09/29/1999

Protecting Auburn's Turf - Agronomists Working With Athletic Department to Keep Turf Tip-Topp

AUBURN, Ala.—When the Auburn University Athletic Department needed to protect their turf, they found some walk-on help right in their own neighborhood -- the AU Department of Agronomy and Soils.

The Athletic Department is responsible for upkeep of some 15 acres of athletic turf on the Auburn campus, including the Jordan-Hare Football Stadium, Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park baseball field, the softball and soccer complexes, three practice fields for the football program and track and band practice fields. Randy Byars, manager of athletic facilities with the AU Athletic Department, is in charge of managing all that turf, and he noted that keeping turf in championship shape is a year-round job that requires professional assistance.

"There's something going on those fields all the time," said Byars. "They don't get much of a break and they need constant attention." They also are a big investment to install and expensive to keep up, so Byars said avoiding problems or catching them early is a must. That's when the first string scientists are called on the field.

Cooperation between turf scientists and the Athletic Department actually began informally several years ago when faculty in the Department of Agronomy and Soils and Department of Horticulture began consulting with the Athletic Department. Last year, Byars established a formal agreement that allows not only the expertise of the agronomists to be used by the Athletic Department, but also provides hands-on experience for graduate students majoring in turf management.

"We furnish funds to be used for assistantships and equipment upgrades and they, in turn, provide us with consulting services and the use of some of their turfgrass students," explained Byars. Associate Professor Beth Guertal and Professor Harold Walker are the two agronomy and soils faculty members working with Byars. Both agree that the arrangement is beneficial to all involved.

"It's a win-win situation," said Guertal. "The athletic department provides us with stipends that support two graduate students, which we wouldn't have otherwise. And the students get to put this kind of experience on their resume. And, it provides research projects for our graduate students and tells us what issues we should be researching."

"It is great experience for our students," agreed Walker. "Students can sit in the classroom forever, but they can truly grasp their subjects when they really go out and do and see them in action. This arrangement allows our students to get that experience."

For Walker, it also has been personally and professionally satisfying. "It forces you to stay current," he said, noting that his work on the fields keeps him abreast of new and emerging issues in turf management. "And it also has to do with AU pride," he added. Walker says he takes pride in knowing that Auburn's fields are in top form.

"To me, one of the best things about this arrangement is having those students," said Byars. "It's great having access to the expertise of the scientists, but it's an extra advantage to have students there working on the fields themselves. Because these students are majoring in turf management, they bring a higher level of expertise and service to their jobs."

"There's a lot of experience out there that they can get on golf courses, but there is very little they can get on athletic fields, so I think this provides them with some great opportunities to get that experience," added Byars.

Currently four students are working regularly on the fields: Eric Kleypas of Guin, Brian Hollingsworth of Gadsden, Chris Derrick of Decatur and Wes Hart of Arab.

"Before this, I'd mainly worked on golf courses, and I've really enjoyed being able to get experience in athletic fields because it's a whole different type of management," said Hart, who plans to get a Ph.D. in turf management.

"I'm not a real good golfer, but I like being around the athletic fields," said Derrick with a laugh. He plans to pursue a career in athletic field management.

"It's good experience and I really enjoy working for the school and getting the fields ready for football season," said Hollingsworth, noting that, like Walker, he takes pride in seeing the fields look good for fans and play well for players.

"You can't beat the hands-on experience, plus you make great contacts for the future," noted Kleypas, who also plans a career working with athletic fields.

The attention these students and faculty give have been extremely beneficial to the fields, noted Byars. Recently, in fact, they noticed problems on the football practice fields and the scientists discovered that a serious nematode (a potentially devastating soil-borne roundworm) problem existed in the soil beneath the turf. Byars and his crew were able to treat the field immediately, thus alleviating a potential catastrophe. There have been many other cases of disease detection that allowed the Athletic Department to treat problems long before they became disastrous.

In addition to working with the Department of Agronomy and Soils, Byars also has established a similar arrangement with the AU Department of Horticulture to help beautify the stadium. "We provide an assistantship for a graduate student to establish the flowers in the corners of the end zones of the football stadium, something that has been underway for four years. Again, that is a good experience for the students and a benefit for the stadium," said Byars.

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Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

09/29/99