The Voice

UUPer ZJ Jiang, right, works with students in the college's turf management programs

Grass is more than just grass at SUNY Cobleskill.

It’s turf.

Lush, green, thick, cropped turf, the kind that brings a broad smile to

a golfer’s face as she steps onto a manicured putting green to line up her shot. Turf that is sheer perfection, containing the right mix of grasses, chemicals and care to make it look like a carpet of green.

That’s the passion that UUPers Zhongchun “ZJ” Jiang and Alex Ellram share with the students they teach in Cobleskill’s new Golf Turf Management Program.

Cobleskill is the only school in New York state offering four-year bachelor of technology degrees in turfgrass management, with majors in golf turf management and sports turf management. Both programs began last spring; 20 students are enrolled in the programs.

The college has built a reputation over the years within the national turfgrass industry with its two-year plant science degree. The new degrees make the programs more identifiable for students and employers, and easier to market to potential students, said Jiang, Cobleskill’s professor of turfgrass management. Golf turf management focuses on the scientific growth, cultivation and maintenance of different specialty grasses for golf course greens, fairways and tees, while sports turf management deals with sports fields and recreation areas.