USGA Announces $1.9M in Golf Course Sustainability Research Grants for 2020

The USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program has invested more than $41 million to advance the game since 1920

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 25, 2020) – Continuing its 100-year commitment to providing scientific innovations for the golf industry, the USGA will fund 73 separate research grants totaling nearly $2 million in 2020 as part of its annual investment in helping courses to improve the golfer experience while reducing the consumption of key resources.

Since the founding of the Green Section in 1920, the USGA has supported the largest private turfgrass and environmental research effort in the history of golf. The USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program (TERP), which is one of several continuous efforts led by the Green Section aimed at enhancing golf course sustainability, develops and supports research that produces a healthier environment and improved playing conditions.

Since the research program’s inception, the USGA has invested more than $41 million to advance golf by using science and innovation as the foundation to impact thousands of courses and millions of golfers.

“Research has been a core function of the Green Section since its founding,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “These findings have led to reduced operating costs, improved turf health and more enjoyable on-course experiences for golfers. In addition, our impact extends well beyond golf, providing direct environmental benefits, fostering recreational opportunities and offering much needed green space for local communities.”

The 2020 grant recipients – 16 of which involve new projects – will receive an average of $25,000 this year. Notable grant support includes a focus on conserving water by better understanding new technologies and the social aspects of irrigation scheduling through the University of California, Riverside, in addition to a continuing effort to define the value of golf courses from an ecosystem services perspective through the University of Minnesota.

Through the program’s emphasis on sustainable turfgrass management and environmental protection, the USGA has improved the efficiency of key areas of course management, including water conservation, pesticide and nutrient distribution, and turfgrass breeding. Most notably:

• Golf’s use of water has decreased by 19 percent since 2005, in part due to research-based irrigation methods such as employing weather data in plant water-use estimates, replacing potable irrigation water with recycled wastewater, and the adoption of precision irrigation technologies.
• USGA research has contributed to the reduction of an estimated 86,000 tons of annual fertilizer use on golf courses since 2007 and has defined application strategies that limit the transport of nutrients to surface water and groundwater.
• USGA-supported turfgrass breeding programs have developed more than 30 cultivars that use fewer resources and produce better playing conditions. These cultivars have been used worldwide at major sports facilities, general grounds, and even home lawns.

Research from the program also has contributed to the USGA recommendations for putting green construction, which produce improved putting surfaces that are resistant to compaction, drain quickly and retain subsurface moisture.

To view complete summaries of current research projects, see here. Summaries from research conducted in 2019 will be added in April 2020.

Led by Cole Thompson, Ph.D., the research program is part of the USGA’s mission to champion and advance the game through an annual $10 million investment to support the health of courses. Universities or research companies submit grant applications that are reviewed by 17 scientists on the TERP committee. As part of its ongoing mission to advance the game, the USGA will complement current turfgrass and environmental research with projects that benefit other areas of course sustainability, including golfer experience.

About the USGA
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.

Utah Section PGA Tees Off 2020 Season

By Jesse Dodson

The Utah Section PGA Awards Banquet, Annual Meeting and Winter Classic Championship, held Jan. 11-13 in St. George, UT teed off the 2020 season for Utah’s head golf professionals.

The annual Awards Meeting at Bloomington Country Club honored the Utah PGA’s 2019 award winners, highlighted by the selection of Hobble Creek’s Craig Norman as the Professional of the Year. In addition to Norman, ABC 4 Sports Director Wesley Ruff, who has been covering Utah golf for over three decades, was celebrated with the Utah PGA’s first-ever selection as an Honorary Member of the PGA.

Capping off the first time announcements, was Glenmoor Head Golf Professional Darci Olsen’s  induction as a member of the Utah PGA Board of Directors, becoming the first woman director in Section history.

Prior to each evening’s meetings the annual 36-hole Winter Classic, presented by Under Armour and Rocky Mountain Turf Equipment was played at St, George Golf Club and Sand Hollow Resort.

Joe Summerhays showed very little off-season rust as he carded 92 Stableford points to win the championship, with rounds of 66-71. With a (-7) 66 at St. George Golf Club, Summerhays got off to a fast start and was tied for first with Haley Sturgeon.

The final round at Sand Hollow didn’t see as low of scores, but Summerhays finished strong with birdies on his last two holes on the Championship Course to win the Winter Classic by one point over second-place finisher Chris Moody, and two points ahead of Zach Johnson.

“Feels really good, I’m really pleased,” Summerhays said. “I’ve actually been practicing quite a lot over the off season. I went to Florida and played some and I’m in pretty good playing shape, so I probably had an advantage over some of the guys.

Haley Sturgeon, the 2019 Utah PGA Women’s Match Play champion, continued her impressive play with an opening round of 66 to tie Summerhays but couldn’t carrying the momentum to the final round at Sand Hollow Resort. Sturgeon finish 4^th in the overall race and took home the Women’s Division first place trophy with 88 Stableford points.

Steve Schneiter also started hot with a (-7) 66 (51 points) at St. George Golf Club, to lead the Senior Division. He managed to hold onto the top spot, earning 36 points at Sand Hollow for the win with an 87-point total.

Entrada Country Club General Manager David Hall took home the Super Senior Division win with 84 total points, with a pair of 70s. He fended off Bloomington Country Club General Manager Scott Brandt, who found 50 points at Sand Hollow to finish two points shy of Hall.

Chip Garriss won the Legends Division with 78 points. After being tied with Ronald Branca after the first round, Garriss played steady with 35 points in the final round.

Jesse Dodson is the communications manager for the Utah Section PGA and a frequent contributor to Fairways magazine and the UGA News page.

Click HERE for Complete results: https://tinyurl.com/te8gk4j

Sand Hollow Amateurs Wrap Up First Month of New Season

By Randy Dodson

The famed Hurricane city winds were at a championship level for the opening round of the Sand Hollow Senior Amateur played on the resort’s Championship Course.

Snapping flagsticks, blowing sand and golf balls around at will, the 30-40 mile-an-hour wind was the story of day one.

Rules official Gary Tarbet claimed, “…got my free exfoliation as the wind was absolutely brutal.”

It was Richfield’s Mike Jorgensen that managed the extreme conditions, that calmed considerably for the final round, the best overall turning in a 36-hole (+1) 77-68 – 145 to win the Utah Golf Association Senior Player Performance Ranking event.

Senior rival Randy Hicken who needed one shot more each round finished second at 3-over 147 on rounds of 78-69.

“My best club is my driver but it always comes down to putting and I really putted well this week,” said Jorgensen.

Jorgensen had one bogey on his final round card, as did Hicken, but he had five birdies on the day including one on the par 4 18th hole. Hicken had four birdies, including three threes on his back nine card but parred at the last.

Filling out the top five were Ron Davis (+6) 150 and Randy Danjanovich (+8) 152 with Shane Carlsen, Tommy Johnson and David Turner tied for fifth at (+11) 155.

Coral Canyon senior champ Kirk Siddens and Craig Hammer (St. George Senior Am champ), the first two senior champions of the new season, skipped the Sand Hollow event.

In the Super Senior division, Michael Hacker (+7) 74-77 – 151 was one shot better in the opening round wind than Robert Bachman (+8) 75-77 -152.

Net division winners were Todd Haderlie and Super Senior Bruce Danjanovich both at (-2) 142.

Playing conditions were much more enjoyable, with little wind and sunny sky, for the Sand Hollow Amateur played Jan. 31-Feb. 1 on the Championship Course.

University of Utah junior Tristan Mandur’s opening round lead of 6-under 66 was challenged by former Utah State Amateur and Mid-Amateur champion Dan Horner’s final round, tournament low 7-under 65. Both players turned in 11-under 133 cards and headed to the par 4 first hole for a playoff to determine the champion.

With both players facing decent birdie putts it was Mandur’s that found the bottom of the cup for the win.

Mandur had birdied the 18th hole to force the playoff with Horner. Over the 36-holes Mandur made twelve birdies and just one bogey.

Horner made 13 birdies for the tournament but had one more bogey than Mandur including the par 5 17th hole that opened the door for Mandur.

“I was trying to stay aggressive (on 17) but I made a mistake by hitting driver off that tee. I hit it great,” Horner said, “but it ran through the fairway and led to a bogey.”

Mandur found the desert just once over the two-day UGA PPR event, and was pretty steady with his ball striking leading to birdie putts that were usually pin-high.

“A key hole,” Mandur said, “was hitting a 71-yard shot on 16 in the final round to two-feet to remain two-back with two to go. And, making the birding at the last to force the playoff.”

Hayden Christensen’s strong spring play continued for the fourth week in a row. The St. George resident who claims Sand Hollow as his home course finished third at (-9) 135 on rounds of 67-68 – 135. In four weeks of play he hasn’t finished any lower than third, lost a playoff at Coral Canyon and won the St. George Amateur.

When asked about what events are on his schedule Christensen said, “I’m still on the edge of playing in Winterchamps. There is a Golden State Tour event the first week of March I would like to play in as a pro, but I’m definitely going to try to defend my title at the Ledges Amateur in a few weeks.”

For Mandur the win gives the junior a boost of confidence heading into the Utes’ spring season Feb. 20-22 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at the Wailua Course in Lihue, Hawaii.

Behind Mandur, Horner and Christensen, BYU’s Elijah Turner was fourth at (-6) 138. SUU’s Tyler Jones and Brock Nielson completed the top 5, tied at (-5) 139.

In the First flight, Riley Moyes came out on top at (+3) 147 followed by Toa Ofahengaue and Brody Adams tied for second at (+8) 152.

The Dixie Swing now takes a few weeks off before teeing it up at the Ledges Amateur, a UGA  Men’s PPR tournament, Feb. 28-29 at the Ledges Golf Club near St. George, Utah.

Sand Hollow Amateur Results:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/6027712430967113715

Sand Hollow Senior Amateur Results:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/5995596790328477494