Scott Hebert typically sets his alarm for 3:30 a.m.

Arriving at the golf course an hour later, Hebert and his team start their shift with a morning meeting at 5 a.m. to discuss and divide the day’s tasks—the most pressing of which needing to be accomplished before the first tee times a few short hours later.

As Director of Agronomy at Grass Clippings Rolling Hills, Hebert is responsible for leading all turfgrass care, landscape maintenance, and facility management operations to ensure optimal playing conditions at the first fully lit 18-hole golf course in Arizona.

Whether serving as a director of agronomy, superintendent, greenskeeper or groundscrew, the men and women responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and quality of a golf course are a rare breed—and they’ll be the first to admit it.

“It does take a special individual who’s driven and detail-oriented, is willing to get their hands dirty and wake up at odd hours,” Hebert said. “It’s not for everyone.”

That’s why Dr. John “Trey” Rogers, Professor of Turfgrass Management at Michigan State University, recommends the same thing to anyone interested in exploring a job in the field or enrolling in the school’s program.

“The very first thing we’ll say is, ‘Go get a job on a golf course this summer and see if you like it,’” Rogers said. “And then if they do, there’s no turning them back. You catch that turf bug—it is a mean one. It is a lifetime turf club.

“It’s a place where a perfectionist can toil, and never get bored. And so they found their calling.”

Rogers, himself, has been bitten by the bug as he enters his 38th year teaching turf at Michigan State’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The university’s turfgrass legacy can be traced to the late 1800s and professor William James Beal, who taught at the school from 1871-1910 and is considered by many as the first turfgrass researcher in the U.S. Michigan State created two short courses for greenskeepers in the 1930s, and by the 1960s founded a two-year turfgrass management program that would evolve into its current program offering two- and four-year degrees.

Unlike English, finance or computer science students, turfgrass management students spend the majority of their time in the field, literally.

Students get hands-on experience at MSU’s Hancock Turfgrass Research Center, a facility encompassing 56 acres of cool-season turfgrass species managed as high- and low-input home, sports and golf course systems. The center also features a fully equipped on-site laboratory, the latest and greatest in turfgrass management technologies, and state-of-the-art computerized irrigation systems.

“The hands-on (experience) is extensive and it’s critical,” Rogers said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about the idea of establishing turfgrasses or calibrating spreaders or putting irrigation pipe together.”

Similar to Rogers’ recommendation for budding turfgrass management students to get a summer internship at a golf course, some schools like Rutgers University offer a three-week online preparatory course ($2,495 tuition fee) to get a feel for the field and weed out those who can’t cut it.

The New Jersey-based university’s Professional Golf Turf Management Program is highlighted by its two-year certification program. The two 10-week sessions take place at the school’s New Brunswick (N.J.) campus during Fall or Winter with a 200-hour paid internship in between sessions. Those enrolled also benefit from field trips to courses including Baltusrol Golf Club, Bayonne Golf Club and Liberty National Golf Club, typically interacting and networking with program predecessors in charge of or working on those courses’ respective agronomy and turfgrass staffs.

Prerequisites for the two-year certificate program are a high school diploma/GED and at least one season of work experience on a golf course or sports field. Tuition costs $6,495 for each 10-week session, plus application fee, books and housing/travel expenses.

The investment can pay immediate dividends with an average base salary of $123,333 for golf course superintendents boasting two-year certificates, according to a 2025 report from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The mean salary for golf course superintendents in New Jersey is $147,312—the fourth highest in the U.S. after California, Rhode Island and Florida—while New York ranks fifth at $140,543. The lowest mean superintendent salary is $83,373 in Iowa.

“We try very hard to have a combination of the hard sciences, the soft skills, and the hands-on training that you really can’t get elsewhere or at least packaged in a way that minimizes their time away from their commitment for the price,” said Elizabeth Coogan, Program Coordinator at

Rutgers’ Professional Golf Turf Management Program. “We are about a quarter of what tuition would cost for a four-year bachelor’s program, and our certificate holds, honestly, as much weight in the industry.

“A two-year certificate—whether it’s from us or not—managers and hiring people understand that a certificate is just as good as a bachelor’s.”

Tuition for in-state residents for a four-year bachelor’s degree at Rutgers is currently estimated at $61,524, while non-N.J. residents will pay $147,324 in tuition over four years; both also feature $4,008 in annual fees and even more costs depending if students are commuters or living on campus.

Like Michigan State and Rutgers, Penn State University offers a variety of flexible turfgrass programs to accommodate those interested in the field.

Since 1957, Penn State has offered its Golf Course Turfgrass Management Professional Certificate Program. Boasting more than 1,500 graduates from its two-year certificate program, Penn State also offers a four-year Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Professional Studies in Turfgrass Management and five online programs for remote learners.

Students not only benefit from hands-on experience at the 17-acre Valentine Research Center—home of A1/A4, the Penn State-developed turf used at Augusta National—but also through study abroad programs at courses in Scotland and Italy, internships and career opportunities from an extensive network, as well as clubs and competitions including Turfgrass Club and Turf Bowl Team.

Penn State boasts 17 turfgrass titles from competitions among university students held by the Sports Field Managers Association (SFMA) and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) at their annual conferences and trade shows.

“We’re defending national champions for Turf Bowl for both sports turf and turfgrass,” said Dr. Ben McGraw, Associate Professor of Turfgrass Science and academic advisor to the GCSAA Turf Bowl. “... We’re kind of a powerhouse in that regard.”

Golf’s current record participatory popularity, mainstream acceptance and overall consumption is positively impacting every aspect of the industry, including interest in golf course careers and jobs.

Rogers was happy to share interest in Michigan’s State turfgrass program is at levels he hasn’t seen since the golf boom in the late 1990s spurred by Tiger Woods’ professional debut.

Coogan confirmed Rutgers’ program is ahead of enrollment at this point of year compared to recent years.

“Our numbers are back up,” Rogers said. “I’m very encouraged.”