News
OGSA conference features three days of education sessions

The Ontario Golf Course Management Conference returns to Niagara Falls Jan. 17-19 with three consecutive days of educational seminars addressing trending topics.

Five of the sessions will reward attendees with 1½ IPM accreditation points.

Keynote speaker for the conference, to be held at the Fallsview Casino Resort Conference Centre, is Dick Pound, founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and director of the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. He has been the International Olympic Committee’s top TV rights and sponsorship negotiator since the 1980s and has helped make the IOC into one of the richest sports organizations in the world. His work to clean up drug use in sports has made him an influential leader in both sports and business.

Pound’s presentation is scheduled for the second day of the conference, during the 7-9 a.m. breakfast.

Speakers and their topics include:

Day One, Tuesday, Jan. 17

• Communicating and leading during difficult circumstances. (Presented by Steve Randall, GCSAA field staff and Central Plains regional representative and associate director, chapter outreach)
• Google Drive for the turfgrass professional. (Presented by Jason VanBuskirk, superintendent, Stow Acres Country Club, Stow, Mass.; CEO and founder of Turf Cloud)
• Fungicide resistance management, 1.5 IPM. (Presented by Dr. Geunhwa Jung, University of Massachusetts, Stockbridge School of Agriculture)
• Plant growth regulators, 1.5 IPM. (Presented by Dr. Bill Kreuser, extension turfgrass specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Day Two, Wednesday, Jan. 18

• Plant health, 1.5 IPM. (Presented by Dr. Bill Kreuser, extension turfgrass specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
• An agronomic approach to managing patch diseases, 1.5 IPM. (Presented by Dr. Mike Agnew, technical manager, Syngenta Turf & Landscape)
• 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. (Presented by Mark Kuhns, director of grounds, Baltusrol Golf Club)
• Hosting the 2016 U.S. Open. (Presented by John Zimmers, superintendent, Oakmont Country Club)

Day Three, Thursday, Jan. 19

• Web strategy. (Presented by Jason VanBuskirk, superintendent, Stow Acres Country Club, Stow, Mass.; CEO and founder of Turf Cloud)
• Panel session. (Topics and panelists to be determined)
• The topdressing dilemma: achieving fast and firm greens, 1.5 IPM. (Presented by Dr. Normal Hummel, owner and president of Hummel & Co. Inc.)

Other conference features include an opening night dinner, a supplier luncheon with superintendents, OGSA meeting with regional association representatives and the OGSA annual general meeting.

For more information or to register, visit www.ogsa.ca.