Jim Snow never was the loudest voice in the room, but his leadership and vision for the future of golf turf management spoke volumes throughout a USGA Green Section career that spanned 35 years.
Snow died Nov. 25, just five days before the centennial anniversary of the USGA Green Section, where he worked from 1976 to 2011, including 21 years as its national director. He was 68.
"Jim Snow was a quiet and unassuming man who led with vision as to where golf agronomy and maintenance needed to be," said Kim Erusha, Ph.D., who spent 29 years at the Green Section, including nine as managing director before retiring in 2019." He was steadfast in his support of identifying long-range issues, organizing the research to fully understand the problems and developing solutions to move the industry ahead."
A native of Ithaca, New York, Snow earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Cornell University.
Jim Snow was a quiet and unassuming man who led with vision as to where golf agronomy and maintenance needed to be. He was steadfast in his support of identifying long-range issues, organizing the research to fully understand the problems and developing solutions to move the industry ahead.
During his tenure with the Green Section, the USGA took over development and manufacturing of the Stimpmeter, initiated the Turfgrass Research Program to development turfgrass varieties that are easier to maintain and require fewer inputs, worked with Michigan State to develop the Turfgrass Information File, partnered on initiatives with groups that include Audubon International and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, updated its recommendations for putting green construction and introduced the TruFirm device to measure putting green firmness.
"In the 1980s and 1990s, Jim was instrumental in guiding the USGA into supporting environmental research and supporting the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program," said Chris Hartwiger, director of course consulting services for the Green Section. "Both of these initiatives now have worldwide impact and have influenced many, either directly or indirectly.
As golf went through the 1990s boom period, the need to fully update the USGA Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction was evident, according to Erusha. In response, Snow, working with Jim Moore, gathered the collaborative support of Norm Hummel, Ph.D., and developed working partnerships across key industry groups from around the world. The methods underwent a comprehensive, intensive review and were thoroughly researched, vetted and updated for release in 2004.
"Jim will be remembered as an intelligent, thoughtful individual who gave his best to his career," Erusha said. "As his staff, we always knew he had our best interests at heart. He had a knack for creating a great working environment. He allowed this widely-divergent bunch of spirited individuals to do their jobs while guiding us with just the right amount of overarching goals and bumper guards."
