Divot Mix

"If you have to remind yourself to concentrate during competition, you've got no chance to concentrate." -- Bobby Nichols, 1964 PGA champion

Mona among golf's most powerful

GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE , has again been identified by Golf Inc. magazine as one of the "Most Powerful People in Golf."

Mona, GCSAA chief executive since December 1993, was first named by the magazine as one of the industry's "Most Powerful People in Golf" in 2001 and "Most Dynamic Movers & Shakers" in 1999. This is the fifth consecutive year he's been on the list, which includes previous GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award recipient's Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio and Tim Finchem.

It also includes several trustees and/or advisory council members of The Environmental Institute for Golf . Among them are: Greg Norman, Great White Shark Enterprises; Dana Garmany, Troon Golf; Ron Jackson, Meadowbrook Golf; Bill Kubly, Landscapes Unlimited; and Bob Wood, Nike Golf. Tom Fazio is also a former Institute trustee.

The magazine's "Most Powerful" list focuses on the impact individuals have on the business of golf, through golf course development, operations, management or equipment. These individuals have the ability to influence the development and building, the financing and the revenue streams of golf courses and golf organizations around the nation. The decisions they make affect virtually every course in the nation, either directly or indirectly.

"It is no surprise that Steve has again been named one of the most powerful individuals in golf," said GCSAA President Timothy T. O'Neill, CGCS. "His leadership and knowledge of the golf industry has helped GCSAA become the successful association it is today."

Registration to open for Golf Industry Show

Registration for the 2006 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Education Conference (Feb. 6-11) and Golf Industry Show (Feb. 9-11) to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta this February will open Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. (Eastern).

Prospective attendees may register online at http://www.golfindustryshow.com or through faxback services at (888) 838-4419 . A new registration brochure will be produced and distributed by the middle of November. Advance registration is open until Jan. 17. Registration is complimentary for the media.

PGA names Steranka as new CEO

Joe Steranka has been named as only the second chief executive officer of the world's largest working sports organization. Steranka, 47, succeeds Jim Awtrey, who is concluding his 19th year of service as the longest tenured CEO among America's leading golf associations.

A resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Steranka joined the PGA of America in 1988 as director of communications and broadcasting. Since 2003, he has served as managing director of communication and broadcasting. Steranka will be introduced to delegates in his new position, Nov. 1, at the association's 89th annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"The PGA of America marks a new chapter in leadership with Joe Steranka stepping forward as our chief executive officer," said PGA of America President Roger Warren. "Since he joined The PGA of America, Joe has developed an exceptional track record in creating and marketing a wide variety of programs and services for PGA Members and the golf industry. He has established invaluable partnerships within the golf community and the sports business and television worlds. Most importantly, he has a dynamic vision for the future of The PGA and our leadership position in the game and business of golf."

"On the threshold of The PGA 's 90th anniversary, it is with a great deal of pride that I take the torch passed by Jim Awtrey to direct a talented staff dedicated to fulfilling the mission this Association's founders established in 1916 -- to elevate the role of the PGA Professional and to grow interest and participation," said Steranka.

ARS has new tool to evaluate riparian buffers

According to the scientists at USDA's Agricultural Research Service, a specially designed field chamber, used together with a computer model, has proven itself as a useful tool to evaluate how effectively riparian buffers filter out pollutants before they can reach streams or other bodies of water.

That is the finding from a series of systematic studies of a riparian grass buffer zone by scientists at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center.

After success with a prototype chamber in the laboratory, BARC soil scientists Jim Starr, Ali Sadeghi and Yakov Pachepsky installed a field version of the chamber in a tall fescue grass buffer near a forested stream and wetland area. The chamber, which has no top or bottom, encases a 3-by-3-foot block of soil to a depth of four feet.

The scientists injected water with dissolved nitrate into one side of the soil chamber. Then, as water flowed horizontally and out the other side, they monitored rates of lateral water flow and loss of nitrate due to its breakdown by soil microbes.

Riparian buffers are wooded or grassy stream banks or wetlands that filter out pollutants such as nitrate from fertilizer and other chemicals, as well as sediment. The slow movement of nitrate through highly organic riparian areas provides ideal conditions for soil microbes to break down or transform the nitrate into safer compounds.

The scientists used the two-dimensional computer model "HYDRUS-2D" to simulate water flow and transport of chemicals within the riparian zone soil. Overall, the model-chamber combination provided good results.

The experimental chamber is essential for the accurate use of the growing number of computer models being developed to assess the effectiveness of riparian buffers. Once a model gets this information for a particular location, it can predict nitrate loss rates.

A paper on study will appear in the November-December issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal.

World Golf Hall to welcome new class

Several World Golf Hall of Fame members will reunite on Nov. 14 to welcome inductees Ayako Okamoto and Karrie Webb, and those being inducted posthumously, Bernard Darwin, Alister MacKenzie and Willie Park Sr., into the Hall of Fame as the Class of 2005. The ceremony will be broadcast in the United States on The Golf Channel at 9:30 p.m., ET.  

“We look forward to welcoming an esteemed international group of deserving individuals into the Hall of Fame next month,” said Jack Peter, senior vice president and COO of the Hall of Fame. “The stories of this year's class—along with the Hall of Fame members and special guests who are planning to attend—will make for an exciting and important evening in the sport's history.”

Hall of Fame members who will participate in the ceremony include Beth Daniel, who will introduce Okamoto, elected on the International ballot.  Ben Crenshaw will present and accept on behalf of Mackenzie, a Lifetime Achievement selection, and Tony Jacklin will do the same for Park Sr., the Veteran's category selection.

Former LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw will present Webb, who qualified for the Hall of Fame through the LPGA Point System.

Fran Charles, studio host of USA Network's PGA TOUR Sunday , will host this year's Induction Ceremony.

For more information about the ceremony, contact (904) 940-4123 , http://www.wgv.com.