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A case for college
Penn State’s former turf program director says there’s more to turf than what’s online.
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Magro stresses that hands-on experience is necessary for a complete education. “Those of you considering a career in our wonderful industry must give your education strong consideration,” he says. |
After earning GCSAA certification as a superintendent in the environmentally difficult Mid-Atlantic region, I accepted an offer to return to my alma mater, Penn State University, to direct the golf course turfgrass management program and research facility operations. Academia introduced me to the question, “How do we teach what we truly need to know to succeed?” The answer leads me to share an important message with all up-and-coming turf professionals: there is no replacement for a hands-on education. Some of the most important lessons don’t come from a book or a computer.
I’m concerned about where our industry may be headed. I’ve noted a push to simplify programs. This is particularly true with the development of online-only education.
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Magro with his daughters, Olivia and Samantha. |
Total reliance on online as a substitute for resident programs, short courses and technical programs devalues such programs. In a world where we need to improve our real-life education, we sometimes seem to be going in the other direction and neglecting hands-on experiences. Students are so eager to come out of school, let alone do distant study, they forget that experience and knowledge go hand in hand. Fundamental educational programs should never ignore this.
Don’t misunderstand — get education any way you can. Never stop learning. But don’t compromise the fundamental skill development that’s so critical for success in today’s golf course management environment.
A student once asked me, “How will I know when I am ready to be a superintendent?” Asking that question told me he was almost there, but I replied, “You truly don’t know how to be one until you become one… and even then you need to remain a student.”
Choosing education
Although for nearly the past year and a half I’ve worked as an agronomist for industry companies, I loved being a superintendent and still think of myself as one. Graduating from a resident turfgrass science program, studying business finance, taking online courses, post-graduate coursework and research and instructing in the two-year resident technical program taught me the challenges and perspectives needed to relay necessary information to today’s students.
I struggled to study in college and eventually left to work. I wanted to find something steady and applied for summer work on a golf course. I quickly was promoted to full-time and absorbed knowledge of everyday maintenance, construction and renovation practices, crew management, pest control, irrigation management and mechanical servicing. I was overwhelmed with cool stuff and loved every minute of it.
I returned to school a few years later while continuing to work. The day I was accepted into PSU’s program my wife informed me that we were going to be parents. I realized that with so much on the line, no decision was more important than the one to return to school.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in turfgrass science, accepted a job as a superintendent after a short tenure as an assistant and earned certification as quickly as I could. A few years later, a friend, George Hamilton, Ph.D., passed away, and I was offered the opportunity to succeed him as director of Penn State’s program.
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Magro discusses Penn State’s research with Matt Shaffer, director of golf course maintenance at Merion GC. Shaffer and Merion will host the 2013 U.S. Open. |
Building character
Penn State’s program consists of four eight-week sessions over a two-year period, with more than 650 contact hours taught by turfgrass science faculty instructors. Students are in class an average of 25 hours per week, with additional out-of-class, hands-on education. There’s also a six-month on-the-job training requirement between years one and two. Students must have two years of experience to be eligible for the program, and post-secondary education is preferred. One in three students has bachelor’s degrees or significant college education prior to entering the program.
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Magro talks to a group of attendees at the 2006 Penn State Field Day. Photos by Seth Jones |
Beyond intense study, students learn many things that can’t be taught in a book, in a seminar or on a computer. When these students study, they study together. They take every class together, live together, fight together, party together and work hard to ensure each other’s success. If one fails, they all feel failure.
For current golf course management professionals, this probably sounds a lot like what your crew goes through daily. Developed here are networking skills, working out a problem from multiple perspectives, speaking and communicating nonverbally, learning how to deal with hardships and challenges, and most important, sound character.
There’s no question that a student can come out technically sound from a distance education program. But building communication and business into technical courses through direct contact with students and faculty is where learning really begins. The following is an
example.
Role playing
I’m proud of incorporating real-life situations into the Penn State program. In one instance, I gathered about 20 industry friends from a 250-mile radius. This group consisted mainly of superintendents from multiple facility types, but also involved owners, sales reps and academic experts. They served as my “membership committee.”
I put students into groups of four and told them to imagine that one of them had just been hired as assistant superintendent. During the first week on the job, the “assistant” discovers that the superintendent is not agronomically sound and that problems are beginning to develop. The students then learn that the superintendent has been hit by a truck and will be out of work indefinitely. The assistant is now in charge.
The course’s brand new green chairman is asked by the membership for a report on the course’s plan for the upcoming season. However, the now-hospitalized superintendent did nothing in season — such as core aerification — to disrupt play. Soil tests indicate this is leading to serious issues that demand attention.
While the “membership committee” has accepted that the assistant will be the interim superintendent, it is concerned. Many of them are strong supporters of the man in the hospital. One of the students must play the role of the interim superintendent while the remaining three play the role of anyone they choose, as appropriate: a club representative, agronomic consultant, etc.
The students must make a presentation to gain the confidence of the membership in the course’s plan. They must dress appropriately and act as they would in a real-life situation. In this exercise, soil and water tests are not ideal, soil physical conditions have obvious developing problems and the budget has questionable numbers — all bait to lure the students into making a technical presentation when technical is exactly what the committee does not want to hear. The goal of the “committee” volunteers is simple — get what they want, not what the students want to give.
The first group came in early hoping to get comfortable in the rented off-campus boardroom. A “membership” representative asked the group to leave the room so the committee could gather its thoughts. The students looked dumbfounded.
One group mentioned possibly removing a tree behind one of the greens. A “member” stood up and without hesitation demanded that nothing be done as some of the trees serve as memorials to past members. The goal was not to humiliate the students, but put them in a situation similar to what superintendents can experience.
This was by far the most educational experience in the program, not because it tested their technical skills, their communication skills or character, but because it tested them all together. The face-to-face conflict and challenges are priceless, especially where there’s a fine line between what is right to say and do and what is not.
The students did a fantastic job and left an impression I’ll never forget. It’s impossible to replace this type of education. Distance learning is a supplement to sound fundamental education, which needs to be done face-to-face. I continue to take distance courses, but my time with instructors and researchers, hashing things out face to face, is where I learned to put everything together.
Lesson learned
When I was 8 years old I told my father I wanted to play baseball. He laughed a bit and said, “Do you know what you need to play baseball?” I said, “Sure, a ball, a bat and a glove.” At the first practice I took a ball in the eye and returned home with an egg on my head. My father looked at me with displeasure and told me to grab my glove and go outside. As I stood there with one eye rapidly swelling shut, he hit balls at me hard and wouldn’t stop until I caught them consistently. He then put his arm around me and said, “Son, you can have all the technical tools in the world but until you have experience, build character and commitment, learn teamwork — ability helps too — you will never know how to play this game. Never forget that.”
I don’t know how this made up for the fact that he kicked my butt with baseballs that day, but I do understand the message. It’s important that the fundamental educational building blocks are in place, but they mean nothing without experience, character building, commitment and an ability to work as a team.
We can accomplish these educational goals for our industry if we develop programs that encompass the best of both worlds: a hands-on resident program along with online distance learning. The efficiency and economical attributes of an online educational forum coupled with the strong character-building educational attributes of a resident program exemplify an exceptional future-oriented program.
Those of you considering a career in our wonderful industry must give your education strong consideration. We manage in a world where the slightest edge can bring success. One internship is not enough these days to round out a student’s experience in the field. There’s no replacement for what the aggressive and in-depth resident technical program can offer — just ask any supportive alumni around the world.
Take it from someone who has seen this from multiple perspectives and who has been in the trenches. Make this commitment while keeping an open mind and remaining a student.