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March 13, 2008 |
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Golf, especially championship golf, isn't supposed to be fun, was never meant to be fair, and never will make any sense. -- Charles Price USGA awards grants totaling nearly $1.5 million The USGA has awarded 52 grants totaling nearly $1.5 million for the first quarter of 2008 to support golf programs across the nation for economically disadvantaged juniors and individuals with disabilities. The funding will be used for instruction, golf course and range access, equipment, transportation and the construction of accessible golf facilities. The association has awarded more than $59.7 million since it implemented the Grants Initiative, “For the Good of the Game,” in 1997. It has committed $5 million to the program for 2008. A large percentage of the current funds will support local chapters of The First Tee, a national organization devoted to impacting the lives of children through golf and character development. “The USGA is pleased to be the single largest supporter of The First Tee,” said USGA President Jim Vernon. “From constructing facilities for junior golfers to implementing quality golf programs nationwide, the initiative has expanded significantly since 1997. Our support for The First Tee remains strong.” The largest awards were made to the LPGA Foundation in Florida and the Colorado Golf Association, which received $180,000 and $175,000 respectively. Another $100,000 was awarded to the National Alliance for Youth Sports in West Palm Beach, Fla. Notable First Tee programs that received funding were the Chi Chi Rodriguez Foundation in Clearwater, Fla., the Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association, the Patriots’ Gateway Community Center in Rockford, Ill., and the Youth Golf Coalition in Louisville, Ky. For a complete summary of the USGA grants program and an individual listing of the current grant awards, visit the “Supporting the Game” section of the USGA Web site at http://www.usga.org.  Grass makes biofuel A team of Agricultural Research Service and University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists is reporting that switchgrass, when used for cellulosic ethanol, yields over five times more energy than required to produce the fuel.
According to Perrin and Vogel, this study is the most comprehensive one completed to date assessing the economic costs of producing switchgrass biomass on commercial fields. The team contracted with 10 farmers in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to commercially grow switchgrass for five years, starting in 2000 and 2001. Throughout the study, the farmers recorded all costs for producing switchgrass biomass, from seed and fertilizer expenses to equipment and labor costs. Total baled biomass yields were recorded for each farm. On average, switchgrass production costs were $60 per ton. Two farmers with previous experience growing switchgrass were able to limit production costs to $39 a ton. They were among a group of five farmers whose production costs were $50 or less per ton. That's something farmers elsewhere could probably achieve as they, too, gain production experience with switchgrass, the researchers suggest. Based on the $50-per-ton figure, and assuming a conversion efficiency of 80 to 90 gallons per ton, the farmgate production cost of cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass would be about $0.55 to $0.62 per gallon. Perrin and the ARS agronomists expect production costs will also decline as new, "ethanol-friendly" cultivars are developed. World Scientific Congress of Golf coming up Top golf researchers from around the world will gather Mar. 24-28 to present their findings at the World Scientific Congress of Golf in Chandler, Ariz. Eleven countries from outside the United States will be represented and 66 research papers will be presented. About 75 presentations on the science of golf are scheduled, ranging in topics from brain activity in putting to unlocking the genetic code to golf. This is the first time that the event will be held in the United States. The Congress will also be held concurrently with the LPGA Safeway International Golf Tournament in the Valley. The LPGA Foundation is the title sponsor of the event. Featured speakers include:
“Wildlife conservation is a new topic that will be covered during a symposium at the conference,” says Debbie Crews, organizer of the conference and Arizona State University faculty research associate. Other areas to be covered at the conference include “Golf and the Subtle Energies” that examines ways to improve scores through methods such as alternative therapies, chiropractic work, yoga and spirituality. Another session looks at the “phenomenon of the female Korean golfer.” Golf Digest Publications is sponsoring the 2008 Research Awards of $2,500 to be awarded to winning researchers in three areas – “the golfer,” “equipment and technology” and “the golf course.” Visit http://www.golfscience.us/. |
The team described their results in the March edition of BioEnergy Research. Richard Perrin of University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Ken Vogel, Marty Schmer and Rob Mitchell—all in the ARS Grain, Forage and Bioenergy Research Unit at Lincoln—conducted the studies.
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