Jim Snow was a quiet and unassuming man who led with vision as to where golf course agronomy and maintenance needed to be. His 35-year USGA career began in 1976 after receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture from Cornell University. He traveled to golf courses throughout the Northeast dispensing practical advice. His USGA career culminated with 21 years as the national director of the Green Section. He was steadfast in identifying long-range issues, organizing research to fully understand the challenges and developing solutions.
The son of a teacher, an important part of Jim’s legacy was his respect for education. As an excellent writer himself, he skillfully guided the Green Section Record for decades. He proudly called the magazine the best in the business for its timely, practical content. His deft editing produced better final products while allowing the author’s style to shine through. His skills also resulted in the publication of multiple leading industry books, such as “Turfgrass Management for Golf Courses” and many others.
His career will be remembered for guiding the industry in critical long-range issues. In 1990, he recognized golf had to be more forthright in how it dealt with the environment. With that came two opportunities:
The first was to direct more USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program funding to investigate golf’s impact on the environment. More specifically, to answer the questions of pesticide and nutrient fate in turfgrass. This research led to definitive answers on how well turfgrasses filtered water and what actions were needed to mitigate potential problem areas.
The second opportunity came as environmental issues swelled and Jim recognized that the golf industry had to more aggressively document and share what golf was doing to benefit the environment. The result was USGA support of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, one of the first of its kind to work with courses to promote an environmentally responsible approach to golf course management through education and on-site projects.
He knew research and education meant that people needed access to the content. Jim staunchly supported the Turfgrass Information Center, the world’s largest turfgrass database, which is housed at Michigan State University. He rallied the USGA Executive Committee to pledge $1 million to expand the Center. To this day, this resource is used around the globe – helping researchers build on previous work, documenting the intellectual database within golf agronomy and helping practitioners locate practical solutions throughout industry publications.
Another pivotal turning point was a result of the golf course construction boom in the 1990s. Jim recognized it was time to update the “USGA Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction.” Jim and Jim Moore, director of Construction Education, collaborated with Dr. Norm Hummel of Cornell University and developed working partnerships across key industry groups from around the world. The construction methods underwent a comprehensive, intensive review and were thoroughly researched and vetted. In tandem, Jim insisted on developing a lab accreditation program to standardize soil testing procedures. The updated Recommendations were released in 2004.
Jim’s contributions were many throughout his tenure. He will be remembered as an intelligent, thoughtful individual who gave his best to his career. With his knack for creating a great working environment, his staff always knew he had their best interests at heart. He allowed this diverse group of spirited individuals to do their jobs while guiding with just the right touch of overarching goals and bumper guards. He will be missed.