PHOTO A: The hard “ceramic” pellets that were found on the 14th green at The Meadows Golf Club at Grand Valley State University on three consecutive Saturday mornings during the fall are remnants from fireworks. The first time the superintendent saw these pellets, he was perplexed. The 14th hole parallels the football stadium at GVSU that plays host to Friday night games held by the school’s football teams. After each GVSU score, aerial fireworks are set off and explode directly above this green. The pellets are the ceramic plugs that allow the fuse to burn into each starburst, and they fall directly onto the green while the paper that holds the charge is dispersed by the wind. The pellets have to be removed by hand before mowing to prevent damage to the walk mowers. After a big win, there can be more than 100 of these pellets on this particular green. The superintendent says it is a small price to pay for the excitement and enthusiasm that is found on a university campus.

Photo courtesy of Ron Dahlin, CGCS at The Meadows Golf Club at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., and a 17-year GCSAA member.

PHOTO B: The bare spots void of grass on this athletic field are the result of shot put damage. This field is located inside the now-famous “Bird’s Nest” stadium in Beijing, China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The field is sand-based and grown entirely in moveable trays that are 46 inches square and 12 inches deep. This technology was developed by Michigan State University. Immediately following the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on Aug. 8, 2008, all of the equipment was moved out, and with manpower provided by the massive Chinese army and navy, 6,500 separate square grass modules were trucked in and installed with fork lifts for an 80,000-square-foot field. Although the squares can be removed and replaced if damage is severe, the divots created by the shot put, javelin and hammer throw were plugged out by hand and repaired in time for the gold medal soccer game.

Photo courtesy of Gina Putnam, marketing and communications manager for Bernhard and Co., in Rugby, England.