Tee-Up New England! A new initiative to fund turfgrass research.

In late 2011 and 2012 the foundation put together a new turfgrass research funding initiative titled, "Tee-Up New England!"  It involved soliciting donations from local golf courses to be auctioned off online April 9-16th, 2012.  Proceeds would go to paying expenses and turfgrass research.  We began with 57 golf facilities donating 58 items.  Joseph Sprague, MGA and Bob Ward, RIGA helped enormously by informing their members and also the other 4 state golf associations about the upcoming auction.  A website (www.Tee-upnewengland.com) was created so golfers could view the list of participating golf courses.  Ads we taken out in some newspapers, emails were sent to potential golfers and the word was passed everywhere we could to get golfers to notice this opportunity.  Potential bidders had to register with the auctioneer in order to participate in the bidding process.  The auction kicked off on the 9th and almost immediately some of the items received bids.  Some good and some incredibly low.  As the week went on all items had bids on them.  It started to become a competition between clubs to see who golf course was going for higher money.  Approaching the closing hour on the 16th bidding picked up until finally all items were sold.  More than 150 registered bidders participated.  Sales were completed over the next 24 hours by credit card.  Then the task of getting player certificates to the winning bidders was done.  Hopefully by now all golfers have their certificates and have contacted the clubs to schedule their round.

We learned a lot from our first go round.  The great news is we had more than $13,000 in sales that represent 67% of retail.  Auction people tell me anytime you make over 60% it is a good auction especially with the type of products we were auctioning.  We hope we can encourage more golf courses to participate in 2013 so that we can raise needed research funding.  It is a great way to get your course involved in funding turfgrass research, a way to involve golfers to pay for turfgrass research, and even a way to give your course exposure.  Please contact us at Tee-Up New England either through www.nertf.org or at 401-841-5490 to make arrangements for your club to participate in 2013!

15^th Annual New England Regional Turfgrass
Conference and Show

The 15th show was a recognition of our
exhibitors who had been with us since 1998!

      Putting on a show is all about planning….Have you ever seen better February weather in Providence?  What a great week it was for the New England Regional Turfgrass Conference and Show!  We thank all attendees, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors for attending and supporting our trade show and conference again this year.  It was a landmark year for the show and we appreciate especially all those who have been coming each year since we began in 1998. 

Some highlights of the results are:

·         More than 400 seats were sold for 8 Seminars on Monday

·         An expanded session for Sports Turf on Tuesday was well received

·         Ray Bourque was mobbed after his presentation and several times on the trade show floor…I think they liked him!

·         More than 40 exhibitors were presented with commemorative Framed Brochure Covers thanking them for 15 years of support for the show.

·         Wednesday was busy with 4 Education Sessions both morning and afternoon, while the Trade Show kept buzzing

·         The auctions netted $18,000 this year and it has contributed more than $150,000 in Turf Research Funding over the last 8 years!

·         The Turf Bowl Crown was protected again for the fourth year in a row by UMass though UConn, URI and SUNY Colbleskill are getting closer!

·         Tee-Up New England! was introduced and support continues to grow for the new initiative!

·         Sponsors help to make the show again with: Two Receptions, Keynote Speaker, Early Morning Refreshments, Lanyards, Lunch Vouchers, Nine Holes, Show Program and Driving Range all sponsored!

·         NERTF has announced $129,767 in Research Funding for 2012.

These were just some of the great moments.  We thank all of our sponsors for their support to make each show all that much better with food, drink, auction items and prizes.  All our exhibitors also sponsor the show through booth space and attendance.  Many of them also invite guests to events and dinner during the week.  These types of things are what make the show an event of importance and enjoyment.  Building business relationships are important in an industry such as ours.  The city knows when the Turf Show is in town and they appreciate your participation in the City Restaurants and Attractions.   

     The 2012 show came early this year because of the change in dates by GCSAA.  It was a little tough to get used to that the show was starting on February 6 versus the first week of March that we had stuck to for the first 14 years.  But, everything came together as it normally does, just a month early.  We really appreciated you adjusting to the early dates especially our exhibitors.  We thank our speakers for their participation in the show and in the industry.  New England is a model region for the mutual cooperation it has established since 1998 bringing together 6 states and 4 shows for the greater good.  The industry has prospered the best it can in this tough economy partly due to the relationships established and the networking that is functioning from opportunities created at the show.  We hope everyone is marking their calendar for the 1^st week of March for the 16^th annual conference and show….the dates are March 4-7, 2013.  Have a Great Spring and we’ll see you in Providence again soon!

Gary Sykes, Executive Director

New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation