Renowned Michigan State University researcher William James Beal believed that a well-kept lawn was the most satisfying way to beautify an area.
Beal (1833–1924) was a leading educator in applied plant science while a professor from 1871 to 1910. He was a key leader of the experimental movement of agricultural botany and conducted some of the first dedicated turfgrass research in the country.
In 1873, Beal oversaw the first grass and weed garden in Sleepy Hollow, near the present-day MSU College of Music Building. He developed the Beal Botanical Garden, the oldest, continuously operated university botanical garden in the United States. Many turfgrass experts consider him to be the first turfgrass researcher in the United States, with the first turfgrass experiments at MSU, then the State Agricultural College, beginning in 1880 .
By 1930, Spartan researchers began to recognize the need to inform greenskeepers of the latest in turfgrass research and management practices. They hosted approximately 80 students for the first greenskeepers short course. The course allowed students to study the issues they were facing at their home courses while utilizing the expertise, laboratory and experiment station at MSU.
The two-year Turfgrass Management Technical Training Program began at MSU in the fall of 1966. The program grew rapidly, starting with six graduates in 1968 and enrolling more than 40 students for the 1971 class. Also in 1968, the university began offering a four-year undergraduate curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in turfgrass management.
In 1979, MSU opened the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center, a partnership between the university and the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation. The building was constructed through funding from Robert W. Hancock of Jackson, Michigan. Hancock was an avid golfer interested in research as a means to develop better turf maintenance.
By 1991, the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center had outgrown its area and added 8 more acres. Today, the center has 84,000 square feet of greens, 173,000 square feet of fairways, 371,000 square feet of park and lawn area, and 36,000 square feet of athletic fields.
In the early 1990s, there were six faculty members from the Department of Crop and Soils, two from Entomology and one from the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology working at the center, conducting research with the help of 10 graduate students on variety trials, soil fertility, nutrient and pesticide fate, weed control, diseases, insects and athletic fields.
In 1993, MSU received international acclaim when the university was selected by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, to lead the research efforts to grow and install a natural grass playing surface inside the Pontiac Silverdome for the 1994 World Cup.
At that time, modular sports turf systems were novel and untested. Spartan researchers and graduate students spent countless hours evaluating which grass species, soil types, fertility plans and light levels would work best to grow and support the turf.
MSU constructed a 6,600-square-foot model of the Pontiac Silverdome at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center in East Lansing. Dubbed “Silverdome West,” the facility was the hub of research and application of sod-on-plastic and modular sports turf systems.
The use of the MSU system during the 1994 World Cup game was a success, establishing modular systems as a practical and applicable option for indoor natural grass fields and establishing MSU students and faculty as leading experts and innovators.
FIFA is preparing for another North American World Cup in 2026. This tournament includes 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. MSU turfgrass faculty and students are working in partnership with University of Tennessee Turfgrass Science and Management faculty and students to ensure world-class playing surfaces in all stadiums.
Today, MSU turfgrass faculty and students help keep the industry thriving and competitive, conducting research in a range of disciplines and all aspects of turf: management techniques, golf courses and athletic fields, environmental sustainability, pests and diseases, and development of academic programs to train turf managers and scientists of the future.
The Institute of Agricultural Technology offers two-year certificate programs in Sports and Commercial Turf Management and Golf Course Turfgrass Management. The MSU Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences currently offers a four-year Bachelor of Science program with a concentration on turfgrass management, and faculty support numerous graduate and doctoral students.
Researchers at the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, also known as MSU AgBioResearch, have influenced the turfgrass industry throughout generations. Some of the successes include:
In addition, MSU AgBioResearch initiated the first studies of: