Yo Yo Yo,
Greetings from the great white north, formerly known as the city of champions!!! Actually, we have had virtually no snow in MA, CT and RI this year!!! All the storms have passed south (Sorry Ted, Dave and Rich) or north into the ski areas. Very bizarre weather.

Most golf courses are relatively dry, with lots of early outdoor work going on. Anxious golfers are chomping on the bit to get out and play. Ah but as we all know, mother nature is fickle and let us not count our golf days before the turf even starts growing!!!

Speaking of the city of Champions, can anyone argue that the Red Sox have made the best off-season moves in the last 86 years and are poised to once again claim the World Series Championship title again in this millennium??? Not only that, we get to open the season against the evil empire in Boston’s venerable Fenway Park.

BASF team attends New England Regional Turf Conference
The end of the trade show/seminar season is in sight. Last week Rich, Kyle and I attended the New England Regional Turf Conference. I expected a very strong trade show turnout as a result of the Golf Industry Show being in San Diego this year.

Also, the weather was perfect for a March in New England trade show… 40’s
Bring on the spring weather, baby!

Congratulations!
John Swoyer, golf course superintendent of Shorewood Country Club, Dunkirk, N.Y., is the lucky winner of the BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals 2010 Golf Industry Show iPod® Touch prize.

Superintendents sharing insights in our in-booth survey kiosk on how they’re using mobile and online technology for their jobs were all eligible to enter the giveaway.

Thank you again to all the golf course superintendents who visited our BASF booth and shared their insights. You’re helping us create solutions for you!

Golf course superintendents face disease pressure under snow cover

In the golf course market, there is concern over the health of the turf coming out of winter. Central & Southern Ohio is not used to having extended snow cover for a portion of January, all of February, and who knows how much of March.

There is pink snow mold under the snow in many areas right now. There is also the concern of poa annua desiccation coming out of winter due to multiple freezing & thawing events. Most golf courses in Central and Southern Ohio do not treat fairways in the fall for snow mold, and normally do not use a lot of snow mold chemistry on greens and tees.

Click here to download BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals Snow Mold Program recommendations.

Northern Ohio & Michigan golf course supers normally do not let their guard down pertaining to snow mold fungicide applications that are applied in the fall for winter protection. In Central & Southern Ohio, historically 600-1,000 rounds of golf are played in the 1st quarter of the year. In 2010, this number will probably be zero rounds played during this time-frame. This is not huge revenue, but it is some early season cash flow that helps to get the season kicked off on a positive note.

7th Annual Ohio State University Spring Tee Off Conference & Sports Turf Conference-February 24-25, 2010

This conference was co-sponsored by BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals, Helena, The Ohio Turfgrass Association, & The Ohio Lawn Care Association/Ohio Sports Turf. This was a 2-day conference for sports turf managers and a separate conference for the golf course superintendents.

There were golf course superintendents present from Northern KY, Wheeling, WV, Southern Ohio, Central Ohio, Western Ohio, Cleveland & Toledo. There were approx 75-100 golf course superintendents in attendance for the golf session and approx 75 sports turf managers in attendance for the conference pertaining to them. I spent as much time in both sessions as possible. Since BASF was one of the sponsors, we were allowed to have literature displayed for customers to have if they so desired. I was amazed with the amount of BASF literature that was given to customers and the amount of quality conversations I had with key customers. I accomplished more in 2 days with customers than I could have in several weeks of business travel.

Presentations were given by pretty much all OSU Faculty involving Disease Management for Turf, Insect Management Updates, PGR discussions, New Herbicide Options, USGA Update from Bob Brame, Pesticide Regulations Update for 2010, etc.

Digital photos are now available of the Mike Ditka visit in the BASF booth at the Golf Industry Show

Thank you for visiting the BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals booth and our guest Coach Mike Ditka.

Follow the instructions below to obtain your free, digital photo today – images will be only available until March 31, 2010.

1.) Click here to view the digital photo album of Mike Ditka at the BASF booth Golf Industry Show.

2.) Scroll through the album to select your photo with Mike Ditka.

3.) Once selected, e-mail the photographer, Melissa, at mj@sandiegophoto.com to request your free, digital copy.

If you have questions, feel free to contact us by commenting below.

Richard Jensen wins the Watchdog® Plant Disease Weather Station from the BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals booth at the Golf Industry Show!

Richard Jensen, golf course superintendent of Crooked River Ranch Golf Course in Crooked River Ranch, Oregon, is the lucky winner of the BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals 2010 Golf Industry Show Watchdog® Plant Disease Weather Station giveaway.

Thank you to all the golf course superintendents who visited our BASF booth. It was great seeing you at GIS in San Diego and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s show in Orlando. In the meantime, let us know how we can help you improve your turfgrass conditions.

Contact your BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals sales rep for turf disease control information, tips and product information.