Curling for Ice Research

Last Friday, there was a fund raiser for research on ice damage on turf. The event was put on through the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association at the Detroit Curling Club. While we at Huron Hills and Leslie Park escaped massive turf injury, many golf courses in south east Michigan lost grass due to being under ice for up to 10 weeks last year. The Michigan Turfgrass Foundation (MTF) and Michigan State University have made it a priority to stop further issues like this in the future.

One of the ways the MTF has done this is by purchasing a Low Temperature Chamber for winterkill research. The money raised by this event will go toward more equipment and other supplies for Dr. Frank to use for this effort. (I paid for the event using my own money, no city funds were used, FWIW.)

The 32 MiGCSA members pose for a group photo.

Receiving instruction from DCC members.

Learning the finer points of sweeping the stones.

It was a lot to take in. It is not as easy as it looks.

My first try in "the hack."

The man on the right is Dr. Frank. Greg Pattinson (Superintendent at Indianwood) and I scored 7 points here against Dr. Frank and his team. There are only 8 possible points in an end, btw.