Here in the Great Lakes region some of us are finally seeing turf again. This has been one of the harshest winters we have seen in quite some time. Heavy snows, wind and extremely cold temperatures have been with us since November, and while we are having a quick thaw, more cold is on the way. Now that we are seeing peeks of sun and warmth, I am sure your golfers are getting anxious to be out on the golf course. It is this time of year that superintendents have to make those tough decisions, such as should the golf course be open or be closed. At these times, it is important for superintendents to be great communicators and back up that communication with information. This information comes in the form of articles written by the experts and GCSAA can help you get your hands on those articles. One of the benefits of being a GCSAA member is the access you have to the Turfgrass Information Files (TGIF) housed at Michigan State University. The university staff has taken all of the articles ever written about turf and digitized them. Once you are on the TGIF site, just type in the topic you want to research, such as winter golf or freeze thaw damage, and you will get a list of articles available about those topics. TGIF can be accessed in the Course section of the GCSAA website at www.gcsaa.org/course/.
We are just back from the very successful GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. The numbers were up in all categories and this is a very encouraging sign for the golf industry. If you were not able to attend, or if you attended and missed some of the events, many of them have been captured by GCSAA TV, which you can access at gcsaa.tv. Take a look at the video of Bill Engvall at the closing session, it is terrific. Congratulations to the new GCSAA board of directors, including Keith Ihms, CGCS, who is the new President. Election results can be viewed on the GCSAA website. The conclusion of the conference and show usually signals that the season is close to starting in the Great Lakes region, which means monthly meetings will be starting soon. I will be attending as many monthly meetings as I can and hope to see many members at every event. If I miss you at an event, and you have a question or if I can help you with your GCSAA membership please don't hesitate to contact me. Have a great spring!
