1/14/2010 - By Harrell's

Thursday, January 14^th, at 7:00 PM Eastern

Building, Planting, and Growing-In Your Backyard Putting Green

Wouldn’t it be great to have your own putting green in your backyard? Admit it, you have always wanted one. If you just had one you know your scores would drop dramatically and your short game would be the envy of your friends.  Plus, it would be great for the kids, and look at all the great exercise you would get. When you stop to think about it, you owe it to your friends, family, and yourself to build a backyard putting green.

If this rationalization sounds familiar you might be one of the many golfers who contact the USGA asking about how to build and maintain a putting green. You might have even spoken with one of our Green Section agronomists who very likely told you how difficult and expensive a task you were considering.

If, in spite of the dire warnings, you are still ready for the challenge, plan to attend these two upcoming USGA live webcasts.  The first will discuss building, planting, and growing-in your backyard putting green while the second will  focus on the necessary ongoing, maintenance for the new green.

Presenter:  Jim Moore , director of construction education, USGA Green Section

See below for links to join these webcasts (each webcast has a specific link). However, it is very important that you read the text below describing how to install Microsoft Live Meeting CLIENT before you attempt to join the meeting. If you have not installed the Microsoft Live Meeting CLIENT software properly you will not be able to hear the audio during the meeting.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!

The following information is provided to help you attend and enjoy USGA Green Section live on-line conferences. Please take the time to read this document prior to trying to attend the meeting.

What you need to attend:

1) You will need a reliable and constant broadband Internet connection to attend and enjoy the online meeting. Slow, intermittent connections will not work. Dial-up and satellite connections will not work. Wireless connections are prone to periodic disconnects that you might not notice when browsing the web or working with e-mail. However, during our online meeting a constant “stream” of audio is sent to your computer. Should your connection be broken even for a very short period of time, you may experience an interruption in the audio.

2) You must use a PC (not a Mac) and Microsoft Internet Explorer as your web browser.

3) The USGA uses Microsoft Office Live Meeting to “broadcast” our on-line meetings and educational sessions. For you to attend one of our Live Meetings, you will need to download and install the Microsoft Live Meeting 2007 Client. This program must be installed on the computer that you will use to attend the meeting (see the next step).

Installing Microsoft Live Meeting 2007 Client

As mentioned above, you will need to install the Live Meeting Client on the computer you will use to attend the meeting. Please do the following well before the meeting date.

1) When you click the “check your system” link below, you will be taken to a Microsoft site that will check your system to see if you have the latest version of the Live Meeting Client installed. If not it will walk you through the installation. (Note: DO NOT choose the web access option during installation. You will not be able to hear if you do.) Be sure to watch for messages in Internet Explorer to allow the installation. Once installed, you will be taken to a test Live Meeting site that indicates you have successfully installed Live Meeting (in various languages). If you see this site you are all set. When the date and time for the Green Section webcast arrives, all you will have to do is click the link to join the meeting.

2) Here is the link to check your system . Please do this well before the meeting date. It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to help you through the installation once the meeting time approaches.

Troubleshooting

If you are having trouble installing the Live Meeting Client:

1)      Be sure you have permission to install programs onto your computer.

2)      Be sure to watch the information bar near the top of Internet Explorer during installation for messages. Depending on your security settings, you may have to repeatedly allow Microsoft to install plug-ins such as Active X. We have used Live Meeting extensively and have not had any problems so don’t hesitate to allow the installation.

If you are having trouble with your audio during the meeting:

1)      As mentioned above, any interruption in your connection can result in your audio being disconnected. Attendee’s should be able to reconnect through the Voice & Video pane. Click on the Voice & Video tab at the top of the page. You will see a small phone with an “X” next to it. Click on the phone to disconnect. Then, click on it again to “Join Audio”. Depending on your connection, you may have to do this multiple times throughout the meeting. If you did not install the Live Meeting Client, and instead selected the web access option, you will not receive audio. You will need to exit and click on check your system to repeat the installation.

If you are having other problems feel free to contact either the USGA tech support group at 800.222.8742 or call Jim Moore at 254.848.2202 (jmoore@usga.org).

Joining the Meeting

Once you have successfully installed the Live Meeting 2007 Client as discussed above you are ready to join the Green Section live webcast. Note that you may not be able to join the webcast until within 30 minutes of the start time.

Here are the links for each meeting:

Golfers: We Love You But Sometimes You Drive Us Crazy - Tuesday, January 12th, at 2:00 PM Eastern

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THIS MEETINGFirst Time Users:To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.TroubleshootingUnable to join the meeting by clicking the link? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga/join
2. Copy and paste the required information:Meeting ID: MDZB3HLocation: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THIS MEETINGFirst Time Users:To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.TroubleshootingUnable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga/join
2. Copy and paste the required information:Meeting ID: N3D4WCLocation: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga

Building, Planting, and Growing-In Your Backyard Putting Green – Thursday, January 14^th, 7:00 PM Eastern

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THIS MEETINGFirst Time Users:To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.TroubleshootingUnable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga/join
2. Copy and paste the required information:Meeting ID: K5FFJ3Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga