EYE ON BUSINESS
By Chris Hartwiger and Patrick O’Brien, USGA Green Section xperts say the first line in an article is critical to getting a reader’s attention. If the reader is not hooked at that point, he or she is gone. Therefore, we’re going to give you the goods right now. If you consider yourself a turfgrass professional, TGIF must become more than a day of the week or a local hangout. TGIF must become an indispensable resource for turfgrass information.
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TGI what? TGIF is the acronym for the Turfgrass Information File located at Michigan State University. The best description of TGIF is found on its own website (http://tic.msu.edu/about.html) and is reprinted with their permission below. “Between 1983 and 1992, the United States Golf Association (USGA) Turfgrass Research Program supported the development of the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF). Using the Noer Collection as a foundation, TGIF was designed to systematically inventory published turf research and make the bibliographic information available via a computerized database. The TGIF database is now accessible online through the World Wide Web. With over 100,000 searchable items using over 300,000 keywords, these resources cover the full scope of the turfgrass industry. This database monitors over 320 journals and magazines, research reports and conference proceedings. In addition, the database includes records for extension bulletins, books and book chapters, technical reports, theses and dissertations, webdocuments, published Q & As, scanned golf course plans and video interviews with 34
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selected members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, sample photographs from the Noer/Milorganite® Division MMSD Image Collection and more! The Turfgrass Information Center, the administrative unit that was created to manage and grow the Turfgrass Information File, has four primary functions: 1. Collect and preserve published and unpublished materials relating to turfgrass science, culture and the management of turfgrass-based facilities, such as golf courses, parks, sports fields, lawns, sod farms, roadsides, institutional grounds and other managed landscapes. 2. Provide and improve precise and structured online access to the collection, as well as available electronic and other turfgrass-related resources, via the World Wide Web. 3. Assist users of the collection and online system, by helping them to identify and locate materials that meet their needs. 4. Provide user workspace and cooperative electronic infrastructure in support of turfgrass scholarship.”
Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com