Courses

Welcome to My Learning Hub, powered by GCSAA's Professional Development Department.

Choose Log in in the upper right hand corner and you will be able to Register for On Demand webinars.

Events in which you’ve registered in the past appear under My Training.

Switch your catalog to Programs to find the certificates that are part of the Assistant Superintendent Certificate Series (ASCS).

The U.S. has experienced some severe storms this season with the potential for more remaining. Ron Wright, CGCS, updates this webinar from our series on disasters to help you create or update your emergency response plan.

Each webinar in the series is designed to focus on a single crisis type. You'll hear what happened, what plan was in place and what the CGCS in charge learned and now recommends. In Wright’s case, he experienced several hurricanes first hand at the Country Club of Mobile. During this quick hour, he’ll cover tips for clean-up, how best-laid plans may need to adapt, and review systems and plans you’ll want to put in place as soon as you can. 

In this 60-minute webinar, Beth Guertal, Ph.D., covers (briefly) the history of N fertilizers, and their use and their development. A few commonly used N fertilizers will also be discussed, with recent research in environmental fate mentioned. This is less a specific turfgrass talk (with rates and sources) but more of general background introduction to N fertilizers.

In order for trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines and other ornamentals to be successful on the golf course, they must be well sited, planted properly and provided with the initial appropriate care. In this 60-minute webinar, John Fech covers many components to providing a good start.

Maintained turf is critical to the playing field of golf and provides a valuable green space in urban environments. There are other elements to the golf course that can provide pollinator and wildlife habitat. You can learn more about it and what you can do from Jay McCurdy, Ph.D., as he covers interesting aspects of sustainability in this 40-minute presentation.

The Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW) has a known destructive preference for annual bluegrass. Can this be harnessed for good? Researchers evaluated withholding ABW control; in this 40-minute webinar, Katie Diehl explains.

Over the past 30 years, turfgrass management strategies have gone from IPM to sustainability to BMP. In this 60-minute webinar, Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., covers the transition. Nikolai begins with the history of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers then moves along to their impact on the planet and the goal of decreasing irrigation inputs. He also looks at BMPs that increase turfgrass performance and minimize inputs.

Facility BMP Plans provide many benefits for the superintendent, the superintendent profession, the golf facility and the golf course industry. GCSAA has received funding from the USGA and PGA Tour, but superintendents must participate in order for the industry to be successful.  Join J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., for this hour-long webinar to learn why having a written facility plan is so important.

Ponds and other water bodies bring both beauty and benefit to the golf course. Different types of algae can disrupt that beauty and become problematic. Erwin McKone, CGCS, leads this 90-minute webinar to review the role of algae in the aquatic ecosystem. Classic and alternative treatments of algal blooms will be examined. McKone will explain ways this has changed in the ten years that have transpired since he first taught on this topic, including new permitting issues. Join us to make sure your management program is up-to-date.

Among the biggest projects any turf manager may undertake will be a new irrigation system. While many shy away from playing an active role in the system’s design, Ashley Wilkinson explains why and how you should help in planning for such a large construction project in this 90-minute webinar.
This course was Live captioned when recorded.

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The need for state-level best management practices (BMP) programs is greater than ever. Many golf courses in urban environments are seen as much less than the positive green spaces we know them to be. In this 90-minute webinar, J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., and Stacey Kingsbury will cover the nuts and bolts of BMP planning and development.

This recording has the option to play closed captions.

Soil aeration is key to growing healthy turf that is better able to withstand biotic and abiotic stressors. The ever-increasing pressure for pristine conditions coupled with recent advances in technology have prompted golf course superintendents to rethink their aeration practices. In this 90-minute webinar, J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., discusses the principles behind good soil aeration and shares some novel approaches, too.

There are 3 chronic issues in turfgrass management:

Drainage, Air movement, Shade

This second in the series of one-hour webinars is Air Movement with Bud White.

This series was Live captioned when recorded.

In this 60-minute webinar, Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., reviews the importance of facility BMP plans and what’s involved in using the new Facility BMP Tool. The online tool can help you develop a BMP manual for your facility based upon your state’s BMP program. You’ll see how to use the work done at the state level – Unruh will demonstrate how you can copy, create and adapt your state’s manual for your facility. Having a written facility manual documents and supports your professional course management while providing the means to educate management, golfers and the public. Unruh demonstrates how easy the tool is to use once your state plan is in place. Watch to see the steps involved.

J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., provides important facts from the Golf Course Environmental Profile that are used to advocate for the golf course industry, superintendent profession and game. Learn up-to-date information about water use and management trends across the nation and how you can incorporate this data as you move forward.

Soil reaction (aka soil pH) is frequently managed to improve turfgrass health. Many golf course superintendents submit soil samples to soil testing laboratories for routine pH analysis in an effort to determine and implement pH management strategies.  In this 90-minute webinar, Lee Berndt, Ph.D., provides information on how to submit soil samples for analysis, how soil testing labs actually measure pH of samples, and how to interpret the results of pH analyses.

The Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW) is not a new pest, but it may be new to your golf course. In this 60-minute webinar, Albrecht Koppenhofer, Ph.D., reviews new findings on and improvements for monitoring and sampling of ABW adults and larvae.

In this 90-minute webinar, Chase Straw, Ph.D., provides details about using soil moisture sensors and mapping technologies now available to reduce water consumption. Listen in to learn more about strategies you can use to be more precise with irrigation at your golf course.

Jay Randolph, CGCS, reviews actions taken in restoration of this property that also kept a playable golf course intact during this 90-minute webinar. Listen in to get tips on seed collection, how to update mowing practices and perform prescribed burns to ensure your prairie wildlife can also benefit from your grassland management.

This recording has the option to play closed captions.

Sand topdressing putting greens has proven to be a valuable management practice that yields several benefits, both agronomic and from a playability perspective. As putting green grasses have become denser and finer-textured, it is often a challenge to incorporate topdressing sand into the putting green canopy. In this 90-minute webinar, Douglas Karcher, Ph.D., focuses on the major objectives for your putting green sand topdressing program.