Does Your Course Need A Check-up?

An on-site consultation by a USGA Green Section agronomist can lead to improved playing conditions and budget savings

May 15, 2009

By Kimberly Erusha, USGA

There are some mornings when you wake up feeling under the weather. Is it just the Monday morning blues, or did I look this off-color yesterday? Maybe I should call the doctor to schedule that annual check-up.

Just as our own health can benefit by staying on top of things and obtaining a physician's experienced input on the latest medical advice, the same advantage can be had on golf courses by conducting regular reviews of the course management operation. Whether it’s an annual check-up of turf maintenance practices, or responding to an unusual agronomic problem that has arisen, the golf course superintendent and green committee gain a great deal of knowledge by having a specialist’s fresh set of eyes. The ultimate beneficiary is the golfer, who reaps the rewards of better communications and improved playing conditions.

We all seek the person who is high on the latest "Best Of" lists that are published to treat our ills, and just the same it’s worth securing the top turf consultants to offer advice on the golf course. Since 1953, the USGA Green Section’s Turf Advisory Service (TAS) agronomists have been the leaders in helping golf courses improve turf health and playability.

Adam Moeller (left) of the USGA Green Section works with maintenance staff at Roxiticus G.C. in Menham, N.J., during a TAS visit. (Courtesy USGA Green Section)

The cornerstone of the TAS is the on-site visit to participating courses by an experienced agronomist, followed by an extensive written report of his findings and recommendations. The visit includes a tour of the golf course with the course superintendent and course officials to discuss the topics and issues of interest and concern. Each of the USGA’s 18 TAS agronomists, located in Green Section offices around the country, is thoroughly familiar with golf course management problems and solutions in his regional territory, and is able to share that information with participating courses.

What can a golf course expect by participating in the program? The short answer is that each course has its own special needs, and stands to benefit in its own unique way. With the help of the agronomist, the course can:

Receive help in solving problems at hand.
Establish long-range plans and preventative maintenance programs to avoid future problems.
Obtain objective, unbiased advice with no commercial ties.
Benefit from a second set of eyes that sees the good and bad while visiting more than 100 golf courses each year.
Receive feedback from the agronomist, who serves as a sounding board for ideas from the golf course superintendent and the course officials alike.
Save money: Countless times a simple suggestion from the TAS agronomist has saved many times the cost of the visit.
Document problems and progress from year to year via the written reports.

The USGA keeps the cost of a TAS on-site visit as low as possible for a golf course by covering more than 50 percent of the actual expense of maintaining a staff to provide this valuable service. In addition to visiting nearly 1,800 courses annually, the USGA agronomists speak at hundreds of meetings and conferences and write many articles for industry publications. Collectively, these activities spread the word about good turf management to thousands of others who are responsible for providing the best possible playing conditions for their golfers.

Will a yearly visit guarantee you ideal conditions at your golf course? Not necessarily, but it does dramatically improve your odds of having the best information possible to deal with whatever might ail you. The USGA Green Section’s Turf Advisory Service is a service to the game, helping golf courses everywhere provide better turf for better golf.

To schedule a TAS visit, click here.

Kimberly Erusha, Ph.D. is the director of education for the USGA Green Section department.