Turfgrass Management
Work Experience Activities
Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Work Experience Activities
Complete and submit the following Work Experience Activities for your Work Experience Kit.
Remember, all activities must be completed using this electronic file, then printed out in black and
white and submitted. This is a “Read-Only” file and must be saved as a separate document before you
begin. See the ‘Read Me’ file for “Save As” instructions.
Refer to the following guidelines when completing all activities.
• Use complete sentences to answer all activity questions.
• Eliminate all spelling, grammatical and typographical errors.
• Include all appropriate back up materials to substantiate your work.
• Make sure all activities are computer generated or in typewritten form.
• Make sure all required activities are included in your Work Experience Kit.
• Make sure your Inventory Checklist and Sign Off Sheet are included in your Kit.
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 1: Interview with the Golf Course
Superintendent
Directions: Conduct an interview with your golf course superintendent using the questions
below. This interview will enable you to learn more about the superintendent’s background and
job responsibilities, and the challenges that he or she may face in the role of superintendent.
Completing this interview will also let you compare the similarities and differences in the jobs of
the golf professional and the golf course superintendent.
Name of Superintendent Interviewed:
Name of Facility:
1. How did you get interested in this field?
2. What type of “on the job training” have you had in the field of turfgrass management?
3. Describe any other positions you have held in this business and the path that your career has
taken to get you where you are today.
4. How long have you been in the business and how long have you held your current position?
5. What type of education, classes, seminars, or other training have you had in this field?
6. Do you have an advanced degree in agronomy or turfgrass management? If so, do you feel this
has helped you in your career and why (or why not)?
7. Describe the different challenges you face as a golf course superintendent. What seems to be the
biggest challenge for you and why?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
8. Describe the similarities between the golf course superintendent and the golf professional.
9. What do you think are the major differences between these two positions?
10. Why do you, as a golf course superintendent, think is it important to have a positive working
relationship with the golf professional?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 2: Touring the Golf Course Maintenance
Facility
Directions: Take a tour through the maintenance facility with the superintendent and document
all of the areas included in the maintenance department. List each area and include a brief
description of what happens in these areas. For example: maintenance building, administrative
offices, mechanic’s work station, equipment storage area, pumphouse, chemical storage, and
any other areas of the course maintenance department.
During your tour, introduce yourself to the members of the maintenance crew and ask each of
them what their job descriptions and responsibilities are. Include official job descriptions with this
activity, complete the chart below, and answer the questions that follow the chart.
Name of Staff Member
Title
Description of Daily
Responsibilities
Full-time or
Part-time
Year Round or
Seasonal
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Directions: Answer the following questions concerning the maintenance staff:
1. How many staff members work on the maintenance crew; how many are full-time and how many
part-time?
2. What type of training is involved with the various jobs and responsibilities required to properly
maintain the golf course?
3. What are the similarities in the golf operations staff and the course maintenance staff?
4. What are the main differences in the two staffs and why?
5. Do you think it is important, as a golf professional, to understand the basics of course
maintenance and the roles that different employees play? Why or why not?
6. What would you do in order to further your knowledge of proper course maintenance?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 3: Turfgrass Basics at Your Facility
Directions: On the map below, indicate the location of your facility. Then answer the following
questions regarding the conditions at your specific facility.
Zone of Cool Season Grasses
Transition Zone
Zone of Warm Season Grasses
1. What is the name and where is the geographical location of your facility?
2. According to the map, which zone is your facility in?
3. What soil type is most common in the area of your facility?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
4. Is the soil primarily acidic or alkaline? How is this determined?
In the chart below, list the turfgrasses found on your golf course and indicate whether each grass is
considered a warm season or cool season grass. Discuss why each particular grass was selected for
each location on the golf course.
Type of Grass
Warm or Cool
Why Selected?
Greens
Tees
Fairways
Roughs
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 4: Routine and Non-Routine Maintenance
Practices
Directions: Meet with your superintendent and ask him or her about both the routine and nonroutine maintenance practices used at your facility. Be aware that turfgrass management
practices vary with environmental conditions, type of facility, budgetary constraints, and different
grass locations on the course. Complete the charts and the following questions concerning
routine and non-routine practices.
Routine Practices:
Greens
Tees
Fairways
Roughs
Watering
 Frequency
 Time
of day
Fertilizing
 Frequency
 Time
of year/season
Aeration
 Frequency
 Time
of year
Mowing
 Frequency
 Time
of day
1. Even though most of the above practices are done on a routine basis, discuss when the schedule
might change and why.
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
2. Are there any other routine practices that are performed at your golf course? If so, describe them.
Non-Routine Practices:
Frequency
Time of Year
Dethatching
Topdressing
1. Is overseeding practiced at your facility? If so, when and on what parts of the golf course?
2. What types of grasses are overseeded?
3. What grasses are used to overseed?
4. What challenges has the facility faced during the overseeding process?
5. How is the overseeding process communicated to the members and/or guests of the facility?
6. How are challenging situations involving unhappy customers handled regarding the course
conditions during the overseeding process?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 5: Traffic Management
Directions: Make arrangements to accompany the superintendent or another maintenance
staff member during course set-up so you can participate in tee-marker and cup rotation
procedures. Answer the following questions concerning these particular areas of course setup.
1. How often are the tees moved and the cups changed at your facility?
2. Describe the routine that is followed by the course maintenance crew when changing the tee
markers and the cup placements.
3. Discuss the reasons it is important to change the tee marker and cup placements on a routine
basis.
4. Does the maintenance staff follow a particular routine when deciding where the tees and cups
should be placed? If so, describe the routine. If not, discuss why a specific routine would be
beneficial for the health of the tees and greens.
5. Are specific tee marker and cup locations considered for special events, busy days, and/or
particular formats? If so, discuss the reasons for these locations.
6. How are challenging situations handled involving golfers who have concerns or complaints
regarding the tee marker and cup locations?
7. What was the most helpful thing you learned in participating in the tee marker and cup rotations?
8. How can you use this experience and increased knowledge to improve your own performance as
a golf professional?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
9. If your facility utilizes a hole location chart or a system that identifies the location of the hole for
regular or tournament play, include the chart, system, or scorecard, identifying where the holes
are located for a particular day or for a specific event.
If your facility does not utilize a system to identify the hole locations, discuss how implementing
such a system would not only benefit the golfers, but also minimize other possible issues like slow
play and concern for the health of the golf course.
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 6: Pests and Other Problems at Your Facility
Directions: Meet with the superintendent to discuss pests and other problems encountered at
your facility. In the chart below, describe why certain pests are particularly challenging, the time of
year that certain pests are a problem, and what the typical solutions are for pests and other
problems associated with the golf course.
Weeds
What time of year are weeds a
problem at your course:
What is particularly challenging
about ridding the course of
weeds?
What is the typical solution for
combating weeds?
Insects
What types of insects are a
problem at your course?
What time of year are these
different insects a problem at
your course?
What typical solutions are used
to combat unwanted insects on
your course?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Disease
What types of diseases are
prevalent at your course and at
what time of the year do they
usually occur?
What is particularly challenging
about finding ways to prevent or
treat the different diseases that
may appear on the course?
What methods have been
implemented to either prevent or
minimize disease on the course?
Weather
What time of year does the
weather pose challenges to the
course?
What does the superintendent do
to prepare for or recover from
severe weather?
Other
What other challenges has the
superintendent been faced with
concerning the health of the
course?
How have some of these
challenges been solved or at
least been minimized?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 7: Golf Courses and the Environment
Part One:
Directions: Locate and read a magazine article about golf courses and the environment. Make
a copy of the article to include in your Work Experience Kit, and answer the questions below
concerning the article.
1. What is the title of the article and who is the author?
2. What is the article about and what is the perspective of the author?
3. Does the author believe that golf courses are an asset or a detriment to the environment?
4. Does the author present both sides of the argument?
5. What is your opinion of golf courses in relation to the environment?
6. What is your golf course superintendent doing to ensure that the proper maintenance of the golf
course is harmonious with the health of the environment?
7. Does the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary currently approve your golf course? If so, what steps
did the superintendent have to take to become certified? If not, how would being certified benefit
the golf course, the facility, and the members and guests who play golf?
8. What types of animals, plant life, and fish are natural to the geographic region in which your facility
is located? Do any of the animals, plants, and fish make their home on your golf course?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Part Two:
Directions: Answer the questions below concerning effluent water and its use on golf courses.
1. What is effluent water?
2. Does your golf course use effluent water?
3. If your course uses effluent water, what process is used to prepare it for use on the course?
4. If your course does not use effluent water, has it been considered for your course?
5. Is it feasible for your facility? Why or why not?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 8: Communicating with the Superintendent
Directions: List the practices currently being used that aid in the communication between the
professional staff and the superintendent. Then list any new ideas about what could be done to
improve the communications process. Answer the questions that follow the chart regarding
effective communication.
Areas for Communication
Current Practices
Possible Improvements
The Business
Daily operations, general
management
The Game
Special events, emergencies
The People
1. Do key members of the staff meet on a regular basis to discuss important daily activities as well
as special functions and events? If so, who meets and how often?
2. What current methods of communication appear to be the most effective at your facility?
3. In your opinion, what area of communication needs the most improvement?
4. Why is it important for the golf professional and the superintendent to communicate on a regular
basis?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
5.Who else on each respective staff would benefit from effective communication?
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Work Experience Activities
Turfgrass Management
Activity 9: Communicating with the Customer
In some areas—correcting a slice or a hook, or choosing new golf clubs—you undoubtedly feel
confident in your ability to help improve your customer’s game. Talking with the customer about
turfgrass and course management issues, however, is a different story.
Directions: In this activity, you will create a communications program to keep your customers
informed about daily and weekly course operations, seasonal procedures, and emergency
procedures. This program will consist of the following forms of communication:
• Newsletters
• Posting of a calendar of events
• Common turfgrass questions
As the golf professional, you should be available to your customers and members and should be
able to answer basic questions about turfgrass management and any other aspect of the course
that would affect the players’ enjoyment of your facility. If you don’t feel comfortable answering
certain turfgrass questions, ask your superintendent for brief, accurate answers to commonly
asked questions that you might not have the background to answer in depth.
Part One:
Put together a “Question and Answer” newsletter that contains the 10 most commonly asked
questions about the golf course and the answers you would give. This newsletter should inform
the customers about basic turfgrass practices and how they affect the playability of the course. If
your facility already has a Turfgrass section in the newsletter, include a copy of this in your Work
Experience Kit as well.
Part Two:
Create a Calendar of Events that highlights the daily and weekly course operations as well as
seasonal procedures that will affect playing conditions. Be sure to include routine and non-routine
practices that are performed on the course. This calendar can be an extremely effective
communication tool to keep the customers informed, particularly when they want to schedule tee
times and invite guests to play.
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