Hilton Head and Charleston, S.C. - Fifty superintendents from South Carolina’s coastal region attended the 2006 Coastal Research Seminar held at Bear Creek Golf Club in Hilton Head and the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston. The seminar, sponsored by Bayer Environmental Science, featured presentations by research professionals from Clemson University and North Carolina State University.
Focusing on issues specific to the coastal region of South Carolina, the program covered topics such as mole crickets, billbugs and spring transition of Bermudagrass fairways and greens. Presenters Bruce Martin, Ph.D. and Bert McCarty, Ph.D., of Clemson University, and Rick Brandenburg, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University, provided strategic insight on the best ways to address these issues, while avoiding associated pitfalls.
“These seminars are an immense benefit to superintendents, especially when the topics are regionalized to issues we deal with on a regular basis,” says Gordon Williams, CGCS, superintendent of Coosaw Creek in Charleston. “To learn from some of the top industry professionals and their research is really an invaluable resource”
Echoing Williams’ thoughts, Marc Smith, CGCS, superintendent of Bear Creek Golf Club and host of the Hilton Head seminar event says: “These seminars provide us the opportunity to address the issues we’re facing here in the coastal region with some of the industry’s top experts.
“Mole crickets are a huge issue on a lot of courses in the region, and Bear Creek is no exception," Smith adds. "The insight Dr. Brandenburg provided will surely come in handy this season.”
The seminars concluded with Martin, McCarty and Brandenburg conducting a roundtable discussion with attendees. The superintendents asked questions ranging from effluent water issues to the best strategy for overseeding.
The 2006 Coastal Research Seminar is one of the many programs offered by Bayer as part of its on-going commitment to the education and excellence in the golf market.