ABAC STUDENTS GO TO GOLF COURSE FOR CLASSES

Students majoring in golf turf management at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College have a legitimate educational reason to go to the golf course every day. And at ABAC, that means going to the college’s very own nine-hole Forest Lakes Golf Course.

“At most schools where golf course management is offered, and classes in golf equipment, turf pest management, and irrigation are taught, the exposure to the real industry is minimal since few schools have a golf course to provide a ‘learning laboratory,’” Dr. Larry Allen, Chair in ABAC’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources, said. “At ABAC, we have the best of both worlds—a golf course that serves as a ‘learning laboratory’ and an internship in the industry. ABAC has definitely hit a ‘hole-in-one’ with the addition of Forest Lakes Golf Course.”

The 91-acre golf course, valued at $1 million, was donated to the ABAC Foundation in January 2002 by Tifton ophthalmologist Larry Moorman and his wife, Debra. This unique outdoor learning laboratory, which expands upon what students learn in the classroom, is the only golf course in the state of Georgia used as a lab for educational purposes.

In classes and labs conducted on the course, students learn firsthand what it is like to operate and maintain a golf course. Dr. Jerry Davis, retired professor of agricultural engineering, and Dr. Ed Seagle, professor of environmental horticulture, spent many hours this year teaching and working with their students at Forest Lakes.

Activities students participated in on the golf course included replacing irrigation heads, servicing equipment, conducting sprayer calibrations, taking measurements of the greens, tees, and fairways, discussing irrigation issues, collecting soil samples, determining area measurements, and overseeing basic course maintenance.

Allen said students completed a total of 1,400 hours at Forest Lakes during the 2002-03 academic year. These hours were accumulated by ABAC students in the environmental horticulture, agricultural engineering, forestry and wildlife, and physical education programs.

In December 2002, Forest Lakes hired Danny Cravey of Enigma as the assistant superintendent. Cravey, who graduated from ABAC in the fall of 2002 with an associate’s degree in golf turf management, maintains the course and helps coordinate student learning activities. He also works individually with the students to help them gain the “hands-on” experience they will need to enter the workforce. Cravey said George Farmer, an agricultural engineering major from Tifton, is completing an internship at Forest Lakes and will continue to work there through the summer.

Seagle said this year has proven to be very successful in allowing students to gain experience at Forest Lakes.

“Wayne Cooper [manager of Forest Lakes for the college] and Danny Cravey are doing a great job in the maintenance of the course, encouraging an increase in the rounds of golf played, and assisting us with our students in getting involved in experiential learning activities that provide effective ‘hands-on’ experience,” Seagle said. “Forest Lakes Golf Course is definitely an asset to ABAC, the ABAC Foundation, and our students. We are very thankful to Dr. and Mrs. Larry Moorman, President Mike Vollmer, Melvin Merrill, and the ABAC Foundation for making this opportunity available to us and our students.”

Cooper said the course has undergone several projects this year to complete its original design. Some of these projects included repairing irrigation, aerating greens, rebuilding bunkers, and constructing drainage waterways. A major project that will be addressed in the upcoming months is the construction of a paved cart path around the golf course. Tom Flick of Georgia Turf and Tractor also donated some equipment to the golf course.

“The golf course is in wonderful condition,” Cooper said. “We are way ahead of where we thought we would be in terms of the renovations. We really want Forest Lakes to be a model for students.”

In addition to serving as a learning laboratory for students, Forest Lakes is also open for public play. With summer already here, Cooper said he expects an increasing number of golfers and a great season.

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