SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/141613
duced to install a roadway around the field to simplify setting up for Café Jordan Hare, as well as setting up the sideline equipment on game days. COLLABORATING WITH TURFGRASS TEACHING PROGRAM With increased events and new challenges each year, how does the Auburn grounds crew stay ahead of the game? Well, having a turf management program right down the road doesn't hurt. As mentioned, the athletic department has partnered with the turf program to develop research projects to help answer the challenges of maintaining athletic fields. The first project was to determine the best bermudagrass variety for shade tolerance that can handle athletic traffic. Future projects may include seedhead control of the bermudagrass varieties sold as shade tolerant grasses, infield skin research, and the relationship of spring moisture on bermudagrass transition. Over the years, networking and discussing ideas with turf professors has developed into an extremely valuable relationship. Whether the crew is properly indentifying a turf problem, researching new products on the market, or questioning a management practice, the Auburn professors are eager to help. The most exciting benefit of Auburn's turf management program has been working with the students. Each year, six turf students work with the grounds crew to gain experience with routine maintenance procedures, game preparations, and working special events. Students provide much appreciated help to the full-time members of the grounds crew. In return, the students are able to gain valuable experience and transfer knowledge from the classroom onto the athletic fields at Auburn. Recently, the Auburn crew has concentrated on placing the turf students in professional level internships. Relationships established among professional level groundskeepers have benefitted both the students and the full time members of the turf crew. The goal is for Auburn turf graduates to obtain desirable jobs within the sports turf profession and, in turn, create a beneficial networking community between the Auburn University grounds crew and former students. For the turf crew at Auburn University, each year seems to bring new challenges. Networking has become a crucial skill to prevent mistakes when special events occur on the football fields. As bizarre as some of the events appear, someone else in the sports turf profession has faced something similar and can offer valuable tips to ensure success. In today's era of recruiting, any opportunity to promote your brand must be explored. Marketing strategies to maximize the fan experience will only bring more events onto the gridirons of the SEC. Turfgrass managers must take a proactive approach and communicate effectively to meet each challenge, while never compromising the safety and playability of the playing surface. n Eric T. Kleypas is Director of Athletic Turfgrass, Auburn University; Philipe C. F. Aldahir, is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Agronomy and Soils. www.stma.org SportsTurf 27