Web site updates from the Green Section's Mid-Atlantic Region tend to cover a wide range of topics, and this update is no different. All of us, no matter what we do, need to plan ahead.

This is an incredibly complex and technical industry. That said, no one can ever forget the basics . No matter how complex soil tests become or the ever-expanding use of technical terms and strange scientific names for everything, the grass still needs the basics of sunlight, air, water, fertilizer, and, when necessary, plant protectant chemicals. Common sense also helps maintain turf. Don't mow too low or too often when the grass plant is under environmental stresses like heat, drought, excessive thatch, or saturated with water. Always remember, grass seldom dies by itself; it needs some help. As Professor Lawrence Dickinson of U. Mass once said, "Grass does not commit suicide." Keep this in mind as you begin planning for the next important phase of golf course turfgrass management, assuming your fall aeration, topdressing, interseeding, and weed and insect control programs have or are in the process of being completed.

Begin planning to improve your mind. The turfgrass seminar and conference season is not that far away. For the Mid-Atlantic Region, the upcoming seminars are:

West Virginia Turf Conf - Nov. 3-5 - Lakeview Resort, Morgantown, WV

Penn State Golf Turf Conf - Nov. 11-13 - State College, Univ. Park, PA

Near our region,

New Jersey Green Expo - Dec. 9-11 - Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ

Another basic element of golf course turfgrass management is EDUCATION. Consider taking your green chairman, course official, golf professional or general manager (or one of their assistants) to one of these conferences. These meetings are a learning experience for everyone. It is a good time to meet, mingle, learn, and, yet, relax. Expand education for you, your staff, and those you work for as well as those you work with at the golf course. Just maybe in this era of tight operating budgets and a sour economy, a better understanding of what it takes to maintain a golf course could benefit everyone. Maybe those new carpets scheduled for the clubhouse can last another year so the money needed to maintain the golf course remains in the operating budget. After all, no matter what the economic environment may be, golfers still want to play on a well-maintained and conditioned golf course . That will be all of our challenges for the remainder of 2008 and for the 2009 golf and grass growing season.

Always remember, the agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic Region are part of your agronomic support team. If you have a question or concern, especially now, give us a call or send us an e-mail. You may contact the agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Stan Zontek ( szontek@usga.org ) or Darin Bevard ( dbevard@usga.org ) at 610/ 558-9066 or Keith Happ ( khapp@usga.org ) at 412/ 341-5922.