The University of Minnesota, Crookston Turf Bowl Team placed 7th in the National Turf Bowl Competition held recently. Members of the team included Junior Tom Halver, Chaska, Minn.; Senior Philip Holland, New London, Minn.; Senior Mark Michalski, Silver Bay, Minn.; and Senior Weston Wander, Sauk Centre, Minn. They competed against 67 turf bowl teams from universities all across the United States.  The competition was held during the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Education and Trade Show on February 11, 2010, in San Diego, Calif.

Of the 67 teams represented by the 31 universities who competed, the U of M, Crookston Turf Bowl Team ranked 5th behind some major turfgrass programs including Iowa State University located in Ames; University of Massachusetts in Amherst; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.; and Penn State located in State College.

The 3 ½ hour turf bowl exam  is comprised of nine sections including identification (turfgrass, seed, soil, weed, insect, and disease), turfgrass growth and development, soil and soil fertility, weed management, disease management, insect management, turfgrass calculations, business management, and  a case study essay.

Tom Halver, a golf and turf management major, interned for Superintendent Michael Cohrs at the Bluff Creek Golf Course in Chaska. Philip Holland interned for Superintendent John Kelley, Jr., at the Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass. Mark Michalski interned for Superintendent Roger Stewart at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., during summer 2009. Weston Wander interned last summer for Superintendent Lee Mahnke at the Greystone Golf Club in Sauk Centre, Minn. Holland, Michalski, and Wander are all pursuing double majors in golf and turf management and horticulture with an emphasis in environmental landscaping.

The advisor of the U of M, Crookston Turf Bowl Team is Kristina S. Walker, Ph.D. She earned her doctoral and master's degrees in agronomy specializing in turfgrass management from Purdue University. Walker has been teaching courses in agronomy and turfgrass management since January 2009 at the Crookston Campus.

With a degree in golf and turf management, graduates are qualified for positions in the golf industry, sports field management, lawn care, sod production, grounds maintenance, sales or pursue an advanced degree. For more information on golf and turf management at the U of M, Crookston, visit www.umcrookston.edu/academics/agri/golfturf.

Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 bachelor's degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture and natural resources; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduates, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.

In photo at top, left (l to r): Gregg Breningmeyer, John Deere Golf, director of Sales and Marketing; Kristina S. Walker, Ph.D., advisor and lecturer in golf and turf management at the U of M, Crookston; Philp Holland; Weston Wander; Mark Michalski; Tom Halver; and Mark Kuhns, GCSAA president.
 
In the photo at right (l to r): Philip Holland, Mark Michalski, Weston Wander, and Tom Halver.