Long-Running Turf Program Draws Participants From Across North America

For the past 50 years, the University of Guelph has hosted the Turf Managers’ Short Course. This intensive month-long professional development program has built a reputation as the most successful and highly valued turf managers’ short course in Canada.

The program draws participants from across North America from a wide variety of professions—including sports turf managers and operators, nursery and sod producers, golf course employees, equipment operators and turf/greens crews, and residential/commercial turf care professionals. After completing four weeks of classroom training, participants receive a certificate of achievement, and a solid basic grounding in the science underlying turfgrass management.

Beyond the diverse selection of participants is a roster of highly respected instructors with expertise in areas such as soil and nutrient management, turfgrass physiology, and disease management. The instruction team consists of professionals external to the University of Guelph (U of G) as well as U of G faculty from different departments and organizations across campus and the Guelph Turfgrass Institute.

Bringing a breadth of knowledge of turf and tree diseases is Dr. Tom Hsiang, professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. Hsiang’s research includes the biology and management of new and emerging (becoming more severe) diseases, the evolution of fungicide resistance in turfgrass pathogens, and the development of alternatives for turfgrass disease management.

Hsiang offered his perspective on why the long-running program continues to be a success.

“This is a compact four-week course on the basics of turfgrass management science,” says Hsiang. “Other courses may emphasize more applied aspects of management, but we have the premier turfgrass science researchers in Canada in one location; there actually are few turfgrass researchers across Canada.”

Since things are continually changing in the field of turf science, there is always new information and research to be shared each year during the month-long program.

“There are new diseases occurring in Ontario and in Canada with changing climate,” explains Hsiang. “Variable winter and summer climates pose stresses on turf plants that make them more susceptible to diseases. So as soon as we see new diseases appearing in Ontario, we begin to do research with them if funding is available.”

As for career expectations, “Participants are mostly already employed in an industry related to turf before taking this program,” points out Hsiang. “Some of these are sponsored by their employers, and a few are on employment training programs; however, potential employers do see the completion of this course as a benefit since applicants would have new technical information and exposure to a wide range of turf-related issues.”

The Turf Managers’ Short Course is offered annually during the month of February.