President’s Message

Hello members and friends,

I hope this message finds you all well and that your summer was successful, fun and relaxing. As I write this message, I am soon leaving for my annual summer vacation to the Finger Lakes Region of New York state. I always look forward to the slower lifestyle pace and the beautiful landscape that the region provides.

This summer I had the pleasure of visiting another beautiful landscape at the UMass Turf Day in Deerfield, MA. As always, this event is a rewarding and education packed day on the turf plots. I also enjoy this day for another reason, reflection on the past. Not only am I an alum of UMass and the Stockbridge School, as a kid my grandparents would take me up to the top of Mount Sugarloaf (a butte for those who remember from soils class) which overlooks the turf plots. I like to look up at the summit, remember those simpler days in life, and catch up with my grounds crew friends from Amherst College, the place where I was first introduced to Sports Turf Management.

As much as I was inspired back then, I know the Mark DeWolf Golf Tournament was a success and inspired two folks in the industry. Thank you to all those who participated and congratulations to our scholarship recipients Tessa Hospod and Trent Levesque. I find comfort in knowing we are inspiring a new generation of professionals and honoring the legacy of our friend Mark DeWolf.

As we conclude this year’s golf tournament, your Board members remain hard at work preparing for our next event and publication. Please mark your calendars for the Sports Field Forum on October 29 at Southern New Hampshire University. We are excited to share the opportunity to tour this campus and learn about the schools’ newest renovation projects. Thank you to James Gassman for hosting our community.

In this issue of The Blade, a special thank you to Scott Vose for his efforts to bring us an in-depth look at certified turfgrass seed production. We plan to bring more member specific content to future issues of The Blade. If you have a special project or something else you feel we would all benefit in learning about please share!

Cheers,

Art Goodhind

NE-SFMA President