Plans are set for the 68th Annual Southeastern Turfgrass Conference April 29 at the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Ga. Co-sponsors of this meeting include:
USGA
University of Georgia Extension
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association
Georgia Urban Agriculture Council
University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station
This meeting will be enjoyable for anyone associated with golf including superintendents, club managers, golf professionals, golf course owners, architects, green and golf committees, and any golfer interested in the topics. This year’s format includes golf Monday April 28, followed by the meeting and tour of turf plots Tuesday April 29.
The Lineup
April 28 – E. Ray Jensen Memorial Turfgrass Scholarship Tournament
The format is a two-person team scramble that will take place at The Golf Club of South Georgia located 10 miles north of Tifton. A nine-hole shotgun start will occur at 4 p.m. followed by a catered barbecue dinner and another nine-hole shotgun at at 8 p.m. Cost is $50 per player. Registration is limited to 33 teams. Everyone attending the conference is also invited to attend the complimentary dinner sponsored by Pike Creek Turf that will begin at 6:30 p.m. Please register for the golf tournament by calling Chesley Gunn or Chip Rainey at 229-386-4653.
April 29 – Meeting at UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center
The meeting will be held at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Ga. The registration fee is $100 if paid before April 21 or $125 if paid after April 21. A special student registration fee of $10 is also available. The meeting features many distinguished speakers:
Dr. Maria Tomaso-Peterson, Mississippi State University — Emerging Diseases of Centipedegrass on Home Lawns in the Gulf Coast States
Dr. Jason Kruse, University of Florida — Principles of Warm-Season Turfgrass Management: It’s all in the Details
Dr. Patrick McCullough, University of Georgia - Griffin Campus — Warm-Season Turfgrass Seedhead Control: Research Update
Kevin Morris, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) — The Grass Roots Initiative at The National Arboretum
Dr. Clint Waltz, University of Georgia - Griffin Campus — Surface Firmness: Can We Manage It?
Dr. Wayne Hanna, University of Georgia - Tifton Campus — Developing Seedless Ornamental Grasses and Trees for the Landscape
Chase Straw and Dr. Gerald Henry, University of Georgia — Performance Testing To Enhance Athletic Field Playability and Player Safety
Dr. Tim Smalley, University of Georgia — Significant Trees in the Landscape: Documentation and Care
Dr. Adam Toms, University of Tennessee — Performance of Bermudagrass Versus Synthetic Turf for Athletic Fields
Dr. Jim Brosnan, University of Tennessee — Herbicide Resistance in the Southeast: An Emerging Problem for Turf Managers
Bruce Allison, Pike Creek Nursery — No-Till Fairway Renovation
Superintendent and University Panel — Keeping it Clean: Issues for Dealing With Off-Types in Modern Bermudagrass Turf
Dr. Brian Schwartz, University of Georgia - Tifton Campus, and Patrick O’Brien, USGA Green Section — Game Changers: NextGen Turfgrasses Will be Here Sooner than Later
April 29 - Research Tour – UGA Tifton Station
Attendees are welcome to come out and see the latest research on warm-season turfgrasses. Tours will be conducted at the research plots beginning at 3 p.m. The discussions will include:
Phillip Vines, Mississippi State University — Ectotrophic Root-Infecting Fungi on Roots of Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Putting Greens
Eric Reasor, University of Tennessee — Exploring the Issue of Off-Types in Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Putting Greens
Clint Steketee, University of Georgia — Dollar Spot Resistance in Seashore Paspalum
Larry Baldree, University of Georgia — A Facelift for the Historic Turfgrass Plots in Tifton
Dr. Brian Schwartz, University of Georgia — Developing New Turfgrasses in Georgia: Past, Present and Future
Kevin Morris, NTEP— NTEP Ratings: What are They and how are They Collected
How to Register
Signup is best done by registration at the either of the websites below:
www.turfconf.com or www.ugatiftonconference.org
Click on the events tab and register. Or you can contact Dr. Brian Schwartz at tifturf@uga.edu or 229-386-3272. Pesticide credits for superintendents will be available for attendees.
Source: Patrick O'Brien (patobrien@usga.org) and Chris Hartwiger (chartwiger@usga.org)
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff