International Turfgrass Research Initiative Announces First Three Funded Projects
These projects address critical priorities shared by STERF, The R&A and the USGA:
- Integrated pest management and reduction of inputs
- Water conservation and efficiency
- Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and landscape values
- Climate adaptation and carbon balance
The funded projects are:
- Pathways to a climate positive future for golf, Michal Becken, Ph.D., Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
- Integrating alternative strategies to improve the sustainable management of dollar spot, Paul Koch Ph. D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Leveraging Satellite Data for Water Conservation on Golf Course Fairway, Qiyu Zhou, Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Maria Strandberg, STERF Director, said, “Climate change is driving significant shifts in natural ecosystems and environmental conditions, which affect the golf industry worldwide, and international collaboration is the only viable strategy to meet these challenges.
“All three ITRI projects are globally relevant and mobilize teams of qualified researchers representing different parts of the world. This collaboration will lead to new important knowledge and tools, and to a more efficient use of expertise and resources.”
John Kemp, Assistant Director – Sustainable Golf Development at The R&A, said, “From the outset, the ITRI initiative has demonstrated our industry’s collective aim to advance sustainable management of golf courses for the future. We are excited about the potential of the three successful projects to develop practical solutions with global relevance.”
“The USGA is happy to contribute to the ITRI as part of our €2 million annual investment in turfgrass research,” added Cole Thompson, Ph.D., Director of USGA Green Section Research.
“It has been a pleasure working with STERF and The R&A to align our research priorities to fund international research projects that address critical topics important to the future of golf. We estimate that the long-term funding of this type of research provides an annual $2 billion benefit to the US golf industry and I’m confident that results from these projects will similarly contribute and help golf course owners and operators, as well as other turfgrass industry professionals, meet the challenges ahead.
“We are very fortunate to be able to engage with and leverage the expertise of so many talented scientists and turfgrass industry professionals to advance our mission, and greatly appreciate the time everyone has given to the ITRI.”
Funded Projects:
Selected projects will begin next year and represent a shared €750,000 investment by STERF, The R&A and USGA through 2028. Each project has a detailed dissemination plan to ensure that research results are published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated to stakeholders and practitioners as management guides and even decision-support tools. Annual reports of progress from each project will be freely available.
Pathways to a climate positive future for golf, Michal Becken, Ph.D, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Pathways to a climate-positive future for golf aims to develop models and methods to estimate with high accuracy the carbon sequestration and emission rates of golf courses around the world. The results produced by this study will be able to guide climate-smart decision making across the global golf industry.
Michael Bekken, Ph.D., research scientist at NIBIO, said, “In putting together the team for this work, I was excited by the number of people that I reached out to around the world that were interested in participating the project. Our project team brings together scientists from seven different countries and eleven different institutions.
“The goals of our project are to provide the golf industry with a clear framework and protocol that will allow for the high-quality estimation of the golf course carbon balance at any course around the world. Funding from STERF, the R&A, and USGA through the ITRI program provides us with a level of funding that will allow for significant advancements in our understanding of the golf course carbon balance at the global scale. The whole project team and I are excited to get started on the project very soon.”
Integrating alternative strategies to improve the sustainable management of dollar spot, Paul Koch Ph. D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dollar spot is among the most economically important diseases of golf courses in the world, and its severity continues to increase in response to climate change. This project brings together an experienced team of researchers from the US, UK, Norway and Germany with the overall goal of developing more sustainable dollar spot management strategies. Research projects will use the latest advancements in disease modelling, robotics and alternative fungal suppressants to develop an integrated dollar spot control strategy for turfgrass managers around the world.
“Dollar spot has become a global problem on golf course turfgrass and it requires a global solution,” said Paul Koch, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Dept. of Plant Pathology and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “With fungicide resistance increasing and fewer new fungicides coming to market, turfgrass managers need new strategies to manage this disease. This project will harness a range of new technologies from disease modelling to autonomous robotics to develop integrated, sustainable strategies for dollar spot management that can be immediately put to use by turfgrass managers around the world.”
Leveraging Satellite Data for Water Conservation on Golf Course Fairway, Qiyu Zhou, Ph.D., North Carolina State University
This project aims to develop daily, high-resolution soil moisture maps from satellite data and creates a user-friendly web for large-scale turfgrass areas such as golf course fairways. By enabling precision irrigation, it will conserve water, reduce costs and support sustainable turfgrass management worldwide.
Qiyu Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University said, “We are grateful for ITRI’s support, which allows us to explore innovative, satellite-based solutions for water conservation in turfgrass systems. Our goal is to give superintendents simple, practical tools to manage water more efficiently while keeping turf healthy and sustainable for the future.”
View more information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLZRZY0lRw8&list=PLlH2l3LGnykeG6yPyOXiHRzVSbHVQDi-s
Ends.
About the International Turfgrass Research Initiative (ITRI)
Launched in 2024, ITRI is a joint effort by STERF, The R&A and USGA to support internationally relevant, applied turfgrass research. Its mission is to deliver science-based knowledge and practical tools that enable the golf and turf industries to reduce resource use, adapt to climate change and contribute positively to ecosystems.
For more information:
Maria Strandberg
STERF Director, Past President ITS
maria.strandberg@golf.se
John Kemp
Assistant Director – Sustainable Golf Development, The R&A
johnkemp@randa.org
Cole Thompson, Ph.D.
Director of Research, Green Section, USGA
cthompson@usga.org
