Divot Mix

"They did a wonderful job of getting the course ready. They worked harder than we did getting this tournament done." -- Booz Allen champion Ben Curtis, referring to the maintenance staff of the TPC at Avenel.

USGA names book award for Wind

The United States Golf Association is renaming its top literary prize, previously known as the USGA International Book Award, in honor of famed writer Herbert Warren Wind.

The award, which will be known as the Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, was established in 1987 to recognize and honor outstanding contributions to golf literature while attempting to broaden the public's interest and knowledge of the game of golf. The Award is presented annually by the USGA Museum and Library Committee.

Wind, who passed away in May of 2005, is the only writer to win the USGA's highest honor, the Bob Jones Award. He received the honor in 1995, during the Association's centennial celebration. For nearly 30 years he was a volunteer on two USGA committees dedicated to celebrating the best values of the game: the Bob Jones Award Committee and the Museum and Library Committee.

His portrait hangs in the UGSA Library, where one can also find his 14 books, countless essays and articles, and numerous introductions to reproductions of the classic literature of the game. He was a long-time essayist for both The New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. Among his many contributions to golf, he is credited with naming "Amen Corner" at Augusta National Golf Club, site of The Masters Tournament.

The first winner of the USGA Book Award was Al Barkow's Gettin' to the Dance Floor in 1987, and the most recent recipient was John Strege, for When War Played Through: Golf During World War II.

For more information regarding the Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, contact Doug Stark, USGA Librarian at 908-234-2300 or dstark@usga.org.

Ongoing Relief Fund Established

GCSAA has established an ongoing relief fund to support GCSAA members affected by future natural disasters. The Emergency Relief Fund can provide direct financial assistance to GCSAA members who suffer personal loss or medical hardship.

In establishing the fund, =the Board of Trustees of The Environmental Institute for Golf and the GCSAA Board of Directors, thanked all the donors to the Hurricane Disaster Relief fund. Donations totaled over $130,000 and provided financial assistance to more than 50 GCSAA members and their families affected by the devastation of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

For more information on the new fund visit http://www.gcsaa.org/mc/group/default.asp or contact R. Scott Woodhead, senior manager of governance/member standards 800-472-7878, Ext. 4418, mailto:swoodhead@gcsaa.org.

NOAA says summer is here

As spring rolls out and summer rolls in, the experts with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration say the weather patterns for late June are what the nation can expect for the rest of the summer.

Seasonal forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center are expecting above normal temperatures west of the Mississippi, in the state of Florida, in the New England region and in the southern half of Alaska. NOAA cautions the public, these areas could very well expect high temperatures for prolonged days, triggering heat waves and creating wildfire risks in many areas, especially in the West. In contrast, below-average temperatures are expected in Hawaii this season. Click map for larger view of 2006 temperature outlook for July through September.

The seasonal precipitation forecast is less certain. However, there is a tendency for the southern Plains to be dry and while the southern Atlantic states could be wet this summer.

Currently, extreme to exceptional drought (the highest rating depicted on the current U.S. Drought Monitor) is in the Southwest, extending northeastward into western Oklahoma and southeastern Colorado. Also, extreme drought affects northeast Colorado into southwest Nebraska, as well parts of southern Texas and the central Gulf coast. Click the map for larger view of 2006 summer precipitation outlook

"With El Niño/La Niña neutral conditions in place, seasonal weather will be driven by more subtle impacts from global sea surface temperatures along with random fluctuations of the circulation pattern and feedbacks from ground and soil content levels feeding back into the atmosphere," said Michael Halpert, NOAA Climate Prediction Center's seasonal forecaster.

Other online sources of information include:

• NOAA Climate Predict Center U.S. Seasonal Outlook
• NOAA U.S. Drought Assessment Products
• NOAA U.S. Hazards Maps
• NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
• NOAA Drought Information Center