2022 GCSACC Winter Education

GCSACC Winter Education
Thursday, January 20, 2022

Pinehills Golf Club, Plymouth, MA
Host:  Joe Felicetti, CGCS

8:00 am:  Registration

8:30 am:  Welcome and Association Updates - Muffins, Danish, donuts, coffee will be provided

8:45 am-9:45am:  Tyler Bloom, Workforce Development Consultant
Workforce Development for the Golf Industry
Finding talent continues to be a top priority for the club industry whether for entry level or assistant management.  Listen to independent consultant, Tyler Bloom, discuss best practices relating to recruitment and retention.  

9:50 am-10:50 am:  Dr. Michelle DaCosta, University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor
Optimizing Physiological Defenses to Enhance Turfgrass Stress Tolerance
Turfgrasses experience numerous abiotic stresses during the growing season, including extremes in temperature, water availability, and traffic. This presentation will focus on the plant physiological mechanisms that turfgrasses utilize to combat common abiotic stresses. The effects of agronomic practices and supplemental plant health products for optimizing turfgrass defense mechanisms will also be discussed.

10:50 am -11:10 am:  Break

11:10 am-12:10 pm:  Dr Olga Kostromytska, University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor
Annual bluegrass weevil management updates: optimal timing and available options.
Annual bluegrass weevil remains one of the most destructive insect-pest on the golf courses in the Northeast. The talk will review the updates on the ABW research, available options, and approaches that help to optimize ABW management. The talk will focus on monitoring strategies, the use and efficacy of available biorational and biological approaches, and strategies to reduce conventional insecticide use while managing ABW.

12:15 pm-1:15 pm:  John Daniels, United States Golf Association Agronomist
2021 Year in Review and Planning for 2022
Highlights from travels throughout the Northeast
Learning Objectives:

• Provide a recap of the challenges and successes from the past year
• Share useful tricks and tips to improve growing environments
• Strategies for improving fungicide performance
• Give an update on USGA Green Section research projects and initiatives
• Review recent USGA education material

Lunch to follow

*Approved for 3 contact hours for Mass. Pesticide Credits and .45 GCSAA education points.

Cost: $65 per person;  Life Members are free 

Non-members/crew members are also welcome to attend.

Please register by 12 noon on Tuesday, January 18th

*Please note: Pinehills GC is requiring face masks.  They will be abiding by the town of Plymouth's mandate requiring face masks at all public indoor settings.

To avoid charges, kindly give 48 hours notice if you need to cancel.