The WCTA would like to thank and recognize those individuals, groups, companies and institutions who have contributed generously to turf research project funding so far this year. Money raised in 2015 will be put toward 2016 projects aimed at industry betterment (see below for current priorities). Contributors and amounts to date are as follows:
The 2014 Masters Tournament is the 78th edition of this event and the first of golf’s four major championships to be held this year. Currently, there are more than 18,300 golf courses in the U.S. covering over 2.7 million acres and popular opinion suggests that environmentally, golf courses have a negative impact on ecosystems. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are studying salamanders as a means of determining ecosystem health on golf courses and have determined that they can offer a viable habitat.
Read more: U.S. Golf Courses' Ecosystems Health Better Than Predicted, MU Researcher Finds
A Snap Shot of the Impact of the European Crane Fly on the Turfgrass Industry in British Columbia – a 2011 Survey of Turf Managers
By Deborah Henderson
Cranefly larvae damage roots and crowns of turf by direct feeding. As with invasions of other non-native species, there have been crisis events (Williams et al 1989) but eventually new pests become part of the regular pest management expectation. This pest is actually two invasive species; European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa) and the Common Cranefly (Tipula oleracea). In order to get a better understanding of how turf managers are dealing with these pests, a survey was offered to participants of the 2011 WCTA Conference and Tradeshow in Victoria, BC, with funding from the WCTA Research fund.
Read more: Impact of European Crane Fly on the Turfgrass Industry in British Columbia
By Anna Wassermann
Golfers are partial to warm weather — and so are golf course greens. They have particular difficulty surviving the cold, sleet and ice of Canadian winters. Now, with one of the worst winters in recent history wrapping up, researchers at the University of Guelph are digging deep to help develop golf green grasses that won't succumb to next winter's pressures.
Read more: University of Guelph Researchers Dig Deep to Help Golf Courses Recover
February 6, 2013
At a recent meeting of the BCGSA Board, it was decided to enter into a fundraising campaign to raise funds for Turfgrass Research and Environmental Advocacy by participating in the Rounds 4 Research program.