ABAC STUDENTS GAIN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AT FOREST LAKES

Students majoring in landscape design and grounds management, golf clubhouse management, golf turf management, and other related fields at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are learning valuable skills and gaining “hands-on” experience outside the classroom, thanks to Forest Lakes Golf Course.

The nine-hole, 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 by faculty members in ABAC’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources, students learn firsthand what it is like to operate and maintain a golf course.

Dr. Ed Seagle, professor of environmental horticulture, said students in his classes are participating in various activities at Forest Lakes, including mowing, edging, raking bunkers, repairing and replacing irrigation heads, pest scouting and monitoring, and spraying chemicals.

“Each activity that students complete will help them understand course maintenance,” Seagle said. “These experiential learning activities also help them stay motivated in their major and assist in integrating classroom and workplace learning.”

Lorie Felton, assistant professor of environmental horticulture, said students in her Golf Club Operations class had to plan, implement, and evaluate a benefit golf tournament as one of their major projects.

“A tournament committee was formed, consisting of members of the class, and each student had to complete an activity for the golf tournament, such as food and beverages, scoring, publicity, or sponsorships,” Felton said. “We held the tournament on Oct. 6, and it was very successful. The tournament raised approximately $800 for the Ag Legacy Fund. This week, the class will evaluate the tournament and make recommendations for next year’s tournament.

“By completing this project, the students learned so much, such as how committees function in a golf club setting, how golf tournaments are planned and conducted, and the importance of communication—both with the tournament’s sponsors and within the committee.”

Felton said her Grounds Management class will prepare and install a landscape at the entrance of Forest Lakes, a project that fits perfectly with the course objective of landscape planting.

Jimmy Felton, horticulture technician, also devotes a lot of time working at Forest Lakes Golf Course and helping students with various projects. He assists with labs and gathers all of the equipment and supplies needed. Felton works with the staff at Forest Lakes in reel grinding (sharpening mower blades) and maintaining other equipment. He is also currently leading a group of independent study students in a project to enhance the front sign at Forest Lakes.

In addition to serving as a learning laboratory for students, Forest Lakes is also open for public play.

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