San Diego, CA | February 1 - 6, 2025
The 2025 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Conference and Show was a stellar opportunity for our turfgrass science students to network, learn about the latest advancements in golf course management and show off their knowledge in the Turf Bowl.
The Turf Bowl is an annual competition held during the GCSAA Conference and Show, where over three-hours teams of up to four students take an exam that covers all facets of golf course turfgrass management. This year 29 schools sent 76 teams and a total of 276 students into to the competition.
We would like to give a special shoutout to The Ohio State University turf team of Jake Miller, Zach Beier, Evan Flory, and Trevor Sheets who placed 5th, which is one of the best showings Ohio State has had during the 24 years that we've competed. The turf team is a sub group of our turf club which is co-advised by HCS professor Dr. David Gardner and HCS alum Brandon Stith.
Jake Miller, one of our SPS: Turfgrass Science students on the team gave us a further glimpse into the conference and Turf Bowl...
What were some highlights of GCSAA 2025 for you?
Some of my highlights from the GCSAA trip in San Diego included getting to spend time with my Dad, placing 5th in the student turf bowl, walking around the trade show floor seeing the latest and greatest products in our industry, and catching up with individuals throughout the week.
What’s one of the most interesting things you learned?
I got to learn about some of the new technology and equipment that is going to take golf course maintenance to the next level including, USGA's Moisture Meter, Toro's autonomous mowers, and Rain Bird's CirrusPRO irrigation control system.
What got you interested in competing in the turf bowl?
Last year I attended my first GCSAA show in Phoenix, AZ. At the time, I was at ATI, and we put together a few teams to compete in the turf bowl. I really wasn't sure what to expect and didn't have any expectations going into it. After taking the test last year and getting a feel for it, one of my goals this year was to place in the top 10. This year, there was a total of 76 teams that competed in the turf bowl. In order to achieve the goal of placing in the top 10, we had to prepare ourselves by studying general turfgrass science material including, turf, weed, disease, insect, and seed ID. Placing 5th out of 76 teams this year right before graduation is one achievement I will never forget!
Thank you and a big congrats to all the teams that competed in the 2025 GCSAA Turf Bowl. We can't wait to see y'all next year in Orlando, FL, January 31 - February 5, 2026!
Eager for more news from the 2025 GCSAA Conference? You're in luck - check out the rest of the series here.