California, United States: The United States Golf Association [USGA] will host a Pace and Innovation Symposium at Pasadena’s Brookside Golf Club.
The two-day symposium [January 19-20] will bring together experts and leaders from throughout the industry to share tools, insights, ideas and solutions that can help golf facilities enhance their operations and improve the golfer experience at their courses.
The symposium will focus on research, technology and case studies in areas such as course design, resource management and pace of play.
These innovations are expected to help facilities make their operations more efficient while also providing an enjoyable, sustainable product for their customers.
Teeing-off on day one will the USGA’s Rand Norris who will discuss the USGA’s Sustainability Initiative.
Fellow USGA officials Jim Moore and Matt Pringle will follow up with presentations on ‘Resource Management Tool’ and ‘Flagstick Tool’ respectively.
The morning session will be completed with an update on the USGA-University of Minnesota research partnership by Jerris and Brian Horgan, from the University of Minnesota.
After lunch, presentations will be made by Henry DeLozier and Stephen Johnston from Global Golf Advisors [Financial Model for Pace of Play], Southern California Golf Association’s Craig Kessler [Community Relations], The R&A’s Grant Moir [Pace Around the World] and the French Golf Federation’s Christophe Muniesa [Urban Facility Development].
Course design and management will be the focus for day two with Chad Ritterbusch from the American Society of Golf Course Architects [ASGCA] setting the ball rolling [Redesign Opportunities].
Other morning speakers are the ASGCA’s Jeff Blume [Impact of Design on Pace of Play], Forrest Richardson [Turf Removal] and Todd Eckenrode [Southern California Turf Removal Case Studies].
Rounding out the symposium will be a discussion on three-hole and six-hole loops.