GCSAA to provide LPGA with full-time agronomist. The Ladies Professional Golf Association has partnered with GCSAA to add a full-time agronomist to its tournament operations team. The agronomist will assist LPGA tournament operations staff with developing consistent course conditions and will serve as a liaison between the LPGA and the host facility course management team. GCSAA will conduct a national search for the position beginning next month, with early July slated as the targeted start date for the position.
Officers and new board members elected to Institute’s board of trustees. David Pillsbury, president of PGA Tour Golf Course Properties, was elected chairman of the Environmental Institute for Golf board of trustees during its winter meeting at the 2007 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. Bob Wood, president of Nike Golf, was elected vice chairman/treasurer. In addition, three new members were added to the board of trustees for three-year terms: Herbert V. Kohler Jr., chairman, CEO and president of Kohler Co.; GCSAA Secretary/Treasurer Mark D. Kuhns, CGCS, director of grounds at Baltusrol Golf Club; and Victoria Martz, ASGCA, vice president, senior golf course architect and director of environmental design for Palmer Design Co.
Institute advisory council adds new members. The Environmental Institute for Golf has welcomed John Foster, president of West Coast Turf; and Bill Jones III, chairman and CEO of Sea Island Co., to its advisory council. Headed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman, the council provides guidance to the Institute's board of trustees in the areas of outreach, fundraising and strategic planning.
Green Links features restoration project for a designated national wild and scenic river. In the April case study for Green Links, highlights from EDGE, Tony Lasher, CGCS at The Resort on the Mountain at Welches, Ore., recounts his work with a stream bank restoration project for the Salmon River. The river, which runs adjacent to the course, is home to Chinook and Coho Salmon, and due to major flooding, was in jeopardy of contamination. Guest columnist Duane Bishop, acting district ranger and district fisheries biologist from the Zigzag ranger district, will discuss the importance of the project to the Salmon River's ecosystem.
IPM: Starting an Effective Plan for Your Golf Course Thursday, April 5, noon (central)
If you’re looking for a more environmentally sensitive approach, you’ll want to learn more about IPM. This course will provide background knowledge in the basic principles of IPM, plan development, implementation and refinement. During the 90-minute webcast, Rick Brandenburg, Ph.D., and Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., will guide you through the initial steps of developing an individual customized IPM program for your facility.
How Do I Know if I Have Herbicide Resistant Weeds? Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m. (central)
Have your weeds mutated? Herbicide resistance is one of the most misunderstood topics dealing with weed management. In this webcast, J. Scott McElroy, Ph.D., will teach you herbicide weed resistance concepts and methods for determining if you have resistance. He’ll also review the reasons why environmental and physiological problems that lead to herbicide failure may often be mistaken for herbicide resistance.
Losing sleep over the weather? In an online quick poll conducted last spring, GCSAA asked, “As a superintendent, what conditions keep you awake at night?” Of those who responded, 65.05 percent answered “extended high humidity with high temperature.” The second most frequently cited answer, at 25 percent, was “prolonged drought.” Rounding out the answers were “water quality” at 5.36 percent and “sudden drops in winter temperature” at 4.58 percent. Check out GCSAA’s free, online WeatherCast to get a better idea of local weather conditions and forecasts – and perhaps a better night sleep.
GCSAA members enjoy free admission to designated golf events. The 2007 Masters Tournament is just around the corner, and the governing body at Augusta National has extended complimentary daily admission to all Class A, A-Retired, and AA Life members possessing a valid gold membership card. For more information about admission guidelines for this and other upcoming golf events, see Tournament Admission Benefits on GCSAA’s Web site.
