The world-class University of Georgia, a world-leader in the turf grass industry has committed to send out a team of top flight scientists and breeders to speak at the 2011 Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit (GCSAS) and to also present a major paper at the 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS).
“This is a fantastic development because it is a tangible demonstration of the importance that the University of Georgia attaches to golf course superintendents in Asia,” declared Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of both the events.
The 2011 GCSAS will be held in the City Of Pattaya, Thailand from October 31 to November 2, in conjunction with the 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit.
The team from the University of Georgia will present a one-day workshop for golf course superintendents and according to the university’s spokesman, Sam Williams, “Our goal is to give the attendees real-world information that they can take back to their courses and work into their management practices, and we think there’s no one more qualified to do this than a knowledgeable superintendent. We would also like to include a consultant in both sessions, because we want that unique perspective covered as well.”
The university’s one-day programme will be divided into two sessions – a morning session dealing with paspalum issues and management and an afternoon session dealing with bermudagrass issues and management. “UGA paspalum breeder Paul Raymer will lead the morning session and UGA bermudagrass breeder, Brian Schwartz will lead the afternoon session,” revealed Williams.
The topics for the University of Georgia’s workshop will include:
Salt management
Water management – irrigation management.
Fertility
Pest management
Seed heads management & plant growth regulators
Current breeding issues
Disease pressure development then handling diseases once they occur
Limited light management (shade and extended cloudy conditions)
Greens management – including preparing for a tournament
“This will be a really great opportunity for superintendents in Asia to listen to turf grass experts and receive invaluable knowledge that they can implement on their own courses,” pointed out Sebastian
According to Sebastian, the turf grass industry is huge, multi-billion dollar industry. “It is the one sector of the industry that requires recurrent investments and it also happens to be the one critical area that is often times neglected, causing golf courses to deteriorate and become unprofitable,” explained Sebastian.
He went on to add, “It is for this very reason that we work with world class organizations like the University of Georgia to bring out the best experts in the field to talk to golf course superintendents in Asia.”
For the 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit, the university’s Dr. Earl Elsner will deliver the main address on turf and he will then lead the university’s experts in a special one-hour panel session.
For more details on the University of Georgia’s Turf Grass programme, please visit:
http://commodities.caes.uga.edu/turfgrass/georgiaturf/AboutUs/1920_UGATurfProg.htm
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