Turfgrass management: golf turf management
Overview
SUNY Cobleskill offers a two-year degree (Associate in Applied Science) and a four year degree (Bachelor of Technology) in Turfgrass Management. The SUNY Cobleskill Turfgrass Management program is highly respected by industry employers with graduates working as golf course superintendents at many top courses throughout the United States.
Notable Alumni
Craig Currier, Superintendent, Bethpage State Park, site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open.
Mark Michaud, Golf Course Superintendent at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, site of the 1995 and 2004 U.S. Opens.
Dr. Frank Rossi, a SUNY Cobleskill Turf graduate now works as an Associate Professor of Turfgrass Management at Cornell University.
Russ Myers, Golf Course Superintendent at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, OK., host of the 2007 PGA Championship
Jeff Kent, Golf Course Superintendent at Quail Hollow Country Club, site of Wachovia Championship.
Jeff Corcoran Golf Course Superintendent at Oak Hill Country Club, site of the 2008 Senior PGA Championship and 2013 PGA Championship.
Matt Falvo Golf Course Superintendent at Atunyote site of the Turning Stone Resort Golf Championship.
Superb Facilities
The college has excellent turfgrass facilities including fairway turf plots composed of creeping bentgrass and of low mow Kentucky bluegrass that are used for research and student projects. There are also two USGA greens adjacent to the Plant Science building that are used extensively for turfgrass management labs. Students gain additional practical experience on the college's athletic fields and lawn areas and at the Cobleskill Country Club, which is located only a few minutes from the campus. Moreover, the Plant Science Department offers more than 75 supporting courses enabling students to gain knowledge in many areas of horticulture. Low student to teacher ratios and campus mission that focuses on teaching creates a student friendly environment at SUNY Cobleskill.
SUNY Cobleskill also has an outstanding Agricultural Engineering Department offering a wide assortment of courses to improve the mechanical skills of students with an interest in this area.
Expert Faculty
Members of the turfgrass faculty include Dr. Alex Ellram and. Dr. Zhongchun Jiang. Dr. Ellram has been teaching turfgrass management at the college level since 1999. Prior to teaching, he worked in the turfgrass field for 17 years managing golf courses, athletic fields and turfgrass research plots. Dr. Ellram applies this real life experience in many hands on, practical turfgrass labs. His education includes a Master of Science degree in horticultural science (turfgrass) from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Minnesota. Ellram recently published articles on turfgrass disease control in Golf Course Management, the USGA Green Section Record, and Crop Science. Dr. Ellram focuses on managing turfgrass with fewer pesticides, and has just completed a two year study on cultural practices to reduce dollar spot. He is a member of the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society, American Phytopathological Society, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Golf Course Superintendents’ Association of America.
Dr. Jiang has received a Ph.D. degree in turfgrass from University of Rhode Island, an M.S. degree from Chiba University, Japan, and a B.S. degree from Central China Agricultural University. He is recipient of three excellence awards from Crop Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy - Northeast Branch, and Soil Science Society of America - Northeast Branch. He is also a member of International Turfgrass Society, New York State Turfgrass Association, and many golf course superintendents associations. He has published articles in Golf Course Management, Grounds Maintenance, and Turfgrass Trends, along with over 65 turfgrass papers.
The Bachelor of Technology Degree in Turfgrass Management: Golf Turf Management will require the following course work:
Students should check with their advisors to make sure courses are taken in proper sequence and any prerequisites have been met. Some flexibility is available as to when courses must be taken. Students should consult with their advisors during the scheduling process.
The Bachelor of Technology Degree in Turfgrass Management: Golf Turf Management will require the following course work:
Students should check with their advisors to make sure courses are taken in proper sequence and any prerequisites have been met. Some flexibility is available as to when courses must be taken. Students should consult with their advisors during the scheduling process.
Turfgrass Management: Golf Turf Management
To fulfill the requirements for the Bachelor of Technology degree in Plant Science, the candidate must complete 126 credit hours with a minimum of 68 credit hours of major field requirements, 15 credit hours of internship experience, 34 credit hours of Liberal Arts and Science courses, and 15 credit hours of general electives with a GPA of not less than 2.00.
A. MAJOR FIELD REQUIREMENTS -(58 credits)
A-1. Required Lower-Division Major Field Courses - (16 credits)
The following courses or their equivalents must be completed
Course Number
Class Name
Credit
AGSC 111
Introduction to Soil Science
3
AGSC 186
Entomology
3
AGSC 281
Plant Pathology
3
RECM 115
Introduction to Recreational Services
3
RECM 222
Turfgrass Management
3
RECM 245
Introduction to Golf Course Management
3
A-2. Required Upper-Division Major Field Courses - (30 credits)
The following courses must be completed at SUNY Cobleskill
| Course Number | Class Name | Credits |
| AGRN 362 | Applied Plant Physiology | 3 |
| ORHT 335 | Irrigation | 3 |
| ORHT 377 | Integrated Pest Management | 2 |
| RECM 378 | Golf Course Management | 3 |
| RECM 414 | Advanced Golf Course Management | 3 |
| RECM 450 | Internship (Golf Turf Management) | 12 |
| RECM 451 | Internship Reporting | 3 |
Four courses from the following list must be completed at SUNY Cobleskill
| Course Number | Class Name | Credit |
| AGRN 335 | Agricultural Chemicals | 3 |
| AGRN 338 | Weed Identification and Control | 3 |
| AGRN 350 | Plant Nutrition | 3 |
| AGRN 424 | Water Resources | 3 |
| AGRN 494 | Plant and Soil Diagnostics | 3 |
| ORHT 321 | Herbaceous Plant Materials | 3 |
| ORHT 356 | Plant Propagation | 3 |
| ORHT 421 | Landscape Plants: Association and Uses | 3 |
| ORHT 444 | Landcadd | 3 |
B. TECHNICAL ELECTIVES - (20 credits)
B-1. Recommended Lower-Division Technical Electives- (11 credits)
Selection from the following list is recommended. Any other lower-division courses are acceptable if the prefixes are ACCT, AGBU, AGEN, AGRN, AGSC, BADM, BIOL, CHEM, CITA,
FWLD, ORHT, RECM, or their equivalents.
| Course Number | Class Name | Credits |
| AGEN 121 | Horticultural Machinery | 3 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry | 4 |
| CITA 110 | Microcomputer Applications | 3 |
| GIST 130 | Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| GIST 210 | Global Positioning Systems | 3 |
| GIST 250 | Global Information Systems Applications | 3 |
| ORHT 121 | Woody Plant Materials | 3 |
| ORHT 282 | Arboriculture | 3 |
| RECM 225 | Recreational Land Management and Policy | 3 |
| RECM 256 | Sport Field Management | 2 |
B-2. Required Upper-Division Technical Electives - (9 credits)
Three courses from the following list or their equivalents are required. Any courses from A-3
above are also acceptable if not used to satisfy A-3 credit requirements.
| Course Number | Class Name | Credits |
| AGRN 313 | Soil Fertility | 3 |
| BADM 310 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| BADM 349 | Total Quality Management | 3 |
| ENGL 304 | Writing in the Disciplines | 3 |
| ORHT 317 | Wildflower Culture and Propagation | 3 |
| ORHT 322 | Herbaceous Plants: Garden Design | 3 |
| ORHT 329 | Hydroponics | 3 |
| FWLD 350 | Wetlands Delineation | 3 |
C. TRUSTEES' GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS - (24 credits)
Eight of the SUNY Board of Trustees-mandated General Education categories must be selected by any B. Tech. student and 3 credits from each of the eight selected categories must be earned.
C-1. Highly recommended categories and courses - (12 credits)
| ENGLISH | ||
| Course Number | Class Name | Credits |
| ENGL 101 | Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 111 | Fundamentals of Speech | 3 |
| FOREIGN LANGUAGE | ||
| Course Number | Class Name | Credit |
| SPAN 101 | Beginning Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN 102 | Beginning Spanish II | 3 |
| MATHEMATICS | ||
| Course Number | Class Name | Credit |
| MATH 111 | Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 112 | Trigonometry | 3 |
| MATH 125 | Stastics | 3 |
| MATH 131 | Precalculus | 3 |
| MATH 231 | Calculus | 3 |
| NATURAL SCIENCES | ||
| Course Number | Class Name | Credit |
| BIOL 116 | Botany I | 3 |
| CHEM 101 | Introductory Chemistry | 3 |
D. ADDITIONAL LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES CREDITS - (12 credits)
Any course with a prefix found on the list of SUNY Trustees' 10 General Education categories is a
Liberal Arts and Sciences course and can be used here only if not used to satisfy the General
Education Requirements
D-1. Lower-division Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements - 6 credits from any 299 or lower (not including 099) Liberal Arts and Sciences courses. Courses on C-1 list above are recommended.
D-2. Upper-division Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements - 6 credits from any 300-level or higher Liberal Arts and Sciences courses with different prefixes.
E. GENERAL ELECTIVES - (12 credits)
(Grand total of 126 credits)
For more specific information on degree requirements for the Turfgrass Management: Golf Turf Bachelor of Technology go to the Registrar's Page.
For more information about the Turfgrass Management: Golf Turf Management degree program contact:
Dr. Alex Ellram
ELLRAMAR@Cobleskill.edu
518-255-5644
-or-
Dr. Zhonghun Jiang
JiangZ@Cobleskill.edu
518-255-5617
