Science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) – valuable education principles that happen to be inherent in a golf course superintendent’s job.
Across the Northwest, and across the U.S., the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has been lending its turf knowledge to the next generation of middle and high school students through First Green, a program organizing field trips which treat golf courses as learning labs.
According to David Phipps, First Green’s Northwest Regional Representative, those labs can include activities on soil science, water quality and environmental protection, as well as just about any other relevant attribute depending on a given course. The outings also provide opportunities to learn the game of golf.
Phipps is a Class A Superintendent with the GCSAA, with his turfgrass expertise stemming from a 12-year (2000-2012) tenure as superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City, Ore. Involved with the GCSAA and First Green directly since 2012 and having previously hosted his first field trip with his own son as a participant in 2005, he is well aware of the impact the program can have.
“I’ve seen it firsthand where parents or chaperones come in with one perceived idea of golf and they leave with a totally different mindset,” Phipps said. “[They realize] how beneficial golf courses are to their local community.”
First Green merged with the GCSAA in 2018. In 1997 it was co-founded by Bill Meyer, a longtime backer of amateur golf in the Northwest, and then-Overlake Golf and Country Club superintendent Jeff Gullikson. The nonprofit has perennially received strong regional support from WA Golf, the Northwest Turfgrass Association, as well as Seattle-area clubs.
In 2018, nine field trips reached a total of 593 students, and aside from COVID-19-affected years of 2020 and 2021, the number of both trips and participants has grown. In 2024, 110 total First Green trips reached 6,789 students across 44 states and Ontario, Canada. Throughout Washington, seven courses hosted a field trip last year, with Tumwater Valley Golf Club taking on two.
Steve Kealy, the superintendent at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, Wash. and one of the leaders in the program’s early success, has hosted hundreds of First Green field trips, and still conducts half a dozen each year at Glendale.
In addition to STEAM education, First Green provides insight into careers in the turfgrass industry. Phipps, whether at Stone Creek or GCSAA, knows the level of mentorship entailed within superintendents’ roles.
“It’s kind of like a badge of honor,” he said. “The more people you can get engaged in this industry and help them succeed in a career, it’s a pretty good feeling.”
Looking ahead, one of Phipps’ goals is to increase First Green’s participation with high school students to promote such careers in turf management. That goal took a step forward this year when the GCSAA hosted a high school version of the Turf Bowl – a national college competition that tests turfgrass industry knowledge and problem-solving skills – with 11 high schools from across the country.
Phipps helps other superintendents develop their own various programs, knowing that First Green ties into a variety of overall goals while accomplishing as much.
“First Green helps create awareness of golf courses, it helps inspire students and build a community,” he said. “It advances the profession of golf and brings kids to golf courses to have fun. There’s just so many benefits of this program.”