Despite the staggering range of degrees on offer in recent years, it may come as a surprise that at some universities, (most notably Ohio State) students can study for a degree in turf. The course isn’t as bizarre as it looks however; biology, chemistry and physics are all elements of the programme, with students given a thorough grounding in the sciences before learning how they affect the humble grass plant.
The course is unsurprisingly dominated by men, and involves an in-depth technical look at grass maintenance. Students learn how conditions affect the plant and learn how to spot symptoms of disease. What to us might look like an ordinary patch of grass is to one of these students a finely-balanced microsphere of life, subject to the ravages of an uncaring environment.
The demand for this specialist course has increased in recent years, mainly because of the job market. With the popularisation of golf and other grass-based sports, the need for people who know how to look after grass has skyrocketed. With new golf courses opening every day, turf engineers are needed to keep the greens looking great.
It may sound like an easy job, but when you think that a putting green must be maintained at 1/8th inch, it starts to look a little harder. The shorter the grass, the more susceptible it is to weeds and pests and the more skill is needed to keep it healthy. If there were no such thing as grass specialists, golf courses across the land would suffer.
Sports pitches and playing fields also have to be tough enough to withstand constant use and at the top level, the surface you’re playing on can make a whole lot of difference. Specialists who can keep the grass looking green are paid big money, making it a very lucrative profession; especially since they’re still so thin on the ground.
There are institutes all over the world that specialise in turfgrass science, and large turf retailers often submit their products for testing. Industry standards mean that the consumer knows if what they’re buying meets the grade, and for landscapers and gardening enthusiasts this can be all important. High
quality turf forms the backdrop of many prize-winning gardens and is an essential component in ornamental lawns. For these consumers it’s of paramount importance that they buy the best product available.
Turf suppliers need their own quality control to make sure that their product is top-notch and meets these exacting standards who better to do this than someone with a degree in the subject?
So it looks like turfgrass is actually big business; all those golf courses and bowling greens have to come from somewhere, and turf specialists fill a niche position that’s increasingly important. They’re highly trained, highly specialised and in high demand. It looks like those unusual degrees are useful after all!
It remains unclear what makes someone get into the world of turf; perhaps a love of science leads that way, but surely it doesn’t spring to mind when choosing your course of study. Whatever the reason, if you’re going to choose a niche to specialise in turf looks as good as any.
