THOMAS A. NIKOLAI, PhD, is the Turfgrass Academic Specialist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He is also a faculty member of The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) specializing in green speed management issues. He spent ten years working on golf courses and ten years working as a turfgrass research technician studying such topics as fertilization, topdressing, lightweight green rolling, cultivation techniques, PGR’s, mowing heights, wetting agents, leaf mulching, irrigation scheduling, putting green root zone mixes, and alternative spikes.