GGEF donates nearly $10,000 to UGA turfgrass research

The Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation (GGEF), the philanthropic arm of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association, will donate nearly $10,000 to support turfgrass research at the University of Georgia (UGA).

The funds will go toward helping compensate graduate students working with Brian Schwartz, Ph.D., from UGA Crop and Soil Sciences Department and their research for more environmentally sustainable golf course grasses.

“We are very happy to provide this support to Dr. Schwarz and UGA,” says GGEF Research Committee Chairman Kyle Marshall from Capital City Club in Woodstock, Ga. “It seems to us to be such a sure thing to support. I don’t know of any research department anywhere that has had the record of success that UGA has produced when it comes to turfgrass.”

Marshall says Schwartz continues the tradition of excellent turfgrass research at UGA established by Wayne Hanna, Ph.D., and Glenn Burton, Ph.D. Schwartz and Hanna partnered on the recent release of a new drought tolerant bermudagrass called TifTuf.

“While the nature of our funding is to review programs each year, we do expect this support of Dr. Schwartz’s research will be long-term,” Marshall says. “The fact that he is doing much of this work on fully functioning golf courses promises real world results but it also adds considerably to the cost in terms of travel. It makes sense for us to support this research that promises to benefit all superintendents and therefore the golf industry.”

The GGEF, established in 2004, has donated more than $150,000 to funding of research throughout the past decade. The foundation also provides an annual free education seminar for superintendents with information on advances in environmental sustainability on golf courses.