Michael Kenna honoured for turfgrass research

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Renowned American greenkeeping expert Michael Kenna PhD has been selected to receive the 2021 Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding, substantive and enduring contribution to the advancement of the golf course greenkeeping or superintendent profession in the US.

“Mike’s years of dedication and extensive contributions to the industry help continue the vision of Col. John Morley,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “His leadership and insight in research efforts are second to none and of great value to superintendents and to the game of golf.”

A 25-year GCSAA member and now-retired director of USGA Green Section Research from 1990-2019, Kenna oversaw environmental and turfgrass research activities at the USGA. This included soliciting and evaluating research proposals, grant making and advancing the turf industry as a whole by working with other private and governmental organisations to develop cooperative funding opportunities for turfgrass scientists. Kenna managed more than 600 research projects funded with $40 million from the USGA.

“Receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the GCSAA is truly an honor. I have always looked upon golf course superintendents as the primary recipients of USGA research results,” said Kenna.

Michael Kenna

Kenna has been working in the turfgrass industry since his first job at Singing Hills Golf Course in El Cajon, Calif., at the age of 15.

“Dave Flemming, the superintendent at Singing Hills Golf Course, encouraged me to attend California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, to become a golf course superintendent. There, Dr. Kent Kurtz suggested that I attend graduate school after working for him at the research plots and conducting a senior project on zoysiagrass iron chlorosis,” said Kenna.

Kenna was an advocate for the GCSAA chapter grants and strongly supported the concept of on-site testing at golf courses evaluating new putting green cultivars. He is well-known for his extensive publications of articles in turfgrass journals.

He also was involved in breeding projects that have led to more than 30 new cool-season and warm-season cultivars for golf course use, and more recently has demonstrated that golf courses were a beneficial part of the urban landscape.