TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

All photos provided by Mike Urich, CSFM

By Mike Urich, CSFM

As someone who has relied on contractors to perform a service— and someone who is now the contractor others rely on— I’ ve seen this relationship from both sides. And I can tell you that turf contracting doesn’ t have to be a negative experience. When done correctly, contracting can bring expertise, resources, efficiency and a different perspective to turfgrass management. The challenge is making sure sound agronomy doesn’ t get lost in the operational side of getting the work done.

In my view, the relationship between a turfgrass contractor and a client should be no different than the relationship between a golf course superintendent and the membership, a head groundskeeper at a college and the coaches who use those fields, or a minor league groundskeeper and the team and front office. In each case, there is someone responsible for the turf and someone relying on that person to deliver a surface that meets their needs.

The challenges are similar, too. The membership wants certain playing conditions. Coaches need safe, consistent fields that fit practice and game schedules. Front offices have expectations for both appearance and performance. All of those wants and needs have to be balanced against budgets, weather, staffing, field use, and what is agronomically realistic. A contractor-client relationship is really no different.

Regardless of whether you are managing turf for your own organization or providing that expertise under contract, the responsibility is the same: understand the goal, provide answers, and develop sound solutions that move the property forward.

When that type of relationship exists, balancing agronomy and operations becomes much easier. In a perfect world, the agronomically correct answer would always be the practical answer. Of course, we don’ t work in a perfect world. Budgets, schedules, field use, labor, equipment, weather, and client expectations all have a seat at the table. The contractor’ s job is to understand those realities without losing sight of what is best for the turf.

Being able to connect the client’ s goal to an economical and efficient solution is where a strong understanding of agronomy becomes invaluable. Everyone has budget constraints, and the most complete solution isn’ t always the most practical one. A poorquality athletic field, for example, could potentially be stripped, regraded, and replaced with thick-cut sod— but not every situation requires it, and not every client can afford it.

That’ s where the contractor needs to understand more than how to perform a service. Understanding why the field is struggling allows us to develop alternatives. Maybe the answer involves relieving compaction, improving fertility, addressing drainage, adjusting the turf species, overseeding, or changing maintenance practices. Sound agronomy gives us the ability to build a path toward the client’ s goal without automatically bringing out the dozer.

Think back to“ the dance” I mentioned earlier. Take a cool-season, native-soil athletic field with poor drainage and an increasing population of annual bluegrass( Poa annua). Removing the affected turf and installing new sod may improve its appearance quickly, but if excessive soil moisture helped create an environment where Poa annua could thrive, the underlying problem hasn’ t changed. Eventually, we may find ourselves performing the same dance all over again.

A better long-term approach may be to address the environment itself. Improving drainage through sand slit drainage, incorporating a Poa annua management strategy, and introducing strong, adapted turfgrass varieties can begin shifting the conditions in favor of the turf we want. It may not provide the instant gratification of rolling out new sod, but it addresses the root of the problem while providing the client with a practical, less-invasive path forward.

Create a better environment. If the environment stays the same, so will the turfgrass conditions. Creating the right environment doesn’ t stop with the turf, either.

Once the solution is accepted, it’ s time to execute. Just as a groundskeeper communicates mowing or painting schedules with coaches, or a superintendent informs members that greens will be aerated and topdressed, a contractor needs to communicate the plan while balancing the client’ s current field usage. There’ s always plenty of time to fit in projects and cultural practices exactly when you want to, right?( I hope you can sense my sarcasm.)

The reality is that turfgrass maintenance exists in an ever-changing and demanding environment. Schedules move, weather changes, games get added, and priorities shift. You have to be flexible— or, as I like to say, be able to“ Gumby” your way through those changes. Doing that while maintaining clear, professional communication goes a long way in any of the relationships we’ ve discussed.

Execution also means knowing what resources a job requires. How many people? What equipment? How much time? The goal should be to complete the work in a timely manner.“ Timely” is the key word— I didn’ t say fast or quick. Working fast simply for the sake of being done can lead to cut corners and missed details. Working efficiently means understanding the scope well enough to send the proper people and equipment, follow the necessary steps, and still deliver the finished product on schedule while maintaining a high level of detail. There is a difference between getting a job done quickly and getting it done efficiently.

That leads to another important question: Who is the person sitting on that tractor or operating that sprayer? Are they simply an operator trained on a standardized procedure, or are they a turfgrass professional who understands what the finished job should look like and the impact their work will have on the field?

Procedures and training are important, but so is developing a turfgrass maintenance mindset. Education and experience allow the person performing the work to recognize when something doesn’ t look right, understand why details matter, and make better decisions in the field. When knowledgeable people, proper resources, and clear communication come together, you’ re doing more than completing a contracted service. You’ re producing better turf and cultivating a better experience for the client.

Throughout my career, I’ ve had the opportunity to experience turfgrass maintenance from a number of different angles: Minor League Baseball, a university sports complex, sod production, lawn care, and now specialized turfgrass maintenance contracting. Living in each of those roles gave me insight into the day-to-day realities experienced by much of the client base I work with today.

Interestingly, lawn care became one of my most valuable experiences. It taught me how to communicate with customers, provide a professional level of service, organize work efficiently, and understand the business side of delivering turfgrass services. Combine those lessons with the agronomy learned through schooling and a career in turfgrass and, when you break it down to its simplest terms, the responsibilities really aren’ t that different from those of most turfgrass professionals.

Maybe that is the easiest way to change the perception of turfgrass contracting. I look at my service area as my golf course or sports complex. My clients are my members, coaches, players, and front office. Their expectations become the objectives we work toward, and it is my responsibility to balance those expectations with sound agronomy and practical operations.

When those objectives align, communication stays strong, and expectations are met, the relationship stops feeling like a transaction between a client and a contractor. The contractor becomes another dependable and useful tool in the equipment shed— ready to provide knowledge, resources and solutions when they are needed.

Mike Urich, CSFM, is vice president of maintenance at Hummer Turfgrass Systems, where he oversees specialized turfgrass maintenance operations for athletic fields, golf courses, and other managed turf facilities. With 17 years in the turfgrass industry, his career has included experience in Minor League Baseball, collegiate athletics, sod production, lawn care, and specialized turfgrass contracting. His diverse background has shaped his approach to turfgrass management, with an emphasis on balancing sound agronomy, efficient operations, and strong client relationships.