Sports Turf Students Attend National Conference

The Southeast Technical College Dakota Turf/GCSAA student organization recently spent a week at the National Golf Course Superintendents Association conference and trade show in San Diego, Calif., to participate in a competition, networking and educational experiences.

The first day of the conference featured a tour with Peter Hayes, the San Diego Padres' grounds director. Since Hayes was renovating the field during the visit, he gave the students an exclusive look behind the scenes at an MLB stadium before the beginning of the season.

The tour was followed by a welcoming reception and networking event with Industry Golf Professionals on the USS Midway.

The second day of the conference was full of educational, career-boosting seminars such as Tools for Turfgrass Renovations and Building your Professional Portfolio.

On the conference's third day, 76 teams from 29 colleges across the country participated in a competition. GCSAA club president Ben Kuiters described the competition as "very challenging" but also said that "we were able to place within the top 50%, which was a success considering most of the teams were from four-year institutions."

At the end of the trip, the students explored cutting-edge technology and equipment for golf course maintenance during the Trade Show. They returned from the conference with hands-on career experience and new insights on how to source products and services.

The STC Dakota Turf/GCSAA student organization would like to thank the following donors for their generous financial contributions towards this opportunity: Minnehaha Country Club, Sanford International, GCSA of SD Assoc., Tessman Seed and the Reiter Family.