USGA On this course, the shaded areas were identified as areas that could be converted from normal turfgrass maintenance to low- or even no- maintenance. Doing so would result in significant reductions in water, labor, fuel, etc. A UNIQUE APPROACH MANAGING PLAYERS AND MAINTENANCE The USGA is calling on the talents and expertise of its staff to develop and implement programs and techniques to grow the game and help courses remain viable. The “While We’re Young” campaign and Pace of Play Resource Center are two examples of what is being done to impact the time it takes to play. Since the cost of playing the game is often a direct result of the cost to operate golf courses, reductions in major budget line items such as water, labor, fuel, energy, fertilizer, and pesticides can help keep facilities economically viable. Read More If video does not load in the player, please return to mailing and launch again. IRRIGATION SOURCES ARE VARIED, AND SOMETIMES GOLF FACILITIES HAVE ACCESS TO MORE THAN ONE SOURCE GOLF COURSE IRRIGATION – WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? Golf is an outdoor sport. For the length of their round, some golfers will play in conditions ranging from just above freezing to scorching heat, but turfgrasses on which the game is played are fully exposed to these conditions at all times. Turfgrass requires good soils and adequate levels of sunlight, nutrients, and water to endure a wide range of environmental extremes and withstand traffic from golfers. Of these Water is a key requirement for all turfgrass species. requirements, water may be the most challenging to provide because it must be distributed frequently and uniformly into the soil for uptake by the turfgrass root system. Add the fact that “water comprises 80 to 85 percent of the weight of a grass plant” (Beard, 2002), and one sees how vital water is to a turfgrass plant. As a result, almost all golf facilities have an irrigation system and a source of water to help keep the turfgrass healthy and produce a good playing surface. This article will review the most common sources of water for turfgrass irrigation on golf courses. Read More THERE IS NO NATIONAL OR REGIONAL GREEN SPEED LIMIT, BUT EVERY GOLF FACILITY SHOULD DETERMINE A NOT-TO-EXCEED SPEED PUTTING GREENS: IT'S TIME TO SET A LIMIT The speed of putting greens is by no means a new topic of discussion. In fact, when searching through the Turfgrass Information File at Michigan State University, one can find references to green speed over a century ago. The great architect Harry S. Colt discusses it in The practice putting green should provide a Horace Hutchinson’s book Golf Greens and good indication of what the pace of ball roll, or green speed, will be that day on the golf course. This is a realistic expectation Green-Keeping, published in 1906. Next, consider this excerpt from The Golf Course, published in April of 1916. for golfers. There is a certain course in this country whose undoubted merits can be appreciated by the best golfers, and yet nearly every expert, in commenting on the course, will refer with regret to the tricky qualities of the putting greens. The excellence of the turf cannot be denied, but the green committee appears to take a fiendish delight in keeping the greens as fast as lightning, and on occasions placing the cups in almost impossible places. It gets even better later in the article when the authors not too subtly suggest green-keepers had an ulterior motive. Read More MID-ATLANTIC Milder temperatures have brought relief to stressed turf, but summer is not over and excessive rainfall and annual bluegrass weevils continue to present problems for many golf facilities. Read More SOUTHEAST Golf is a game of practice and practice range tees are used more intensively than ever. What can be done to improve turf coverage on your practice range tee? Read on for several useful strategies. Read More NORTH-CENTRAL Anaerobic soils have been a common problem with all the rain experienced throughout the region. To ensure turf survival and maintain playing quality, attention must be given beneath the playing surface. Now is the time for venting aeration procedures. Read More NORTHEAST Tropical-like weather conditions in June and July have brought turf and turf managers to their knees in the Northeast. Lessons can be learned from the summer of 2013 and now is the time to easily identify any shortcomings in golf course infrastructure, capital improvements, growing environments and management practices. Read More FLORIDA Seasonal growth rates of bermudagrass and seashore paspalum vary by season in Florida. Are you adjusting mowing heights in fairways and roughs accordingly to maintain desired playability? Read More SOUTHWEST Intensely monitoring green speed measurements for 11 days at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship revealed several characteristics about ball roll that golfers and turf practitioners alike will find interesting. Read More NORTHWEST Looking for outreach opportunities in your community? The First Green helps demonstrate the positive environmental aspects of golf courses by bringing students from local schools to golf facilities in the Northwest. Read More MID-CONTINENT For many golf facilities in the Mid-Continent Region, severe drought conditions continue to persist. Golfers should be interested to know that less water will result in less turf color but not necessarily a reduction in playing quality. 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