Jacobsen recently hosted its Future Turf Managers event in North Carolina, which saw over twenty college students from turfgrass programmes visit leading superintendents and sports field managers to gain a unique insight into the industry.
The next generation of turf managers was able to hear presentations from top university professors and get an exclusive look at the range of Jacobsen turf maintenance equipment.
The majority of the students, which have to be recommended by directors or professors of turfgrass programmes, attend universities across the US, such as Penn State, Texas A&M and Iowa State, though one student crossed the Atlantic from Myerscough College in Lancashire, UK, to attend the event.
The event also included visits to Quail Hollow Golf Club and Sage Valley Golf Club, giving attendees the chance view the rare sight of a course at a point of transition from bentgrass greens to bermuda grass.
Following a presentation on herbicide resistance by Dr Jim Brosnan of the University of Tennessee, attendee and recent North Dakota State University graduate Derek Christensen commented: “Hearing about herbicide resistance from Dr Brosnan was a great opportunity. It’s a very important topic that I expect to be dealing with in the field.”
Other presentations given over the course of the week included a talk on leadership and communication by Steve Randall, the senior manager of Chapter Outreach for the GCSAA.
“We look forward to the Future Turf Managers event every year because it touches so many people. Not only does it help us build relationships with the next generation of superintendents and sports field managers, it also helps these young men and women build their own relationships in the industry,” said David Withers, President of Jacobsen.
The event was well received by the attendees. “This event made me more confident about finding a job and better prepared for the work that lies ahead,” said Robert Glenn, graduating senior at Mississippi State University. “Plus, the fact that I have contacts at two upper echelon golf courses extends my networking reach even further.”