Background

The golf courses at Penn State cover an area of 190 acres. There are 36 holes, 3 large practice putting greens, a large driving range facility, with both artificial and natural grass hitting areas, and a practice bunker, as well as flower beds scattered throughout the course and the pro shop area. Many trees are part of these two courses, along with benches and other areas around tees. The courses are irrigated on a daily basis whenever necessary during the summer months using a manually operated watering system. The only automatic systems are located on the back nine of the blue course and the 15th, 16th, and 17th hole of the white course. Greens are mowed daily at 1/8" with triplex mowers. Fairways and tees are mowed three times per week. The roughs are mowed twice per week with tractor-drawn units. Cups are cut and tee markers are moved almost every day. Tee divots are repaired as often as possible. The fertilization program has changed dramatically since Patrick assumed control; the normal 3 to 4 lbs of N per 1000 square feet are still applied in three applications, one in spring, one in late summer, and the final in the mid fall. Added to this program is the application of a liquid N once every 2 weeks at a low rate along with a growth regulator to the greens. Core cultivation is performed once in the beginning of May and again at the end of August. Cores are collected and applied to bare areas around the course. Then the greens are topdressed and matted in with screens, mats and brushes. Preventive fungicides are incorporated into the fertilization program for efficient application of all chemicals to the turf.

The Penn State University Golf Courses are administered by the Athletic Department. The superintendent, the golf professional, and the associate director of golf plan projects together, then report to the director of golf for approval. The coaches of the mens' and womens' golf teams also have a say in those maintenance practices that directly affect their teams' activities. With the large number of tournaments held each year, it is important to maintain the best possible playing conditions throughout the season. On the Blue Course, the greens are push-ups on the front nine; sand-based greens were established in the early 90s on the back nine when the two courses were redesigned.

The superintendent, Patrick Ziagos, is a graduate of the two-year Golf Turf Management Program at Penn State. Patrick graduated first in his class with a 4.0 grade point average. He had been through many job changes and was very successful at everything he had undertaken, but his calling was turfgrass and his outstanding grades showed his potential in this field. He came to the Penn State Golf Course in the spring of 2000 after leaving a superintendent's position at a country club in Scranton Area. The assistant superintendent, Mike Ward, is also a two-year graduate of the Golf Turf Management Program. The maintenance crew consists of six full-time union employees, including a head mechanic, an irrigation technician/group leader, a spray technician, and 3 groundskeepers. There are also 20 part-time seasonal workers for the summer. The total budget of the maintenance operation is $920,931, $582,896 of which is for salaries and benefits, $95,000 for pesticides, and $40,000 for fertilizers. A very small budgetfor 36 holes!!