Asian Turf Seminar

Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia countdown: three weeks to go

Just three weeks remain until the start of Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012. Delegates are registered now from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam — and the list goes on. We expect nearly 20 countries to be represented at this conference, featuring presentations from university professors, turfgrass scientists, and golf course superintendents.

Both the GCSAA and the AGCSA have assigned pre-approved education points to the conference, where delegates will learn about management of turfgrass diseases, management of soil water to improve grass conditions and playing surface performance, characteristics of different grass cultivars, and practical information about improving turfgrass playing conditions.

The conference includes three days of learning, networking, and fun. Conference dinners each evening are a great way to catch up with peers in the industry from across Asia, learning about techniques that work in the management of fine turfgrass. At the Asian Turfgrass Field Day, we will study the conditions of different grasses, learn about the identification and control of turfgrass diseases, and see equipment demonstrations. The conference is organized by the Thai GCSA and ATC on behalf of the Thailand Golf Association, with support from The R&A and additional support from AGIF.

Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia countdown: one month to go

We've been busy with preparations for the conference and field day and are excited about this year's event, which starts one month from today. The Asian Turfgrass Field Day this year is going to be really good, with a look at turfgrass performance in shade and especially some of the new technology that one can use to assess and evaluate shade. Dr. Doug Karcher will be speaking about this topic in a presentation entitled "Too Much Shade? How to Quantify and Communicate Problem Areas," and we have identified a great area at Laem Chabang CC to look at shade from trees and to actually measure the light.

Delegates are now registered from 13 countries and we are expecting a flood of additional registrations in the next month before the conference. Last year we welcomed delegates from 19 countries. Can we hit 20 this year? Please get your registration in as soon as you know you will be attending, and do make hotel reservations soon, as the limited conference room blocks at the Amari are only available until 28 February, and at the Ibis until 5 March.

The speakers have submitted their presentation slides and supporting handout materials for review and translation. This year's topics -- on advanced management of diseases, on turfgrass research and turfgrass playing quality, on management of soil moisture, on a review of the latest turf cultivar comparisons -- are sure to be of interest and practical value to turfgrass managers across the region. 

AGCSA Accreditation for 2012 Conference

The Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association (AGCSA) have awarded 10 continuing education points to the March 12 to 14 Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference as part of their AGCSA Accreditation Program (AAP). 

To learn more about AGCSA membership and the AAP, visit the AGCSA website.

 

How to Get the Best-Maintained Course

Siam Country Club has won the "Best-Maintained Course in Asia-Pacific" award from Asian Golf Monthly magazine the past two years. These images, courtesy of Brian Ewen, from the 2011 Honda LPGA Thailand show why Siam CC wins the award. The immaculate Novotek bermudagrass greens and Salam seashore paspalum fairways are prepared by Sittichai Dusadeeporn, Golf Course Maintenance General Manager at Siam CC.

At the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference, Khun Sittichai will share the turfgrass maintenance techniques that he uses to create these award-winning conditions. In his presentation, entitled Best Management Practices for Golf Course Turfgrass at Thailand, Khun Sittichai will explain what maintenance work is required to create these playing surfaces on ultradwarf bermudagrass, dwarf bermudagrass, and seashore paspalum.

This presentation, along with a visit to Siam CC during the Asian Turfgrass Field Day, is guaranteed to be of interest to all delegates and to provide plenty of maintenance techniques that you may want to try at your facility.

Educational Program for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012

We have been working hard to put together the program for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 (415 KB, PDF) and I'm excited to share the program with you. Award-winning plant pathologist Dr. Lane Tredway will join us from March 12 to 14 to share advanced techniques for controlling and managing turfgrass diseases. Everyone knows that Asia is a difficult place to grow grass, with soil moisture management and low light conditions high on the list of challenges that golf course superintendents face. Dr. Doug Karcher, Associate Professer of Turfgrass Science at the University of Arkansas, has done extensive research on these subjects and will share the results along with the latest information on performance characteristics of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars.

The Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference is supported by The R&A and is organized by the Thai GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center on behalf of the Thailand Golf Association.

A Report on Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2011

Last week's Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2011 conference was a resounding success. Philip Russell from The R&A opened the conference with a presentation to the delegation of 207 people representing nineteen countries. Click here for a photo gallery of images from this three day conference at Pattaya.

Dr. Jim Brosnan from the University of Tennessee spoke about preventing and controlling weeds, Dr. Don Loch from University of Queensland and GeneGro Pty Ltd spoke about the use and adaptation of various grasses along with an update on mite research, Khun Suwit Suansan and Khun Sittachai Dusadeeporn from the Thai GCSA explained how they produce tournament quality bermudagrass greens in Thailand, and Dr. Micah Woods from Asian Turfgrass Center discussed how the collection and analysis of data from the golf course can be used to optimize playing condtions. Presentations and handouts from the conference are available at the Downloads 2011 page of this website.

It wasn't all classroom seminars, however, as the 5^th annual Asian Turfgrass Field Day was held at Siam CC, Bangpra GC, Khaw Kheow CC, and Laem Chabang CC. We looked at test plots of various herbicides that can control bermudagrass or seashore paspalum, discussed why certain grasses and weeds thrive in different areas, found that algae was proliferating on a putting green in exactly the areas where a soil moisture meter showed the water content of the soil to be high, looked at the use of a salinity meter to measure the invisible salts in water, and looked at the removal of organic matter through core aerification and effective spraying by choosing the optimum nozzle sizes.

The Thai GCSA dinner party at Laem Chabang CC after the field day was good fun. The theme this year was tropical or Hawaiian attire and there was an outdoor seafood grill along with a traditional Thai dance show.

The conference is organized by the Thai GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center for the Thailand Golf Association. The R&A provide generous support for this conference and in 2011 the conference was also supported by the Asian Golf Industry Federation. The Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference is set for 12 to 14 March.