FROM THE TTA PR ESIDENT
Doug Ward
SMOOTH SAILING As
the turfgrass industry comes to life this spring with anticipation of a little less chaos than was experienced a year ago, there always seems to be a “curveball” thrown our way!! That was certainly the case with record breaking rainfall and associated flooding most professionals dealt with last month. Catching many off-guard, including myself, the most damaging flood waters since 2010 sent several operations in to recovery mode and likely delayed normal operations for several days. While we are a resilient group and climbing out of the mess will undoubtedly get done, I sincerely hope everyone remained safe and the impact of this latest disaster was not a complete ungluing of your personal or professional life.
2022 CONFERENCE DEVELOPMENTS •O ur association’s educational committee, headed by Dr. Jim Brosnan, held its first planning meeting last month as it began gathering information and ideas for the 2022 program.
• Several new approaches have been laid on the table in an effort to promote a wide variety of offerings and engagements for a unique educational experience.
• Traditional workshops, professional development and pesticide applicators certificate program and testing are likewise being earmarked for inclusion as well.
• The possibility of a few virtual presentations is being studied which may allow us to include a keynote speaker or others that may otherwise be unavailable or too costly to include in our production.
With the above and many other ideas suggested for our programming, I’m truly excited about the direction our educational committee is moving for 2022. We will keep you posted as things develop. Referring to last issue’s message, edging back to normalcy, I am truly hopeful the corner is being turned on the COVID front. I admit, I’m no virologist and can only comment on what I feel to be the case but there seems to be a little less tension and fewer worries out there these days. I trust all of our members will continue to carry on in a safe regard to the virus and that an enjoyable and more relaxed season ahead will be experienced by all.
Doug Ward TTA President
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TENNESSEE TURFGRASS APRIL / MAY 2021 Email TTA at: info@ttaonline.org
The Official Publication of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association, the Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association and the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association
Tennessee Turfgrass is the official publication of The Tennessee Turfgrass Association 400 Franklin Road Franklin, Tennessee 37069 (615) 928-7001 info@ttaonline.org www.ttaonline.org PUBLISHED BY Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 info@leadingedgecommunications.com EDITOR Dr. James Brosnan TTA OFFICERS President Doug Ward Belle Meade Country Club (615) 292-6752 Vice President Chris Sykes Tellico Village (865) 458-5408 Secretary/Treasurer Ryan Storey Vanderbilt University (615) 343-6694 Past President Jason Pooler Tri-Turf Sod Farms, Inc (731) 642-3092 Executive Director Melissa Martin Tennessee Turfgrass Assn. (615) 928-7001 TTA 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ryan Blair, CGCS Jason Bradley Bart Cash Ashley Gaskin Cal Hill Jeff Huber Brad Jean Jeff Kuhns Jason Sanderson Mark Stovall John Wagnon Jeff Wyatt TTA ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Bill Blackburn Dr. Jim Brosnan Joe Hill Dr. Brandon Horvath Lynn Ray Jeff Rumph, CGCS Dr. Tom Samples Dr. John Sorochan Dr. Wes Totten
