Green Section History
In 1920, the Inverness Club, in Toledo,
Ohio, prepared for the U.S. Open Championship. As Chairman of the
club's Green Committee, E.J. Marshall, a Toledo attorney, was
in charge of course preparations. He sought, but he could not
find, impartial and authoritative agronomic information. His
efforts led him to the USGA and the United States Department of
Agriculture. The two organizations agreed to collaborate in the
development of scientific information relating to golf course
turf. Thus, on Nov. 30, 1920, the Executive Committee of the
United States Golf Association formally created the USGA Green
Section.
This single, centralized, not-for-profit agency, free from
commercial connections, was a pioneer and remains today a chief
authority in turfgrass management for golf. The USGA Green
Section has been directly involved in every phase of golf course
maintenance and management from the control of diseases, insects,
and weeds to the breeding and release of improved strains of
bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and
buffalograss. The Green Section has been involved in research
pertaining to cultural practices, equipment development, soils,
sands, fertilizers, irrigation, and other materials and practices
used in golf course maintenance. In 1960 it developed and
published the Specifications for a Method of Putting Green
Construction, now used throughout the world. In 1989 it produced
a 25-minute videotape on putting green construction.
These and other advances have been sustained over the years by an
expenditure of more than $27 million for Green Section
operations. The combination of research and direct golf course
visits is the key to success. The Turf Advisory Service (TAS)
program takes research information directly to subscribing
courses and thereby contributes to better playing conditions at
lower costs.
Recently, the Green Section has embarked on the most intensive
turfgrass and environmental research effort in the history of
golf. During the decade ending 1995, the USGA will have placed
more than $10 million in funding university research projects.
The goal is to achieve a significant reduction in water and
pesticide use, and to investigate the effects of golf courses on
the environment. A wealth of new grasses, improved maintenance
practices, and information pertaining to the environment is on
its way.
By supporting research and offering sound, experienced agronomic
advice about the scientific and practical aspects of golf course
turf management, the Green Section's Turf Advisory Service
provides ever greater value and better golf turf to the member
courses and superintendents it services. Your club should become
a TAS subscriber.