Sports and Urban Turfgrass Management

Turfgrass management is quickly becoming a profession requiring highly skilled personnel that can respond to individual clientele needs in a home landscape situation or, more commonly, in managing a turfgrass surface in a sports facility. Expertise in turfgrass management is an essential part of operations with college and university athletics, city parks systems and golf courses, and professional teams. Managers are responsible for maintenance and grooming of football, soccer, softball and baseball fields as well as parks and golf courses. A manager must be competent in turfgrass and soil science, proper irrigation practices, pest control, budgeting of resources, personnel management and diplomacy. The demands are rigorous, but the rewards usually match such demands. Currently, there is an unsatisfied national demand for graduates with these skills and interests.

The Program

The Department of Plant Sciences offers a four-year curriculum in sports and urban turfgrass management. The degree requires that students participate in at least one internship experience. These internships are an enriching process to the academic education and skills the student develops at North Dakota State University and greatly enhance their job opportunities after graduation.

Career Opportunities

Golf Course Superintendent -- Nationally, between 200 and 300 golf courses are constructed each year in the United States and its territories. This pace is expected to continue throughout this decade and well into the next. Starting as an assistant, it is possible for a graduate to become a full-fledged golf course superintendent in three to five years. Starting salaries range from $28,000 to $35,000 with the national average of head superintendents reaching more than $80,000. When the course is a private country club, usually a generous benefit package is included along with a house on the course property.

Sports Turf Management -- There are approximately 16,000 high school, 2,200 college/university and 800 professional sports facilities providing numerous job opportunities for turf managers. According to the Sports Turf Manager's Association (STMA), their membership exceeds 2,000. The average salary of sports turf managers is about $44,000. Sports fields include baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, lawn bowling, cricket, etc.

Lawn Care Operator -- Lawn care operators comprise the largest single group of potential career opportunities for the graduate with more than 6,000 companies in the United States servicing millions of American lawns at the residential, commercial and institutional levels. The most current estimate of expenditures in this area of turfgrass management is pegged above $17 billion. Often these companies are known as turn-key operations where the company is involved in property design, installation, landscape construction and landscape maintenance. Several companies at this capacity operate nationally, while others operate on a regional basis. Finally, for the entrepreneur, opportunities abound to establish one's own business.

Facility Managers -- The curriculum is inclusive enough for the graduate to move into facility management if the desire or opportunity arises. Golf course superintendents could move into managing a resort where golf courses, swimming pools and tennis courts are inclusive along with a dining facility.

Scholarships and Co-Curricular Activities

Although no specific scholarships have yet been designated for sports and urban turfgrass management, the student enrolled in this program would be eligible for some of the scholarships the department currently has under endowment. As interest and demand increase for this new program, additional scholarships are expected. Contact the Department of Plant Sciences or the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources for more information.

The goals of the Turf Club are to provide students with opportunities to share information, connect with the turf industry, gain real world experience and broaden their knowledge. The club organizes field trips, topic discussions and presentations by guest speakers. Other activities include attending regional and national turf conferences, community service and fundraising.

High School Preparation

The ability to work with others, as well as independently, requires good organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a very good understanding of basic math, chemistry, physics and plant biology is essential in this field. Computers are used in all walks of life, and sports and urban turfgrass management is no exception. Comfort working with computers and a range of software is needed.

The Facilities

Loftsgard Hall, a state of the art facility, houses the Department of Plant Sciences, which includes classrooms, research labs and student learning centers. Other facilities include a greenhouse newly constructed to be used for turfgrass research and teaching, as well as a variety of trial plots on the NDSU campus and at Research and Extension Centers in Dickinson and Williston.

Contact Information

Department of Plant Sciences
Dr. A. A. Schneiter, Chair
North Dakota State University
Loftsgard Hall 166
Fargo, ND 58105

Tel: (701) 231-7971
Fax: (701) 231-8474
E-mail: Louise.Heinz@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/plantsci/

Office of Admission

North Dakota State University
124 Ceres Hall
Fargo, ND 58105

Tel: (701) 231-8643
Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.edu/prospective/students/

(6/07)