Green Section Staff: USGA ResearchThe USGA helps courses optimize resource utilization and improve the golfer experience through a variety of Green Section research programs. The Mike Davis Program for Advancing Golf Course Management and its associated Davis Grants support turfgrass and environmental research projects at leading universities across the country. A critical offshoot of the Davis Program is the Water on Golf Courses program which the USGA has committed $30 million of funding over the next 15 years to drive best use of this critically important resource. We also perform fundamental research into the golfer on-course experience, which includes the best tees for all golfers and understanding golfer expectations from their golf experience, including the quality of playing surfaces on courses. Check out the links on this page to meet the team, contribute an idea, or learn more about these important research initiatives.

cthompston@usga.org | 908-396-1562 | Based in Pinehurst, NC
 

Dr. Cole Thompson oversees Green Section research initiatives to advance sustainable golf course management and improve playing conditions and golfer experience. Specific programs include the Mike Davis Program for Advancing Golf Course Management and the USGA’s 15/30/45 water conservation initiative. Cole determines short- and long-term research priorities, solicits and evaluates research proposals, supports cooperative research funding opportunities with federal agencies and industry, and coordinates with USGA-supported scientists to monitor the progress of current research.

Cole earned a B.S. in agriculture and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in horticulture from Kansas State University. He was a USGA Green Section intern and worked as an assistant golf course superintendent before entering graduate school. Before joining the USGA in 2018, Cole held faculty positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

mserena@usga.org | Based in Southern California

Matteo Serena, Ph.D. joined the USGA in 2022. As senior manager of irrigation research and services, Dr. Serena will be an important part of the Green Section research team. He will work with superintendents, researchers, allied golf associations, and other stakeholders to advance water conservation on golf courses. Matteo has more than a decade of experience researching turfgrass irrigation and water conservation strategies.
 

Matteo received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Padua. He earned his doctorate in plant and environmental sciences from New Mexico State University, where he continued as a research assistant professor before joining the University of California, Riverside.