Golf courses provide habitat and nourishment for more than just golfers.

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Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Advisory Reports

OMAFRA Turfgrass Management Report

OMAFRA Nursery & Landscape Report

Turfing the Net

Although most turf managers do not spend much of their day in front of a computer, the Internet is still a valuable resource for turf management information. I have noticed that Internet enabled smartphones like Blackberries and iPhones have become much more common among industry professionals but I still hate it when someone pulls out their crackberry in the middle of a face-to-face conversation to check who made their device vibrate.

With the increased use of information technology in the turf workplace, I thought it would be a good time to update my list of on-line resources for the turf manager. This is by no means a comprehensive list and I hope you will help by sending me links to any websites or other technology based services that you find valuable in your day-to-day work as a turf manager. We'll compile them all on the GTI website as a resource for current and future turf managers.

 

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs

I would be remiss if I didn't lead off with the OMAFRA website which contains a wealth of information specific to Ontario turf management assembled by Turf Specialist Pam Charbonneau and her colleagues at the ministry. You can use the search function on the main page to access a wide range of turf-related publications and reports. Pam also crafts the Turfgrass Management Agriphone which we link to through the GTI Advisor throughout the season which keeps turf managers up-to-date on what is happening in turf across the province. I would recommend that you subscribe directly to the service so that a link to the latest posting arrives in your inbox as soon as it is published.

 

Turfgrass Information Center

This is the place to go if you want to research a turf problem in depth. Based at Michigan State University, the Center is home to the Turfgrass Information Files (TGIF) the most comprehensive searchable database of turf related information on the Internet. Searching can be a little challenging as the database is extensive and sometimes it takes a little work to refine your search to find the information that you are looking for. Access to the service is by paid subscription although a number of organizations including the CGSA and GCSAA support the service and it is available free to their members. The University of Guelph also supports TGIF and the service is accessible to students as well as at computers in the University of Guelph library.

 

Buckeye Turf

One of the best designed turf management websites on the net is Buckeye Turf, home to information provided by the turf advisory team at Ohio State University. Although they are in a warmer climatic zone than Ontario, they do face many of the same problems and their website contains a wealth of information. I particularly enjoy their podcasts and direct students to them on a regular basis. The site contains information of interest to all branches of turf management and is of particular value to the sports turf manager.

 

Industry Associations

The following industry associations provide a range of information services for their members including information updates, event listings, job postings, used equipment listings, forums and more. Check out the ones related to your area of interest if you are not already a member or regular user.

Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation

Nursery Sod Growers Association

Ontario Golf Course Superintendents Association

Sports Turf Association

Professional Lawn Care Association of Ontario

Landscape Ontario

Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Turfgrass Producers International

Twitter

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have probably heard of the social networking tool called Twitter. It basically allows you to subscribe to Twitter "feeds" from individuals or organizations. These feeds are called "tweets" and are short (maximum 140 characters) messages. The majority of Twitter users are individuals who use the service to keep up-to-date with what their friends and associates are doing. Personally I don't need to know when my buddies are brushing their teeth although perhaps if they are gathering for a cold one I might be interested. The value is that you can use it to rapidly access breaking news, sports scores, weather updates, traffic reports and much more. Even messages from individuals can be newsworthy as shown by the role Twitter played in the recent Iranian election protests. These streams are unfiltered by media and in essence you can create your own information stream around topics and individuals of interest to you. This is the primary attraction of Twitter. Messages can be delivered immediately to your mobile device providing current information and updates on a wide variety of subjects.

To the best of my knowledge, there are limited turf tweets on Twitter. There are some companies and organizations (including the GTI) that are dabbling in the service. The majority of turf related users are lawn care companies using Twitter to inform and expand their customer base. However, I do see potential for this type of service to keep turf professionals easily linked to information that would be of value in their day-to-day work without having to sift through emails or load and browse websites. An example would be networks of regional turf managers sharing information would certainly be of value to IPM scouts by providing advanced notice of pest problems moving into an area.

If you do join the Twitter community, be sure to follow us under the name GuelphTurf.

 

This is just the tip of the turf Internet iceberg. Please email me the addresses of any websites not listed here that you use on a regular basis and I will add them to our list.

Ontario Golf Course IPM Accreditation Program Update

The previous issue of the GTI Advisor contained links to a number of files related to the golf course IPM program. Teri Yamada has provided updates to these files which you can access below.

For more details on the program, consult the following pdf documents:

Detailed Update

Golf Registration Form

IPM Agent Registration Form

The Sports Turf Association Heads to Brantford for Annual Field Day

Located just an hour’s drive from the City of Toronto, Brantford “The Telephone City” will host sports turf managers from across the province for the Sports Turf Association’s 22nd Annual Field Day, Thursday, September 17, 2009.

Brantford is home to the Alexander Graham Bell Homestead National Historic Site. It was here the great inventor conceived his ideas for the telephone. Brantford is also the hometown of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Walter Gretzky will be on hand to welcome us to the Steve Brown Sports Complex at Lion’s Park.

Session topics include: Tools for Transition to Pesticide-Free Athletic Field Management, Servicing Your Irrigation System, Inspection & Maintenance of Sports Field Infrastructure, and The Basics of Synthetic Turf Systems and Synthetic Turf Management.

For topnotch turf education, a mouth-watering chicken and rib BBQ, the opportunity to network with peers, industry suppliers and The Great One’s dad, answer the Call of The Telephone City; visit the Sports Turf Association website for all the details!   

Industry Calendar

 

Coming Events:

August 18 - WOGSA August Meeting – Rattlesnake Point GC
August 25 - GLAGS August Meeting – Caradoc Sands G&CC
August 26 - GBGSA August Meeting - National Pines GC
 
Check out the calendar link above for more details on these events.