• Our TV advert!Nov 07, 2013 Once upon a time we made a television advert. and for your viewing pleasure, it's made it's way to Youtube! ..
• Growing AnnualsDec 12, 2013 Growing Annuals here's a quick oversight of growing annuals by our Gardening and Horticulture Course instructor: Hardy annuals plants are cheap to..
• Academy for Distance Learning in the Country GardenerDec 10, 2014 Country Gardener is now established as the gardening authority on local gardening in the South West, Cotswolds and Hampshire. Over 100,000 copies are distrib..

Ask a question

Your Name:

Email:

Your Question:

Note: HTML is not translated!

Enter the code in the box below:

Turf Care Management 400 Hours Advanced Certificate Course

Advanced Certificate in Turf Care Management course online. This comprehensive 400 hour course is designed to meet employers' needs in a variety of turf care areas, including general turf care for parks, grounds, gardens and open spaces etc., plus private or council run golf courses, bowling greens, cricket, football pitches. lawn tennis courts and anywhere sports turf professionals are required.

Become skilled at knowing your turf grasses and successfully managing turf for the enjoyment of others.

When you go to a park, have you ever wondered how the grass is maintained to keep its lushness? When you watch football, cricket, or lawn tennis on the television, have you ever considered the amount of punishment that the turf has to take and the challenges for those charged with keeping the playing surface in peak condition? In all areas of turf care management, from selecting the appropriate turf grass, to maintenance, renovation and repair, suitably skilled professionals help to provide all this and more.

There are four areas of expertise covered:

1. Turf Care
2. Sports Turf Management
3. Turf Repair and Renovation
4. Turf Grasses

Turf Care provides an extensive introduction to the identification, selection, culture and management of turf for commercial, recreational or home use. Taking approximately 100 hours to complete, it lays the ground work (no pun intended) in providing the basic principles in turf care, for both general lawn and sports turf environments.

Sports Turf Management assumes a basic knowledge of turf care and from there develops an ability to manage the maintenance of sports turf. It is relevant to the maintenance of all sports turf applications such as: golf courses, bowling clubs, playing fields, cricket wickets and other sporting facilities.

Turf Repair and Renovation helps to develop the skills to diagnose and efficiently treat turf problems, renovate old lawns and replace old turf.

Turf Grasses teaches the characteristics of the most popular turf grasses and where to employ them in the garden, in nature parks, in sport and in the green infrastructure of towns and cities etc. It is ideal for all gardeners and horticulturists who need to have a variety of turf establishment solutions at their disposal.

Learning Goals: Advanced Certificate In Turf Care Management VHT022

1. Determine the range of grasses and other species available for turf culture (Part A)
2. Determine the range of grasses and other species available for turf culture (Part B)
3. Determine appropriate procedures to establish turf
4. Explain the management of soils for growing different types of turf
5. Explain the weed management of turfExplain the management of problems, including pests and diseases, in turf
6. Determine general maintenance practices used in turf management
7. Determine irrigation maintenance practices used in turf management
8. Plan the development of different sports turf areas
9. Develop management strategies for the care of established turf
10. Develop plans to establish ornamental turf
11. Select turf varieties to suit different sports surface requirements; including different climates & soil types.
12. Select turf varieties to suit different sports surfaces (eg. lawn bowls, fairways, greens, league football, cricket)
13. Identify turf blends, their application and reason for use.
14. Explain alternative procedures for sports turf maintenance, used for different types of facilities.
15. Explain specific wear problems and solutions for the five types of turf facilities
16. Evaluate procedures being used to maintain different types of facilities.
17. Determine the resources required to maintain a selected sports turf.
18. Develop management plans for different types of sports turf facilities.
19. Explain the management of a turf nursery to produce a reliable supply of sod.
20. Explain the irrigation and drainage requirements for sports turf fields and lots more.
21. Compare the characteristics of different turfs with reference to hardiness, pest & disease resistance, tolerance to play, suitability for different applications, etc
22. Explain different turf problems (including; soil problems, pest & disease weed, environmental, etc)
23. Explain the effect of various adverse situations on the physiology of turf plants.
24. Carry out turf consultancy, conducting site inspections and giving appropriate recommendations.
25. Develop solutions for the repair of damaged turf.
26. Identify the cause of deteriorating condition in a selected turf
27. Explain different repair techniques for control of problems identified.
28. Compare different solutions for the problem identified.
29. Develop turf renovation programs for different types of turf facilities
30. Compare renovation programs for different turf facilities
31. Identify when renovation becomes economically prudent for different facilities and lots more.
32. Recognise the characteristics that differentiate turf grass cultivars one from another, in order to make choices about what cultivars are appropriate for different turf applications.
33. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Fescue grasses as a turf.
34. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Bent grasses as a turf.
35. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Rye grasses as a turf.
36. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Blue grasses as a turf.
37. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Couch grasses as a turf.
38. Describe the characteristics, culture and use of Buffalo and Zoysia grasses.
39. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of various warm condition grasses as a turf.
40. Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of various cool condition grasses as a turf.
41. Explain the dynamics at play when different varieties of turf grass grow together.

Lesson Structure: Advanced Certificate In Turf Care VHT022

Click on the individual course links for a detailed breakdown of what each lesson covers

Turf Care

1. Introduction - Turf Varieties
2. Turf Grass Physiology
3. Turf Establishment
4. Soils
5. Turf Weed Problems
6. Turf Pests & Diseases
7. Turf Maintenance Techniques
8. Irrigation - An Overview
9. Playing Fields & Bowling Greens
10. Managing Established Turf
11. Establishing Ornamental Turf

Sports Turf Management

• Turf Variety Selection
• Mowing
• Cultivation Techniques
• Preparing for Play on Sports grounds
• Preparing for Play of Greens
• Turf Protection & Preservation
• Irrigation & Drainage
• Soil Treatment & Sprays
• Evaluate Maintenance Facilities
• Develop a Management Plan

Turf Repair and Renovation

1. Understanding Turf Deterioration
2. Repair & Renovation Equipment
3. Turf Cultivation Techniques
4. Health Improvement Techniques
5. Optimising Turf Usage
6. Replacing Damaged Turf
7. Renovation of Degraded Turf
8. Eradicating Turf Weeds
9. Treating Aeration & Drainage Problems
10. Managing a Turf Nursery

Turf Grasses

1. Introduction
2. Fescues
3. Bentgrasses
4. Ryegrasses
5. Bluegrasses
6. Couch grasses
7. Buffalo and Zoysia Grasses
8. Other Warm Condition Grasses
9. Other Cool Condition Grasses
10. Turf grass Mixes

Note:  each module in this Advanced Certificate is a certificate in its own right, and may be studied separately.

Susan Stephenson

Steven Whitaker