroy Hood: DNA sequencer
• Paul Lauterbur: Magnetic resonance imaging—MRI
• Peter Mansfield: Magnetic resonance imaging—MRI
• Robert Metcalfe: Ethernet
• Allen Breed: Automotive airbag
• David Cushman, Miguel Ondetti: Captopril
• Donald Davies: Digital packet switching
• William Goddard, John Lynott: Magnetic disk storage
• Peter Goldmark: Long playing record
• Maurice Hilleman: Vaccines
• Godfrey Hounsfield: CAT scanner
• Arthur Nobile: Prednisone
• Otto Wichterle: Soft contact lens

The 2007 class will be inducted May 4-5 in Akron, Ohio.

"We're pleased to recognize such a distinguished group of inventors who have truly changed the way we live our lives," said Fred Allen, vice president of selection for the hall. "They deserve our gratitude and our respect for all that they've accomplished."

NGCOA's player development award winners named

In addition to a commitment to grow the game, winners of the National Golf Course Owners Association's 2006 Player Development Awards have another characteristic in common: creativity.

At Cyprian Keyes GC in Boylston, Mass., for example, Friday nights have turned into a social occasion for golfers of all ages and abilities. For just $30, participants in the club's Nine & Dine league are treated to nine holes of golf, golf car, prizes and dinner. "We're averaging 40 to 45 people a week, and everyone is having a great time," says David Frem, general manager.

Juniors learning the game at Carson Valley Golf Course at Gardnerville, Nev., keep score not by marking down a number, but by circling smiley faces or frowns on a scorecard designed by Head PGA Golf Professional Alan Hoover. "It's a simple thing to move the emphasis away from scoring and put it on having fun," says owner Tom Brooks.

In San Jose, Calif., earlier this year, students at a local elementary school hiked along a nature trail from their school to the Los Lagos Golf Course as members of the maintenance staff and golf shop personnel led a discussion about the area's environment and wildlife habitat. Once at the course, the innovative field trip also included hotdogs and a putting contest.

The awards recognize courses that introduce golfers of all ages to the game and increase participation and revenues. Cyprian Keyes, Los Lagos/Rancho del Pueblo and Carson Valley were chosen by owners and operators who make up the NGCOA's board of directors. The award winners will be recognized at the NGCOA's annual conference on Feb. 21 in Anaheim, Calif.