May is First Green month, and it is living up to its billing here in the Great Lakes region. Four First Green field trips will take place within a week’s time where students will get a firsthand look at what it’s like to manage a golf course.

GCSAA’s First Green program is a science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) environmental outreach program which uses the golf course as a living laboratory. The program has been around for over 25 years and is the only STEAM education and environmental outreach program in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia that uses golf courses as learning labs. First Green pairs golf courses with local schools, youth groups, clubs or junior golf programs for unique STEAM learning opportunities.

Not only exposing students to the game of golf, First Green gives students a first-hand look into the life of a golf course superintendent. Learning labs are set up on the golf course during field trips, which expose students to the STEAM education golf course superintendents utilize each day.

To name just a handful of the activities during the upcoming field trips, students will:

• Learn about the science behind agronomic practices
• Gain hands-on experience with cool tools
• Determine how math plays a role in golf course management
• Experience wildlife habitat found on the golf course
• Explore the environmental benefits of turfgrass
• Learn to play the game and discover careers within the industry

There is no one size fits all field trip for each course, and, along with the aforementioned activities, learning labs can consist of any of the following:

• Cool tools on the green
• Cup cutters
• Soil prisms
• Macroscopes


• Soil science
• Differences between sand, silt and clay
• Water infiltration rates of various soils
• Green construction


• Equipment
• Mowing equipment
• Rollers, aerifiers
• Tractors
• Engineering of equipment


• Native areas on the course
• Wildlife on property
• Pollinator habitats
• Environmental stewardship practices


• Irrigation technology
• Individual head control
• Satellite control
• Using phone to irrigate
• Hand watering vs. overhead


• Driving range and/or putting
• Always popular with the students, learning to hit balls and/or putt is a great way to expose students to the game

The First Green helps break down barriers to the industry and provides a platform to inspire the next generation of superintendents, assistants and equipment managers. It’s a great way promote the benefits golf courses bring to the local community and encourage those to take advantage of all the game can offer. You never know, you may just have a future superintendent attend your next field trip.