The Cut - The AGCSA's Weekly E-Newsletter - 12 Feb '10

Welcome to this edition of The Cut, the AGCSA’s weekly e-newsletter. In this week's edition we look at the wild weather which hit south east Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne over the past week and see how current AGCSA golf champion Anthony Toogood fared at the 2010 GCSAA National Championship. Enjoy the read.  

Environmental and health benefits of golf report now online

Following the literature review undertaken by Dr Ross Higginson and Peter McMaugh (The Environmental, Social, Economic and Health Benefits of Turfgrass: A Literature Review) in 2008, the AGCSA requested an expansion of the review focussed principally on the environmental aspects (benefits or otherwise) of golf courses, and to identify any knowledge gaps for the industry. The key factors to be included were as follows:

• Water quality
• Water use compared to other industries
• Bio-diversity value
• Creating or recreating indigenous flora areas
• Wetlands and their benefits
• Carbon sequestration
• Carbon foot print of golf courses
• Nutrient and soil movement associated with golf courses
• Golf course construction – managing the environmental impacts
• Golf course construction – rejuvenation of degraded sites.  

The report is now available for viewing and can be found in the AGCSATech research section on the AGCSA website. Click here to view the full report.  

February 2010 AGCSA Action newsletter out now

The first 2010 edition of the AGCSA member newsletter AGCSA Action was distributed this week. The February 2010 edition marks the start of a switch to electronic distribution of the newsletter and the phasing out of printing and posting a hardcopy newsletter bimonthly. Such a change will not only improve delivery time, but is also far more economical and environmentally friendly.

All current AGCSA members who have an email have received the February edition via email, while those who don’t have an email will receive this edition in a hardcopy version for the final time. After this time you will need to supply the AGCSA with an email address or alternatively you can view the newsletter through the members section of the website (all past issues of AGCSA Action can be viewed here as well). To update you contact details, simply contact Lyndel at the AGCSA on (03) 9548 8600 or email info@agcsa.com.au. If you have any queries or concerns about these changes please contact the AGCSA. 

Wet and wild weather has supers in mop up mode

Superintendents along the east coast and down in Melbourne have been cleaning up over the past week following a series of downpours. Last weekend, south east Queensland and Sydney were drenched causing flash flooding and bunker washouts at many courses. GCSAQ president and Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club superintendent Peter Lonergan reports that between Saturday night and 3pm Sunday some areas of the Gold Coast and Brisbane copped between upwards of 300-400mm. As the photos show the likes of Helensvale GC (superintendent Alan Mulcahy) and Pacific GC (superintendent Graham Sims) were under water, while in Brisbane Ben Cavanagh saw parts of his course go under after nearly 90mm in six hours.

Down in Sydney a number of the northern suburbs course such as Avondale, Killara and Pymble were hit hard, with David Warwick at Avondale reporting that he had never had such severe bunker washouts in all his 13.5 years at the club. The Terrey Hills weather station logged 122mm for Saturday and Sunday, while Parramatta recorded 140mm for the five days to Sunday. Nathan Ball at Springwood Country Club had 10 inches in five days.
 
Although not recording triple digit tallies, Melbourne copped a violent deluge late yesterday (Thursday afternoon), with some areas in the west copping up to 40mm in just a few hours. The storm front forced a two-hour halt in play at the 2010 Victorian PGA Championships at Sandhurst in Melbourne’s south east and put superintendent Peter Jans and his crew to the test to get the course back and ready for play this morning. If you have any photos of damage to your course or turf facility send them to Brett Robinson at the AGCSA – brett@agcsa.com.au

Toogood holds his own against US superintendents 

2009 AGCSA Golf Championships winner Anthony Toogood has flown the Australian flag high at last week’s 2010 GCSAA National Championship, finishing tied for 18th. The Commercial Golf Club (Albury) superintendent posted rounds of 78 and 76 at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West in Palm Springs, California, to finish 10 over par. He finished nine strokes off eventual winner Adam Hess (Augusta Pines Golf Club) who defeated Tim Scott (Stony Creek) in a playoff.

Toogood had the opportunity to play in the GCSAA event after winning last year’s Toro AGCSA Golf Championships at Royal Hobart Golf Club, with part of the prize being entry into the GCSAA tournament. Toogood's victory last year, by one shot, was his third AGCSA title.

Turfgrass conference online registration NOW OPEN

Online registration for the 26th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition is NOW OPEN. Those wishing to register for the conference, which will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 21-25 June 2010, can now do so online by simply clicking the link below or through the registration page on the AGCSA website. Delegates can also download a hardcopy of the registration form through the AGCSA website (click here) and either post or fax to the AGCSA.

As mentioned in previous editions of The Cut, the Early Bird registration rate will be available until 28 March 2010. Early Bird member registration prices have been set at a rate approximately 8 per cent lower than the 2008 fee to reward and encourage membership. Registration costs for 2010 are as follows:

• Early Bird Member $770 (AGCSA and TGAA/STA members)
• Early Bird Non-member $990
• Full Registration Member $990 (AGCSA and TGAA/STA members)
• Full Registration Non Member $1100

AGCSA events and education manager Simone Staples is currently finalising the conference delegate brochure and this will be available in early February. Until then the AGCSA advises that delegates keep an eye on the conference section of the AGCSA website and The Cut for updates on speakers and events when they are confirmed. If you have any enquiries about the conference or registration, please contact Simone on 03 9548 8600 or email simone@agcsa.com.au

Click here to register online for the 26th Australian Turfgrass Conference.

Click here to download a pdf of the registration form for the 26th Australian Turfgrass Conference.

Click here to view a draft programme for the 26th Australian Turfgrass Conference.