Much of the work on the grounds is for aesthetic purposes. Greens are about performance.

"If you talk to a golfer, they want to know green speeds," said Kevin Mathias, a turfgrass management professor at the University of Maryland who helps with the greens for local PGA events. "You could have a brown green from a golfer's perspective, but if it's smooth, they're fine."

The greens are mowed to seven-sixty-fourths of an inch -- and never with a riding mower, so as not to damage the green -- and measured for speed.

Mathias lifts a chute 20 degrees and rolls three balls down it. Each should roll 12 1/2 feet. On Friday morning, the balls roll just 11 feet. Moisture from rain showers created increased friction.

That means the crew must "roll the greens," which smooths the grass and increases the speed by as much as a foot.

"Sometimes we won't roll if there are greens that are faster than others," said Lucas Black, 20, the application foreman and a former Mathias student. "We'll skip the roll so we catch the other ones up and keep them consistent."

The location of the cups changes daily on each hole. Andy Stair, 21, an intern from the University of Connecticut, entrenches a cylinder apparatus into the ground, lifting the piece of earth. Roland Weeden, 26, a full-time employee, plants the cup and the flag in its place. For July 4, it is a U.S. flag.

Later in the day, a man such as Marion Toms, 65, collects the flags. Toms collected the flags the night before, driving his golf cart from hole to hole. Whether he is gathering the flags or finding the tees, Toms has arrived to work at Congressional for 46 years without complaint.

"It's something different every day," Toms said. "You never know what's going to happen. Mother Nature rules."

The University of Connecticut Turf Club would like to thank the Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents for providing funding to students attending the 14th annual GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl in Orlando, FL. Through their generous support, the Turf Club was able to send ten members to the collegiate competition. A lot of hard work went into preparing for the 4-hour exam, as review sessions started meeting last fall. The hard work paid off as this year’s students placed very well among the record breaking 92 teams participating in the competition. UConn’s top team, consisting of David Golembeski, Brian Tencza, Benjamin Goossen, and David McIntyre finished in 12th place among all undergraduate teams. A second team of Andrew Stair, Jonathan Wilber-Suchanek, Robert Deasy, and Sara Paetsch also had a strong showing, finishing 31st. In addition to the undergraduates, graduate students Alex Putman (advised by John Kaminski) and Nate Miller (advised by Jason Henderson) took the top spot among all competing graduate students. Teams from Iowa State (1st), Purdue (2nd - 4th), and Penn State (5th) took the top five spots.

In addition to participating in the Turf Bowl, David Golembeski received an individual honor. David was recognized for his academic achievements by receiving the coveted Mendenhall Award. This scholarship is the top award given out by the GCSAA’s Scholarship Program, and is just one of many awards David has received in his time at the University of Connecticut.

Additional support was provided by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Emmanuel “Mike” Hirth Family Endowment Fund Scholarship, and the Albert Mann Memorial Fund Scholarship. Again, the Turf Club would like to thank all those that contributed to this experience. This opportunity would not have been possible without your continued support.

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has awarded scholarship money to 16 college students as part of the Scholars Program administered by the GCSAA's philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf.

The first-place winner, David Golembeski, will receive a $6,000 scholarship as the Mendenhall Award Winner. The second-place winner, William Overly, receives a $5,000 award and is designated as the recipient of the MacCurrach Award. The MacCurrach Award is funded by the PGA Tour.

Golembeski, of New Milford, Conn., is a senior majoring in turfgrass and soil science at the University of Connecticut. Overly, who hails from Louisburg, Kan., is a senior majoring in golf course management at Kansas State University. Both of them will also receive an all-expense-paid trip to the GCSAA Education Conference (January 28-February 2) and Golf Industry Show (January 31-February 2) in Orlando.

Shane Brockhoff (Iowa State), Carole Townsend (Lake City Community College), Chris Parsons (Michigan State), Ian Gallagher (Ohio State), Meghyn Stalcup (Tarleton State), Gregory Caldwell (Virginia Tech), Christopher Skvir (Rutgers), Tyler Wenger (Michigan State), Jonathan Chase Webb (Florida) and Nathaniel Watkin (Lake City Community College) were each awarded stipends ranging from $1,250 to $2,500.

Richard Gillispie (Maryland) and Jon Cancel (California State Polytechnic-Pomona) won $500 each as Merit Winners. Luis M. Casado and Roque Buendia-Perez, international students at Michigan State, were both awarded $2,000 Ambassador Scholarships by GCSAA.

The GCSAA Scholars Program, funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment, was developed to recognize outstanding students planning careers in golf course management. Winners were selected to receive scholarship awards based on the final ranking in a competition judged by GCSAA's Scholarship Committee that factors academic achievement, potential to become a leading professional, employment history, extracurricular activities, the recommendation of a superintendent with whom the student has worked, and a current academic advisor.

Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to golf/turf management and be a GCSAA member. Undergraduate applicants must have successfully completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study in an appropriate major.

The Mendenhall Award is given in memory of the late Chet Mendenhall, a pioneer in the golf course management industry. A native of Kingman, Kan., Mendenhall's upbringing on an Oklahoma farm served him well. His career in working with the land began in 1920 as an employee of the Wichita (Kan.) Parks and Forestry Department, where he designed and built his first course despite having no previous experience with the game.

In 1928, Mendenhall accepted an invitation to become superintendent at Wichita Country Club. It was during his tenure there that Mendenhall assisted California-based golf course architect Billy Bell in designing and constructing a new course. Taken by the process, Mendenhall entered night school to learn surveying, drafting, bookkeeping and other related subjects.

He moved in 1934 to the Kansas City, Mo., area, where he served as superintendent of the Mission Hills Country Club for 31 years until his retirement in 1965. Mendenhall was a charter member of GCSAA and his service to his profession included serving as a director of the GCSAA from 1940-46, vice president in 1947 and president in 1948. He received the GCSAA's Distinguished Service Award in 1986, and in 1990 the USGA honored him with its Green Section Award. Mendenhall passed away in 1991 and was inducted into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame in 1996.

Recognized for his expertise in the turf management field, Allan MacCurrach began his career as a superintendent at Valley Country Club in Warwick, R.I., in 1962. In 1972, he became the 45th person to receive the title of Certified Golf Course Superintendent from GCSAA. MacCurrach became the PGA Tour's first agronomist in 1974 and played a leading role in establishing a standard of excellence for course conditioning at PGA Tour events. MacCurrach was named senior agronomist in 1988 and in 1994 received the GCSAA's Distinguished Service Award. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 57.

By Thomas Barry

I graduated from the University of Connecticut’s turfgrass science program with a Master of Science degree in December of 2006. Upon graduating, I took the position of Assistant Superintendent at Elleair Maui Golf Club in Kihei, Hawaii working under Head Superintendent, Bryan Taylor. Elleair is an 18 hole public golf course currently undergoing some major renovations to the design and layout with an ongoing attempt to improve its reputation. My experience working in Hawaii has been a positive one and I owe much of my success to the University of Connecticut. The turfgrass science program at the University of Connecticut is geared towards producing well-rounded students. Emphasis is placed on both classroom education and field experience. Internships are considered extremely important by the turfgrass faculty and every student is assisted with finding the right internship for their interests. Students are encouraged to aim high and follow their passion when finding a job upon graduation.

As a graduate student in the program, I was given the chance to teach the Introductory Turfgrass Science course and also serve as a Turfgrass Technician at the University’s research farm, assisting faculty members with research projects. The transition from student to Assistant Superintendent has been a smooth one on account of my educational experience at the University of Connecticut. The field experience I gained through internships and classroom education has certainly made me a more qualified and confident turf manager. I have moved from working with cool-season grasses to an all bermudagrass golf course with little difficulty. Management skills and business savvy I acquired at UConn have been vital to decision making and crew supervision which I encounter every day. The personal relationships I made during my time at the University of Connecticut have made me a better individual. I owe a debt of gratitude to the program and the great individuals who helped me along the way.

By Steve Rackliffe

A collaborative effort between the Connecticut DEP and the UConn Turfgrass Science program was established to provide students the opportunity to take the Connecticut Pesticide Operators exam on the Storrs campus. Students taking and passing the exam will be issued a Connecticut Operators license. Graduating students, and students preparing for field internships that have obtained their operators certification will be qualified to apply pesticides under the direction of a licensed supervisor. The Operators Certification focuses on pesticide safety, reading pesticide labels, and Connecticut pesticide law. UConn graduates holding a pesticide operators license will be much more competitive in the job market. Licensed interns would be able to apply pesticides on their internships. The collaborative effort between DEP and the University of Connecticut Turfgrass Science Program benefits both the student and the field supervisor. It is our goal to have UConn graduates and interns enter the workforce with the education and credentials that will allow them to be competitive and successful.