Construction of an on-Campus Putting Green Enhances Student Learning in Golf Course Management.

Undergraduates in golf course management are taught about putting green construction and management in the classroom, but learning is enhanced when students are allowed to experiment on a real putting green in the field. However, not all students can obtain part-time jobs on local golf courses during the school year, and for those that can, superintendents may be reluctant to allow students to experiment. Therefore, with the help of private donations and funding from our college of agriculture, we constructed an on-campus, USGA-specification putting green in April of 2012. The cost of the project (excluding donated items) was less than $11,000, 75% of which was spent on equipment (e.g., used walk-behind greensmower with grooming attachment, vertical mower, sod cutter, small boom-sprayer, and equipment shed) to maintain the green after construction, and 25% of which was for sand, gravel, and drain pipe. A front end loader/excavator was donated from a local construction company, and an irrigation system with controller was donated and installed by the Kansas State University Gardens staff. Students in HORT 516, Intensive Culture of Golf and Sports Turf, helped build the green under supervision from the course instructors. Students in the 2012 class also participated in establishment of turfgrass on the green. Students in subsequent years, as well as students in the fall-semester-taught class, HORT 517, Golf Course and Sports Turf Operations, have used the green to gain experience in maintenance, renovation, and product testing. Student and instructor feedback indicates the green has enhanced learning, increased student confidence as they prepare for internships, and boosted enthusiasm for the aforementioned courses.