Toro supports Rounds 4 Research with $50,000 grant

The Toro Company donated a $50,000 grant to the GCSAA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of American, in continued support of the Rounds 4 Research program. Toro has now donated $600,000 to the program over the past 12 years.

Rounds 4 Research is designed to address a critical shortage in turfgrass research funding by auctioning donated rounds of golf online. The program allows GCSAA chapters and turfgrass foundations to participate as fundraising partners and direct the proceeds from auctioned rounds to specific projects that will have the most significant impact in their local areas.

Since its launch in 2012, Rounds 4 Research has raised more than $3 million. The 2024 R4R auction will be held April 22-28.

“The Rounds 4 Research auction saw yet another record-breaking amount raised in 2023, and we would not have been able to accomplish it without help from Toro,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “Toro understands the importance of the program and has consistently been a key contributor to the success of R4R. We are grateful for their ongoing generosity and support.”

Toro is a longtime partner of the GCSAA Foundation, donating more than $2.6 million since 1987 to help support scientific research, education and scholarships for future turfgrass professionals. As the exclusive presenting partner of Rounds 4 Research, Toro is a Victory Club member of the GCSAA Foundation’s cumulative giving program and a GCSAA Platinum Partner.

“We are honored to be in partnership with GCSAA,” Toro Company Foundation president Marnie K. Wells said. “We recognize the importance of raising awareness in support of university-based agronomic research, education, advocacy programs and course operations. GCSAA’s commitment to excellence in golf course management aligns seamlessly with our own values, making this collaboration a natural and meaningful fit.”

Melrose Foundation recipients

In other news in advance of the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix, 10 GCSAA members will be able to attend the event thanks to funding from the Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation.

The Melrose Leadership Academy supports the professional development of GCSAA superintendent members while the Melrose Equipment Management Experience provides professional development for GCSAA equipment managers. Both programs are administered through the GCSAA Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA. The Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation was founded by the late Ken Melrose, former CEO and chairman of The Toro Company, and longtime friend and supporter of GCSAA.

The members of the 2024 Melrose Leadership Academy include Bill Abbe of East Hartford Golf Club in East Hartford, Connecticut; Jeremy Frisicaro of Bayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Randall Hess of Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania; Jason Narwold of Regatta Bay Golf and Yacht Club in Destin, Florida; and Jonathon Oppenheim of Knollwood Country Club in Granger, Indiana.

The members of the 2024 Melrose Equipment Management Experience include Ryan Deering of Rolling Green Country Club in Arlington Heights, Illinois; Jason Goebel of Voyager Village in Danbury, Wisconsin; Christopher Hyman of Cobblestone Creek in Victor, New York; Nicholas Meyer of Sunset Hills in Carrollton, Georgia; and Steven Weber of Deer Creek in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Watson Fellowship winners

And, in a first for the Watson Fellowship Program, two women have been selected as winning recipients. Emily Braithwaite and Daniele McFadden are the 2023 Dr. James Watson Fellows from the GCSAA and each will receive a $5,000 scholarship. The Watson Fellowship is supported by The Toro Company and is administered by the GCSAA Foundation.

The Watson Fellowship, started in 1998, is named in honor of the late James R. Watson, Ph.D., a pioneer and visionary in turfgrass research and vice president at The Toro Company. The fellowship recognizes students in postgraduate degree programs who have been identified as scientists that will go on to be leaders in turfgrass management.

Braithwaite is pursuing her master’s degree in turfgrass pathology from Oregon State University and received her undergraduate degree in plant science: turfgrass management, from Rutgers University. Now in the Pacific Northwest, her studies are focused on nematology, specifically damage symptoms on putting greens that are attributable to plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN). An initial objective of Braithwaite’s work is to survey cool-season golf course putting greens across Washington, Oregon and California to establish what PPN species are present and their relative abundance.

McFadden is working toward a Ph.D. in turfgrass science from Kansas State University and received both her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees from Kansas State University. Her research has focused on relevant questions involving zoysiagrass management, and her objectives include determining how cultural practices affect zoysiagrass quality, rooting and thatch accumulation; evaluating chemical control strategies used on zoysiagrass either at the time of sprigging, during winter dormancy or during bermudagrass encroachment; and evaluating new experimental zoysiagrass genotypes that have the potential to become improved cultivars in the U.S. transition zone.