CONTACT: Dr. J. C. Chong, (843) 665-3526, ext. 224; juanghc@clemson.edu

DATE: 7/2/2007

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241; tlollis@clemson.edu

Clemson’s turfgrass event is Aug. 20-21

FLORENCE – South Carolina’s turfgrass professionals will be focusing on Clemson University’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center Aug. 20-21, dates for the statewide Turfgrass Field Day.

“Participants have a chance to play in a golf tournament one day and view turfgrass research the next,” said J.C. Chong, entomologist for turfgrass and ornamental plants at the Pee Dee REC.

The South Carolina Turfgrass Foundation will sponsor the annual Charles P. Willimon Golf Tournament on Aug. 20 at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence beginning at 1 p.m. The registration fee is $100 per person, or $400 for a foursome. The registration fee includes one round of golf, a cart, prizes and refreshments.

The field tour will begin at 8 a.m. on Aug. 21 at the Pee Dee REC. Registration will be $35 per person or $7 per student. The fee covers a tour of research plots and facilities, a program book, refreshments and lunch.

Following lunch two workshops will be offered. At 1:30 p.m. Steven Kammerer of Syngenta will talk about selecting the right nozzle and proper calibration. At 2:30 p.m. Cecil Hernandez of the S.C. Department of Pesticide Regulation will talk about changes in pesticide laws and pesticide safety.

GCSAA Education Units and Pesticide Recertification Units will be offered for participants.

The pre-registration deadline for the golf tournament and field day is Aug. 1. Fees may be paid by check, payable to the S.C. Turfgrass Foundation, or by credit card. For registration information, contact, Sam Cheatham, executive director for the foundation, P.O. Box 1061, Lexington, SC 29071, or e-mail scturfgrassfoundation@alltel.net.

For information on the field tour, contact J.C. Chong at (843) 662-3526, ext. 224, or e-mail juanghc@clemson.edu.

More than 20,000 full time employees work in turf in South Carolina in areas ranging from golf course management, lawn care, and sports turf maintenance to sod production, fertilizer and pesticide supplies, and equipment and irrigation supplies.

“Turfgrass has about $1.5 billion in economic impact on the state’s economy,” said Chong. Approximately 420 golf courses in the state generate more than $500 million in tax revenue each year.

“ Myrtle Beach is the second most popular golf vacation destination in the nation next to Florida and has the highest density of golf courses per capita in the world,” he said.

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