Introduction to Turfgrass Management | OSU Continuing Education

Turfgrass management is a great skill for anyone interested in maintaining a lawn or more. Whether you work for a lawn care company, manage an athletic field, landscape at a city park, work at a golf course or just want the best lawn on your block, our turfgrass management course can help you succeed.

This program is also great for anyone interested in a profession that deals with lawn care. If you work for a hardware or lawn care store and field customer questions or consult with landscape architects, this course will give you the language, knowledge and skills needed to succeed.

Gain a detailed understanding of turfgrass growth and development

This six week online course will help you master turfgrass management essentials. At the end, you will be able to:

Identify major cool-season turfgrass species
Know what types of fertilizer to use in a lawn and when and how to apply them
Utilize the best irrigation practices for your turfgrass
Establish a successful turfgrass stand
Understand the relationship between mowing frequency and turfgrass growth and height

You will also build a basic understanding of turfgrass ecology as well as the various turfgrass weeds, insects and diseases.

Study turfgrass management with the experts

This program is designed and led by Oregon State University experts in turfgrass management with experience and connections throughout the industry. From golf courses in Europe to Disney theme parks and more, our instructors bring a wide range of knowledge into the classroom. You will benefit from their experience through weekly video lectures and discussion boards.

For your final project, you will develop your own lawn care maintenance report. You will receive valuable feedback and guidance on this report that can help you continue to succeed after the course ends.

Turfgrass Management Program

This course is part of the Turfgrass Management Program that includes the following component courses:

Please note: This course is designed for those working in northern climates such as Oregon and Washington, Europe, Scandinavia and parts of Canada. By focusing on these climates, you'll gain detailed information you can apply to your own park, field or lawn.

Course Hours and GCSAA Class A Credits

Course Title	Course Hours	GCSAA Class A Credits
Introduction to Turfgrass Management	30	3
Introduction to Golf Course Management	36	3.6
Pesticide Applicator Education and Safety	18	1.8
Irrigation and Drainage	21	2.1
Cool-Season Turfgrass Diseases and Suppression Using Fungicides	30	3
Turfgrass Mathematics	36	3.6
Turfgrass Insects and Weed Management	36	3.6

New dates coming soon!

Six weeks | Asynchronous

Online

$325 (+ $60 registration fee)

385

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Instructors

Dr. Clint Mattox

Dr. Clint Mattox graduated from Purdue University with a turfgrass science degree in 2000 and has been involved in the turfgrass industry since that time. From 2000 until 2012, Clint worked overseas, primarily in Europe, where he was an assistant superintendent in Berlin, head greenkeeper at Paris Disneyland, and finally grow-in and maintenance superintendent at the Arnold Palmer designed Vignoly golf course near Paris. In 2013, he began graduate studies at Oregon State University focusing on managing turfgrass diseases in the absence of fungicides. He finished a doctorate degree in March 2020, majoring in Horticulture with a minor in Botany and Plant Pathology where he focused on managing the turfgrass disease Microdochium patch in the Pacific Northwest using alternatives to traditional fungicides.

Past Students' Work

Take a look at some recent projects our students have created.