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Stockbridge School Turfgrass Management
Turfgrass Management

Green and Growing!

This major provides you with the technical training necessary to meet the challenges of golf courses, sports turf, lawn care, and park maintenance industries.

Why choose a career in Turfgrass Management?

A career in the turfgrass industry is very rewarding, and the demand is growing. Professional turf grass managers blend the technical expertise of turfgrass culture and physiology with the challenges of managing insects, diseases, and weed populations to keep turf areas green and healthy. The turf industry is relatively young, but it is clearly a major industry that continues to expand and provide many levels of excellent career opportunities. For instance, there are more than 800 golf courses in New England and the sod industry in southern New England is comprised of thousands of acres, with a farm value in the tens of millions of dollars.

Opportunities in Turfgrass Management are growing

The field is very broad and includes seed and sod production, turfgrass establishment and maintenance in lawns, sports turf, parks, schools, and cemeteries, as well as golf course. There are opportunities in municipal and state positions, private and public golf courses, lawn and landscape companies, as well as opportunities to establish your own business. Some turf management graduates work for suppliers of turf products in sales or as technical representatives, or work as private consultants. Additional career opportunities include golf course design, urban planning, marketing, and environmental land planning. Field managers in sod production can earn $25,000 to 30,000 per year. Golf course superintendents in New England begin at about $40,000 and can go to $200,000 in larger metropolitan areas.

Industry supports students with scholarships

Scholarships are offered by many national & regional turfgrass organizations such as: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Professional Grounds Management Society, Scotts Company Scholars Program, Sports Turf Managers Association, Charles & Frances Osterman Scholarship, New England Sports Managers Association, and the Troll-Dickinson Scholarship.

New England Regional Student Program (NERSP)

Students who are residents of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, or Rhode Island may be eligible for reduced tuition through the New England Regional Student Program (NERSP). Get an overview of how the program works, or visit the NERSP website for more details.

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