USGA GREEN SECTION Weekly Update May 28, 2010 Behind the Scenes at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach An interesting and entertaining peek at what it takes to prepare a course for the U.S. Open by Patrick Gross, USGA Green Section With the U.S. Open just around the corner (June 17-20) the Pebble Beach Golf Links is a very busy place. To get an idea of what goes into preparing a site for a major championship sit back and listen to this 20 minute recorded webcast delivered by Pat Gross of the USGA Green Section. Listen to this recorded webcast Bermudagrass Disease Update Recording of a webcast that took place on Thursday, May 27th, 2010 by the USGA Green Section With bermudagrass across much of the country weakened by a hard winter, disease problems are likely to be more prevalent and more difficult to control. In this free USGA Green Section webcast, three prominent turfgrass pathologists delivered valuable updates on important diseases of bermudagrass and offered helpful programs for controlling these pathogens throughout the year. Speakers and their respective topics include: Dr. Bruce Martin, Clemson University Professor of Turfgrass Pathology "Effective Fungicide Programs for Bermudagrass Putting Greens" Dr. Lee Miller, University of Missouri Extension Turfgrass Pathologist "Managing Fairy Rings" Dr. Phil Harmon, University of Florida Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology "Disease Trends in the Southeast" You can listen to the recording of this webcst by clicking on the link below. No special software is required to view the recording. Listen to this recorded webcast The Calendar Says GO, But The Weather Says WHOA! An Update from the Northwest Region By Derf Soller, agronomist, Northwest Region In travels to golf courses the past few weeks in CO, WY, MT, and UT, it has been d�j� vu all over again! Continuing cold, not just cool temperatures, have stalled winter recovery at almost every facility. The calendars at most courses are all the same -- large group outings are the norm, as are the spring kick-off events for many women's and men's associations. The problem is that the current conditions have Northwest Region not allowed golf course superintendents to enjoy all the hard work they have put into the golf course this spring. Most courses have completed their spring aerations of the golf course, but it is the greens that golfers are watching most closely. Greens have been successfully core aerated, cleaned up, topdressed, overseeded , and fertilized. It has been a testing time for maintenance crews as they "hurry up and wait" for growth to begin. Read the rest of this update Are You Ready For Summer? An Update from the Northeast Region By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region Winter Damage Update - A couple of days of hot and humid weather are welcomed this week, at least by those working to recover from winter damage. The periods of cooler, dry, and windy weather in April and May have been a challenge. Even with that said, the recovery efforts I have observed have made tremendous progress. It is easy to lose sight of where we are on the Northeast Region calendar, especially with the early start experienced this season. Areas that remain thin should be spike-seeded and topdressed. Use a hexagon plugger to repair the larger gaps that have not yet recovered. A soil probe can be used for plugging the smaller pock marks that remain. Hand-dress the pock-marked areas with a sand/peat/compost mix and seed to smooth those surfaces. Repeat the practice on a weekly basis until the surface is full. Read the rest of this update Weekly Update Archive Looking for a previous issue of the Weekly Update? Did you just join our mailing list and would like to see the Weekly Update issues you missed? Or maybe you heard about an article or video in a previous update. All of the issues are stored in one convenient location - the Green Section Weekly Update Archive. Visit the archive The USGA Green Section Portal A Valuable Resource For All, And It's Free Looking for something? Be sure to take a minute to visit the Green Section's portal at http://gsportal.usga.org. There you will find information regarding upcoming live webcasts and links to recordings of more than 30 previously delivered webcasts, as well as announcements regarding upcoming USGA Green Section activities, education conferences, and meetings. Visit the USGA Green Section Portal Important Links USGA Privacy Policy USGA Green Section Home Page USGA Staff Contact Information Turf Advisory Service Information USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Online (TERO) USGA Green Section P.O. Box 0708 Far Hills, NJ 07931-0708 908.234.2300