Asian Turf Seminar

Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia countdown: one month to go

2012-02-12T20:17:32+07:00

We've been busy with preparations for the conference and field day and are excited about this year's event, which starts one month from today. The Asian Turfgrass Field Day this year is going to be really good, with a look at turfgrass performance in shade and especially some of the new technology that one can use to assess and evaluate shade. Dr. Doug Karcher will be speaking about this topic in a presentation entitled "Too Much Shade? How to Quantify and Communicate Problem Areas," and we have identified a great area at Laem Chabang CC to look at shade from trees and to actually measure the light.

Delegates are now registered from 13 countries and we are expecting a flood of additional registrations in the next month before the conference. Last year we welcomed delegates from 19 countries. Can we hit 20 this year? Please get your registration in as soon as you know you will be attending, and do make hotel reservations soon, as the limited conference room blocks at the Amari are only available until 28 February, and at the Ibis until 5 March.

The speakers have submitted their presentation slides and supporting handout materials for review and translation. This year's topics -- on advanced management of diseases, on turfgrass research and turfgrass playing quality, on management of soil moisture, on a review of the latest turf cultivar comparisons -- are sure to be of interest and practical value to turfgrass managers across the region.

AGCSA Accreditation for 2012 Conference

2012-01-11T19:03:09+07:00

The Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association (AGCSA) have awarded 10 continuing education points to the March 12 to 14 Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference as part of their AGCSA Accreditation Program (AAP).

To learn more about AGCSA membership and the AAP, visit the AGCSA website.

Asian Golf Industry Federation to Support 2012 Conference

2011-12-20T20:36:29+07:00

For the second consecutive year, the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) has agreed to support the educational program at the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference through the printing of the conference proceedings.

Delegates to the conference will receive a copy of the proceedings that include the presentation materials along with supplementary data and turfgrass management information that will serve as a reference and resource in the sustainable management of golf courses in Asia.

Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 is organized by the Thai GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center on behalf of the Thailand Golf Association, with generous support from The R&A.

GCSAA Education Points Approved for 2012 Conference

2011-12-10T10:52:37+07:00

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) have approved the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference for education points. GCSAA members who attend the conference will recieve the event approval code for 1.0 GCSAA education points.

To register for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012, click here.

To learn more about GCSAA membership, click here.

Registration Now Open for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012

2011-12-05T17:06:36+07:00

Registration is now available for the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference. The registration fee for this three day conference includes two days of classroom seminars at the 5-star Amari Orchid Pattaya, the Asian Turfgrass Field Day, two conference dinners, three lunches, and a printed copy of the conference proceedings. Hotel reservations should be made directly with the conference hotels.

Download the registration form in Thai (ภาษาไทย)

Download the registration form in English

New Grasses on Old Courses

2011-10-31T16:27:15+07:00

One of the especially interesting presentations at Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 will be the one by Boonthong Ngamsaprang, golf course superintendent at Laem Chabang International Country Club, on the topic of introducing new grasses to an established golf course.

I wrote about the work being done at Laem Chabang to introduce seashore paspalum into the hybrid bermudagrass fairways in this blog post entitled An Interesting Technique to Modify Fairway Conditions in Thailand.

This process involves slicing the fairways and then planting stolons of the new grass directly into the existing turf. At Laem Chabang, this technique has been successful on tees and fairways, improving both playability and the visual appearance of the golf course. By planting a grass that will thrive in a certain environment, and then by managing the growing environment to favor that grass, it is possible to see remarkable improvements in course conditions, all with a reasonable investment of time and money. Come to the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference to hear from Khun Boonthong about this technique and to see the results for yourself at the Asian Turfgrass Field Day.

How to Get the Best-Maintained Course

2011-10-22T15:17:45+07:00

Siam Country Club has won the "Best-Maintained Course in Asia-Pacific" award from Asian Golf Monthly magazine the past two years. These images, courtesy of Brian Ewen, from the 2011 Honda LPGA Thailand show why Siam CC wins the award. The immaculate Novotek bermudagrass greens and Salam seashore paspalum fairways are prepared by Sittichai Dusadeeporn, Golf Course Maintenance General Manager at Siam CC.

At the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference, Khun Sittichai will share the turfgrass maintenance techniques that he uses to create these award-winning conditions. In his presentation, entitled Best Management Practices for Golf Course Turfgrass at Thailand, Khun Sittichai will explain what maintenance work is required to create these playing surfaces on ultradwarf bermudagrass, dwarf bermudagrass, and seashore paspalum.

This presentation, along with a visit to Siam CC during the Asian Turfgrass Field Day, is guaranteed to be of interest to all delegates and to provide plenty of maintenance techniques that you may want to try at your facility.

2012 Speaker Profiles Now Available

2011-10-02T11:19:15+07:00

Speaker profiles for Dr. Lane Tredway, Dr. Douglas Karcher, and Dr. Micah Woods, along with Mr. Philip Russell and Mr. Michael Coffey from The R&A are now posted at the Speakers page of the Asian Turf Seminar website.

In 2012 we will provide an even more advanced and data-intensive conference, packed with information that you can use to optimize playing conditions at your facility in the most efficient, sustainable manner. Whether you are preparing for a major tournament, striving to provide consistent playing conditions throughout the year, or focusing on minimizing maintenance costs while still producing excellent playing surfaces, this conference will provide information that you can put to immediate use.

Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 focuses on advanced management of turfgrass diseases, management of soil moisture, selection of grass cultivars based on specific performance characteristics, evaluation of light intensity and quality and how that affects turfgrass performance, and the actual measurement of turfgrass performance characteristics.

The conference is organized by the Thailand GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center for the Thailand Golf Association, with support from The R&A. Registration will be available in late 2011.

Educational Program for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012

2011-09-10T10:23:28+07:00

We have been working hard to put together the program for Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 (415 KB, PDF) and I'm excited to share the program with you. Award-winning plant pathologist Dr. Lane Tredway will join us from March 12 to 14 to share advanced techniques for controlling and managing turfgrass diseases. Everyone knows that Asia is a difficult place to grow grass, with soil moisture management and low light conditions high on the list of challenges that golf course superintendents face. Dr. Doug Karcher, Associate Professer of Turfgrass Science at the University of Arkansas, has done extensive research on these subjects and will share the results along with the latest information on performance characteristics of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars.

The Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference is supported by The R&A and is organized by the Thai GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center on behalf of the Thailand Golf Association.

A Report on Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2011

2011-03-21T14:34:27+07:00

Last week's Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2011 conference was a resounding success. Philip Russell from The R&A opened the conference with a presentation to the delegation of 207 people representing nineteen countries. Click here for a photo gallery of images from this three day conference at Pattaya.

Dr. Jim Brosnan from the University of Tennessee spoke about preventing and controlling weeds, Dr. Don Loch from University of Queensland and GeneGro Pty Ltd spoke about the use and adaptation of various grasses along with an update on mite research, Khun Suwit Suansan and Khun Sittachai Dusadeeporn from the Thai GCSA explained how they produce tournament quality bermudagrass greens in Thailand, and Dr. Micah Woods from Asian Turfgrass Center discussed how the collection and analysis of data from the golf course can be used to optimize playing condtions. Presentations and handouts from the conference are available at the Downloads 2011 page of this website.

It wasn't all classroom seminars, however, as the 5^th annual Asian Turfgrass Field Day was held at Siam CC, Bangpra GC, Khaw Kheow CC, and Laem Chabang CC. We looked at test plots of various herbicides that can control bermudagrass or seashore paspalum, discussed why certain grasses and weeds thrive in different areas, found that algae was proliferating on a putting green in exactly the areas where a soil moisture meter showed the water content of the soil to be high, looked at the use of a salinity meter to measure the invisible salts in water, and looked at the removal of organic matter through core aerification and effective spraying by choosing the optimum nozzle sizes.

The Thai GCSA dinner party at Laem Chabang CC after the field day was good fun. The theme this year was tropical or Hawaiian attire and there was an outdoor seafood grill along with a traditional Thai dance show.

The conference is organized by the Thai GCSA and Asian Turfgrass Center for the Thailand Golf Association. The R&A provide generous support for this conference and in 2011 the conference was also supported by the Asian Golf Industry Federation. The Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2012 conference is set for 12 to 14 March.