Every time Tiger Woods steps onto a fairway, there's a good chance he's standing on a little piece of Penn State.
And while Tom Watschke, professor of turfgrass science, doesn't know exactly how many courses use Penn State grass, he has his own way of keeping track.
"The sun never sets on a one of our Penn grass varieties," Watschke said.
In addition to having seed varieties that are used on golf courses around the world, Penn State students and faculty alike have worked at Camden Yards, Heinz Field, Merion Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and Augusta National Golf Club.
A number of current students have internships working at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State's Center for Turfgrass Science is one of the oldest and most recognizable turf programs throughout the country.
Created in 1929, the program will begin celebrating its 75th anniversary next year.
Originally the program was started with the annual turfgrass conferences, that were mostly for golf course superintendents.
The center now has four conferences every year in the state of Pennsylvania and also offers different educational programs.
The center continues to research about issues in the industry and continues to find new techniques.
"The things Bob Hudzik is doing at Beaver Stadium couldn't have been done ten years ago," Watschke said. "You're never done learning."
In 1959 the center began offering a two-year nondegree program specifically for golf course superintendents.
A number of students at Penn State, who have been working in the industry for several years now, and who may already have a college degree, enroll in this program to learn more about turfgrass.
"They're a joy to teach because they're really experienced and ask a lot of great questions," said Peter Landschoot, professor of turfgrass management.
While undergraduates at Penn State have been studying turf for a while, turfgrass science didn't become a major until 1992.
Today 135 students are enrolled in the major, many that come in with some prior experience on golf courses or athletic fields.
Also about 500 people around the country or abroad take courses available to students online through the World Campus.
Tom Vosters, president of the Penn State Turf Club, will graduate with a turfgrass science degree next week.
After working as a caddy, Vosters started to work on the grounds crew at a local course in Wisconsin.
He first found out about the program from the course's superintendent, a Penn State alumnus.
"He told me that I could actually go to school to study this stuff and when I asked where he told me Penn State," Vosters said.
The Turf Club frequently invites guest speakers from golf courses around the country to come and speak to their members, in addition to running workshops.
"We bring in people from the industry and are able to take away messages you can't get in class," Vosters said.
While the turfgrass science major prepares students for a variety of jobs, most Penn State graduates end up working in the golf industry.
More students are beginning to move into other fields though.
Some of those specialty areas include athletic fields and landscaping.
"When I started there was one entry for landscaping in the State College yellow pages. Now there's like a page and a half," Watcshke said.
This begs the question as to what is the secret behind the Penn State center's success?
"Having a long history with a lot of people along the way making an impact has really built us a strong reputation." Lanschoot said.
Penn State turfgrass alumni work in every state in the country and six foreign countries.
They recommend the program to their numerous employees and look for Penn State graduates when looking to hire.
"Our reputation is really a significant value to our students," Watschke said.
With 1,500 alumni working in top golf courses, it makes it easier for students to find internships and gain valuable experience.
That experience prepares them for jobs and builds upon the program's reputation.
"It's a nurturing process, and that's why it works," Watschke said.
