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VT Researchers Unearth Findings at Independence
by MICHAEL J. STOTT
B
ack in the day the green com-
mittee admonition to a golf
course superintendent was to
keep the course green and play-
able. That job has become increasingly
more difficult given environmental con-
cerns, governmental restrictions and the
specter of climate change.
Truth be told, some superintendents
deal with fewer variables than others.
For example, guardians of the turf in the
Southwest deal with the desert and water
availability concerns while New England
10
and the Pacific Northwest superinten-
dents enact their own strategies to tackle
vexing agronomic issues in their respec-
tive belts. However, for those in transition
zones like Dan Taylor at Independence
Golf Course in Midlothian, the challenges
can multiply exponentially.
Thankfully Taylor has a partner as he
addresses the effects of climate on his
greensward kingdom. Approximately 20
months ago, after some fits and starts,
the project welcomed some funding from
initiatives by the Virginia Turfgrass Foun-
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J A N UA R Y / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 2 0
dation, the Virginia Golf Course Super-
intendents Association and the Virginia
Turfgrass Council. That financial assis-
tance began a collaboration between the
course and the Virginia Tech School of
Plant and Environmental Sciences.
The agronomists’ canvas is the Inde-
pendence 9-hole Mentor Short Course.
“When the VSGA originally established
the short course, one of the missions was
to do research. For that research, in this
case testing the cold hardiness and overall
performance of warm season turfgrass
vsga.org
Jordan Booth and
his dog, Mac, at
Independence
Golf Club’s Mentor
Short Course.