Chances are, any golf course superintendent you ask has heard about Penn State's two-year golf turf program—and could very well be an alum of that program. Since 1957, Penn State has offered a certificate in golf course turfgrass management for individuals interested in careers as golf course superintendents. Graduates can be found at top golf courses around the country and around the world. “Our two-year program is one of the things that put us on the map,” according to the late George Hamilton, who served as technical advisor for the two-year program from 1992 until 2004. “It's a career enhancement program that provides accelerated training for people who may have been in the golf course industry for a couple of years and want to move up, or for someone in a different industry who's ready for a change. Most of our students have taken college courses, and a lot of them have college degrees. They need the technical expertise to enable them to do a job, and that's what the two-year program is all about.” Admission into the certificate program is competitive. Each year, only twenty-five students are selected from fifty to seventy applications, based on scholastic achievements, work experience, personal goals, and other factors. Applicants must have at least two full seasons of work experience in turfgrass maintenance and must be recommended by a golf course superintendent.
