UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A team of students from Penn State’s Turf Club recently secured first place in the 2023 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Collegiate Turf Bowl, which was held during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando.
The team received a traveling trophy, a $4,000 cash prize and the opportunity to perform in a paid position at the Desert Mountain Golf Club and Community in Scottsdale, Arizona, courtesy of John Deere.
Team members include Penn State turfgrass science majors Zack Newsome, Hunter Shaw, William Hilderhoff and Nate Moore. The team was one of four Penn State groups to finish in the top 10 in this year’s Turf Bowl, out of 63 teams. Since 2015, Penn State teams have won five Turf Bowl titles. Previously, Penn State’s most recent Collegiate Turf Bowl win was in 2019.
Ben McGraw, associate professor of turfgrass science, served as the team’s academic adviser and said he was incredibly proud of the team.
“The students who competed on the team five to nine years ago are now rising in the turfgrass industry, with some even getting jobs because of their participation in Turf Bowls,” McGraw said. “I know this trend is going to continue — not only because of their aptitude, but because they are great humans. You see this when you travel with them to the conferences and see them interact together and with professionals in the industry. They are a special group with unlimited potential.”
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s Collegiate Turf Bowl is an annual competition held to test the knowledge of students and to prepare them for their first professional positions as superintendents in the golf course industry following graduation from a collegiate turf management program.
During the competition, teams are judged based on their overall industry knowledge and problem-solving skills in high-pressure situations through written case study, multiple choice, visual identification and short answer portions — demonstrating the issues superintendents face daily. Topics covered include soils, pathology, entomology, irrigation and mathematics.
As part of the 2023 Collegiate Turf Bowl, the winning Penn State quartet competed against student teams representing 27 colleges and universities. A total of $10,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to the top teams in the competition.
“I always love seeing firsthand the passion for the industry that these students have, and this year’s competition was no different,” said Manny Gan, global director of golf, John Deere. “The students from Penn State had the tenacity and expertise needed to succeed, and I have no doubt that they will thrive within the golf industry. Through our partnership with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, we are lucky enough to see the next generation of superintendents and golf professionals grow, and are looking forward to seeing where their careers take them.”