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Turf is the dominant feature of golf courses, parks, cemeteries, and landscapes in cities and neighborhoods. More than 200 golf courses in Oregon and 1,500 in Washington, California, and Idaho manage turf as the central feature of the landscape. Lawns and lawn care are a thriving industry in Oregon communities that, complemented by a thriving grass seed and turf industry, adds millions to local economies.

Turf provides:

• Recreation through golf, soccer, baseball, and other outdoor school and park activities.
• Environmental benefits such as filtration of pollutants, improved air and water quality, and flood control by returning precipitation to groundwater rather than runoff.
• Habitat for a wide range of birds and other wildlife.
• Beauty and increased property values.
• Employment opportunities for turf managers and related businesses.

Teaching

Students in turf management become golf course superintendents or professional grounds and park managers with commensurate responsibilities and salaries. Students learn to integrate knowledge of biology, soils, turf growth and development, irrigation design, sports field construction, pest management, budgeting, and problem solving. Students participate in state, regional, and national professional groups and networking through class and Turf Club activities.

Key classes include:

• Introduction to the turfgrass industry
• Basic turf culture
• Landscape maintenance
• Woody plant materials
• Turf nutrition
• Irrigation and drainage
• Golf course management
• Internship

Extension

Extension programs in turf management are directed primarily at professionals and Master Gardeners. Numerous programs are conducted annually with the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association, the Northwest Turfgrass Association, the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association, and the Pacific Northwest Sports Turf Managers Association. Printed and web-based resources describe topics ranging from grass selection to lawn establishment and sports field maintenance.

Research

Practical field research evaluates turf cultivars, fertility, pest management, and the influence of cultural practices on long-term turf performance.

The five-acre turf research facility serves a wide range of interests including the seed industry, golf course associations, Master Gardeners, and the general public, and is funded entirely by gifts. All student field labs are conducted at this facility.

New directions

Turf teaching at OSU developed from one class 30 years ago to a fully integrated program dedicated to producing leaders in professional turf management.

Future directions include:

• A turf program commensurate with dynamic industry that delivers teaching, research, and Extension programs.
• Greater emphasis on turf management that enhances environmental performance.
• Enhanced teaching facilities, including technology in the classrooms.
• Student involvement in field research, sustainable technologies, and practices associated with ecological landscapes.
• Closer relationships with wildlife management, urban forestry, and business.

Benefits

• Over 300 graduates of the turf program are currently employed as superintendents and managers of golf courses, parks, and lawn care companies. This represents an 85% retention rate over a period of nearly 30 years.
• OSU-educated superintendents are national leaders in environmental stewardship at golf courses, with programs ranging from providing habitat for western bluebirds to developing spawning and rearing habitat for salmon.
• Oregonians, Master Gardeners, and landscape professionals benefit from this stewardship role and regionally specific information on turf care. Golfers in particular benefit from extraordinary quality playing surfaces that rival the best golf courses world wide.

Faculty

Tom Cook