Written by: Dr. Jay Hobgood, Ohio State University

SUMMARY

The average temperature is expected to be below normal for May, with below normal precipitation. 

DETAILS

An upper level trough will linger over the northeast U.S. during the first half of May. The trough will produce cool, cloudy weather in Ohio during the early part of the month. Northerly winds will transport cooler air from Canada over Ohio during the first half of May. The upper level trough will move away later in the month and warmer air will return to the state. A sequence of Canadian air masses will make the average temperature below normal for Ohio during May.  

Although the upper level trough will produce a cloudy start to May, the air from Canada will be relatively dry, so, precipitation will be light during the first half of the month. A few sunny days will break up the cloudy stretches whenever the driest air is over Ohio. A couple of storms could produce heavier rain later in the month, but the total precipitation for May will be below normal.

Written by Jay Hobgood, Ph. D., The Ohio State University

Summary:

The average temperature for January is projected to be above normal for the month with above normal precipitation as well.

Details:

Near record warmth will be over Ohio during the first few days of January. A ridge over the southeastern U.S. will produce southerly winds that will transport unseasonably warm air to Ohio to start the new year. The ridge will break down after a few days. A strong west to east jet stream will carry a series of weather systems across our area during the rest of January. 

The weather systems will cause fluctuations between warm and cold temperatures every few days. The coldest air will stay north of Ohio for most of the month. The average temperature for the month of January will be above normal.

The fast jet stream will also carry a series of storms across Ohio during January. Southerly winds ahead of the storms will carry moist air to the state. Most of the precipitation will fall as rain and the total precipitation for January will be above normal.

Chapter GOLD partner, Tenbarge Seed, will be hosting a series of monthly webinars beginning September 8th. For more information, visit tenbargeseeds.com or view the image below.

The Central Ohio GCSA has awarded its 2020 Glenn B. Hudson Memorial Scholarships to four deserving students pursuing careers in the turfgrass industry. These scholarships are given in the memory of Glenn B. Hudson, a World War II veteran and golf course superintendent whose achievements and dedication to the industry helped develop a stronger superintendent community in Central Ohio. This year, a total of $8,000 was awarded with individual scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $1,000 each.

The 2020 outstanding recipients are as follows:

PARKER BANEY, The Ohio State University Parker is relatively new to the industry having started his first golf course job earlier in 2020 at The Golf Club. Because he enjoyed the work so much, Parker changed majors at Ohio State to pursue a career as a golf course superintendent. Parker is a member of the Ohio State Turf Club and enjoys playing golf, trap shooting, and attending OSU football and basketball games (when possible!).
RACHAEL CLINE, The Ohio State University Rachael is a senior at Ohio State and is currently the Turf Club President. She was a member of the varsity rowing team from 2017-2018 and a member of Athletes in Action. Rachael's professional aspirations are focused on managing professional athletic fields, an area she has been introduced to through The Ohio Program as an intern with Everton F.C. in Liverpool, UK and here in Ohio as a part of the grounds crew with the Columbus Crew. Upon graduation, Rachael plans to join former Crew Stadium field manager, Weston Appelfeller as an assistant manager with the new MLS stadium in Austin, Texas.
DANIEL RUSSELL, The Ohio State University Daniel has been heavily entrenched in the superintendent community as the son of River Greens Golf Course superintendent, Lee Russell. He has been a part of the grounds crew at River Greens since 2016 and served as a volunteer at the Memorial Tournament in 2019. Russell is the OSU Turf Club Treasurer, house manager of the Delta Theta Sigma fraternity, and member of the OSU Bass Fishing Club. Daniel looks forward to applying the lessons learned at Ohio State and from work experiences as a future golf course superintendent.
JAMES SCHON, The Ohio State University - ATI James began working on a golf course in 2016 at Avon Oaks Country Club in Avon, Ohio under superintendent Terry Boehm. Boehm encouraged him to follow his passion and so James enrolled at OSU ATI to pursue a career as a golf course superintendent. Recently, Schon has assisted ATI's Dr. Zane Raudenbush as a Turfgrass Research Assistant, studying silvery thread moss control in creeping bentgrass putting greens. He also worked as a summer intern at Scioto Country Club in 2020 and will be joining the club as a second assistant upon graduation. Schon was a volunteer at the 2020 Memorial Tournament, enjoys running, and playing golf.

Congratulations to all of our recipients!

The primary source of funding for these scholarships comes from our Glenn B. Hudson Memorial Fund Scholarship Outing which takes place every three years. The next scholarship outing will take place on June 14, 2021 at Jefferson Country Club.

To learn more about the Glenn B. Hudson Memorial Scholarship, visit COGCSA.org.

With the Ohio Department of Agriculture recently approving LIVE online training, several opportunities have opened up for Ohio applicators to earn credits in the coming weeks. One of those opportunities is the Conference Comes to You program presented by the Carolinas GCSA in conjunction with a local partnership with the Central Ohio GCSA.

Members of the COGCSA can register for sessions at the reduced member rate. In addition to saving on your registration, a portion of each registration comes back to the chapter to help support local initiatives such as scholarships, research projects, and other industry giving like the Wee One Foundation and OPARR support.

Central Ohio GCSA members should select our chapter and enter the code which was emailed to you (if you need your code, contact Brian at blaurent@propelsolutionsllc.com).

Upcoming ODA credit sessions include:

November 30th | 1:00 - 3:00 pm
The Challenge of Nematodes in Turf
Bruce Martin, Ph.D.
ODA Category 8 - 2 hours

December 1st | 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Plant Growth Regulators for Fine Warm-Season Turf
Jim Brosnan, Ph.D.
ODA Category 8 - 2 hours

December 3rd | 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Plant Growth Regulators for Fine Cool-Season Turf
Bill Kreuser, Ph.D & Doug Soldat, Ph.D.
ODA Category 8 - 2 hours

Many other outstanding sessions are available as part of Conference Comes to You! Check out the full line-up at ConferenceComesToYou.org.

Congratulations to our 2020 Jack Kidwell Award recipient, Mark Novotny, CGCS! Mark was presented with the award during the Central Ohio GCSA Annual Meeting at the Double Eagle Club on Monday, November 16th.

Mark began his career in the industry as a crew member at Mahoning Country Club in Northeast Ohio. He received a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Management from Youngstown State and later earned his degree in Agronomy from Ohio State.

After earning his agronomy degree, Mark joined the team at New Albany Country Club where he was an assistant superintendent under Tony Mancuso. In October of 1996, Mark was hired as the superintendent at Westchester Golf Course in Canal Winchester, a position he held until his retirement in August of 2020.

Mark earned his Certified Golf Course Superintendent designation in 1999 and served two terms as a board member of the COGCSA chapter.

During Mark's career, he has served as a mentor to many aspiring superintendents and wrote numerous articles on golf course maintenance which were published in various industry publications.

The Board of Directors and membership of the Central Ohio GCSA congratulate and thank Mark Novotny, CGCS for his service and dedication to our superintendent community.

With ODA's recent approval of live online training, we've applied for and received approval for the following credit for upcoming Conference Comes To You sessions:

11/5/20
Advanced Weed Management - Warm Season
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/9/20
Fungicide Program Development & Dealing with Bugs & Crud in Cool-Season Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/10/20
Aquatic Plant Management - An Introduction to Keeping Your Ponds Free of Unsightly Plants & Algae
Cat. 3A - 2 hrs

11/12/20
Advanced Weed Management - Cool Season
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/13/20
Poa Resistance
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/17/20
Advanced & Cost Effective Management of Insect Pests of Warm Season Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/19/20
Annual Bluegrass Weevil Master Class: Proactive Management for Ever-Changing Environments
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

11/20/20
Understanding Pesticide Behavior to Optimize Applications & Minimize Collateral Damage
Core - 2 hrs

11/30/20
The Challenge of Managing Nematodes in Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/1/20
PGRs for Fine Warm-Season Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/3/20
PGRs for Fine Cool-Season Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/7/20
Making Herbicides Work and Why They Sometimes Fail
Core - 2 hrs

12/8/20
Getting to the Root of Managing Soilborne Diseases - Warm Season
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/10/20
Getting to the Root of Managing Soilborne Diseases - Cool Season
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/14/20
Bentgrass Selection Management
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

12/17/20
Holy Grail - Cool Season Turf
Cat. 8 - 2 hrs

Register online at conferencecomestoyou.org! As Conference Comes To You partners, COGCSA members were emailed a registration code to receive membership pricing.

For those of you interested in virtual education, we are excited to partner with the Carolinas GCSA and dozens of other chapters across the country, as well as the British International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), to bring you virtual education this fall and winter.

Conference Comes to You is a series of 30 talks over 30 weekdays beginning November 2nd (taking one week off for Thanksgiving).

More information about the program, including how to register and get our chapter discount, will be emailed to our members very soon.

Visit conferencecomestoyou.org for more information!

GCSAA knows your lives and businesses have been affected by the global COVID-19 Pandemic. While there is no lack of general information about the virus and its widespread impact, we wanted to provide you with resources specific to golf and business operations to assist you as golfers get back on the course. Check back as resources will be added regularly. 

GCSAA Back2Golf Resources

Many GCSAA members have had their lives impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The GCSAA Disaster Relief Fund is now providing financial assistance to those affected by the crisis.

GCSAA will provide up to $500 to members who have experienced the loss of their jobs, layoffs or have been unable to work due to the effects of COVID-19. Funds can be used for items such as, but not limited, to groceries, medication, fuel, personal bills and childcare.

Any GCSAA member is eligible for this assistance, excluding the Friend of the Golf Course Superintendent classification.

• Assistance will be processed on a first-come, first serve basis. Members must contact GCSAA at 800-472-7878 or email mbrhelp@gcsaa.org.
• Members are also welcome to submit names of GCSAA members they may know who need assistance.

GCSAA's goal is to provide financial assistance as quickly as possible.

Donations made to the fund are an opportunity for those in the golf industry to directly assist their peers and are tax deductible. The fund is administered through GCSAA's philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf. You can donate today at https://environmental-institute-for-golf.snwbll.com/disaster-relief-fund-giving-portal or by texting Disaster to 785-693-2593 and following the link in the response.

Visit https://www.gcsaa.org/about-gcsaa/gcsaa-disaster-relief-fund for more information.