Two of the country's leading university turfgrass programs will have a little extra cash to help fund research faculty positions, thanks to the Carolinas GCSA chapter.
The Carolinas Association recently committed a total of $200,000 to Clemson and North Carolina State universities, with each institution to receive $100,000 over the next five years, the association said in a news release.
"Clemson and NC State have played a critical role establishing the Carolinas' standing as one of the game's great golfing hubs," said Carolinas GCSA president and director of golf operations at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NCSU Brian Green. "Decades and decades of turfgrass research performed at both institutions underpin the health of the golf industry that delivers billions of dollars in economic benefit to the region every year." Green is director of golf operations at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State.
The awards are the result of many years of conversations between representatives of the association and both universities about the challenges facing traditional turfgrass research funding sources. Both universities currently are in the midst of fundraising campaigns — NCSU NC State is working to raise $2.5 million to establish a Distinguished Chair in Golf Turf Management and Clemson's target is $1 million for a Distinguished Professorship in Turfgrass.
Those fundraising efforts come in the wake of the recent retirements of Bruce Martin and Bert McCarty at Clemson and NCSU's Fred Yelverton and Rick Brandeburg.
"Not only were these scientists world leaders, they built their knowledge and expertise right here in the Carolinas, on and around our golf courses," Green said. "Having such ready access to them was enormously helpful to our ability to produce excellent playing conditions in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner.
"Endowed faculty positions are essential to thriving research and outreach efforts. Those positions signal the commitment of the university to an academic discipline at the highest level. They attract leading scholars who, in turn, attract top faculty and students."
The $100,000 gifts are funded through the Carolinas GCSA Rounds 4 Research online auction of donated golf rounds. North and South Carolina are home to nearly 900 golf courses.
"Golf course superintendents have to be problem-solvers in our day-to-day work, and we are just as committed to providing solutions on an industry scale," Green said. "We are proud to support Clemson's and NC State's efforts to ensure the best science will always be at our fingertips."