The USGA Green Section and the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association are proud to announce this year's spring meeting at the Marriott Hotel, I-77 and Tyvola Road, Charlotte, NC on March 11. This year's program will be one of the best with a fantastic lineup of speakers.

• Dr. Jim Beard will headline the program with a forward look at turfgrass issues golf course superintendents will face over the next generation. Dr. Beard will draw on decades of experience as a researcher, author, and follower of trends in the industry. Dr. Beard's credentials are second to none. A press release from the Turfgrass Information Center at Michigan State in 2003 summarized Dr. Beard's career in this way:

Dr. James Beard, Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 USGA SE Regional Meeting.

Dr. Beard served at Michigan State University (MSU) from 1961-1975, and at Texas A&M University from 1975-1992. After his retirement from Texas A&M, he became President and Chief Scientist of the International Sports Turf Institute. Beard's classic Turfgrass: Science and Culture, published in 1973 and still in print, continues as the landmark publication regarding turfgrass science. His Turf Management for Golf Courses, first released in 1982 and revised in 2002, remains the best-selling reference work in the field.

The same press release details the donation of Dr. Beard's personal collection of turfgrass information to the Turfgrass Information Center: The Beard turfgrass collection is acknowledged to be the finest personal collection of turf-related material in existence. It includes international coverage of the turfgrass research and management literature contained in more than 30,000 books, periodicals, and technical reports.

• Dr. Fred Yelverton, NC State University, will update the attendees on the expected loss of the MSMA herbicide and how superintendents can adapt their programs.

• Ms. Kathy Gordon, USGA Regional Affairs Director, will share changes in The Rules of Golf beginning in 2008.

• Mr. John Spitzer will provide an informative and entertaining talk on the work going on at the USGA Test Center in Far Hills, NJ.

• We are pleased to have Ms. Barbara Jodoin from Pine Tree Country Club in Kennesaw, Georgia discuss how the organizational structure can influence a private club.

• The Director of Agronomy for the PGA Tour, Mr. Paul Vermeulen, will take the audience behind the scenes at a PGA Tour event.

• Chris Hartwiger, USGA Green Section Sr. Agronomist, will share thoughts on why clubs are considering a move from creeping bentgrass putting greens to ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens.

• David Jacob will continue this theme with a discussion on why Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount, NC switched from bentgrass to an ultradwarf and whether this conversion has been a success.

• Bradley Klein, Senior Writer and Architecture Editor at Golfweek magazine will present a talk on the challenges of being a golf course superintendent in this era.

For more information on registering for SE Regional Meeting, visit the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendent's Association web site www.cgcsa.org .

Source: Patrick O'Brien 770-229-8125 or patobrien@usga.org   and Chris Hartwiger 205-444-5079 or chartwiger@usga.org