Turf Science Seminars at Tokyo

The third and concluding day of ATC’s Turf Science Seminar 2010 series was held on 15 April at Shinjuku. We discussed management of the turfgrass surface environment to create the desired playing surface. Because of the high summer temperatures in Japan, and in particular the high nighttime temperatures in July and August, special care must be taken to prepare for and then to manage the turfgrass through periods of stress.

These seminars were a great success. They were fun, interactive, and packed full of science-based information about turfgrass management for greenkeepers in Japan. We had 220 paying delegates at these seminars which were held on 18 January, 15 March, and 15 April at the Shinjuku Maynds Tower. From the 15^th floor seminar room, we had views of Mt. Fuji, greater Shinjuku, and the Tokyo Tower. The first seminar provided an overview of turfgrass science principles that every greenkeeper should be aware of. At the 15 March seminar we talked about managing the soil environment, and this week’s seminar discussed issues such as data collection and setting playability standards, improving turfgrass stress tolerance, developing disease management plans, and nutrient management. Each seminar concluded with a case study in which participants worked through real-life scenarios and developed a plan to solve turfgrass management problems.

Reviews of the seminars have been extraordinary. A survey of the seminar participants found that over 90% strongly agree that this seminar is valuable for their business and more than 85% want to join future seminars. The seminars were sponsored by Simplot, Syngenta, and Toro; through the support of those companies, the registration fee was reduced to a very affordable ¥2,500.

The translator for these seminars was the inimitable Ueno Yukio (see below). We have had a chance to work together many times: at the TT Tour at Thailand in 2008, at the Kanto Golf Association seminar, in these seminars, and in the monthly article I write for Golf Course Seminar magazine. To Mr. Ueno, the sponsors, and especially all the greenkeepers who took the time and effort to attend these seminars, I wish to say thank you, and let’s do this again next winter!