A Wonderful Week in Guelph

with wonderful people

I was honored this week to be the Superintendent in Residence at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. The program brings a superintendent to Guelph for three days to observe the University’s short course and two year diploma program. I had the opportunity to sit in on classes for both programs, observing, offering insight, and answering questions. 

At the end of my three days, I gave a talk based on the surface disruption blogs I wrote last winter. The audience was a mix of students and local superintendents. While some of the material may have been a bit technical for the students, I was really impressed with the questions they asked afterward. They were thoughtful and showed a keen interest in the subject matter. 

Being back in an academic setting, left me thinking about my time as a student at the University of Minnesota. I was 18, 19, 20 years old taking courses with little to no context. Botany and soil science, things I now find interesting and second nature, were completely foreign subjects to me. While at Minnesota, I learned plant genetics from a world class apple breeder and was taught herbaceous plant materials by an expert in ornamental grasses. Twenty years post-graduation, I understand how fortunate I was to have such an experience and my degree from the University of Minnesota is something I treasure. Back then I didn’t have the context, or mental maturity, to fully appreciate the experience. 

Many of the students in the Guelph turf programs have years of experience prior to this schooling. Their context, I believe, allows them to much better appreciate the incredible nature of the education they are receiving. Botany probably makes sense to them in a way it didn’t to me. The physical properties of soil are something with which they have prior first-hand experience, rather than something they are learning for the first time. Context and maturity are important to one’s education, and it makes me think the idea of a gap year, or two is probably not a terrible idea for someone planning their post secondary education. 

My biggest takeaway from my time at the University of Guelph is this: do not worry about the direction of the golf course management industry. Based on the students I met this week, the future of our industry will be in good hands.