Member Spotlight on Brian Glass

We sat down with Brian Glass, Athletic Field Manager for the City of Lynchburg Parks and Rec to talk about working in sports turf, lessons learned and the Certified Turfgrass Professional program. We

Virginia Turfgrass Journal: How did you decide to pursue a career in turfgrass management?

Brian Glass: It started when I was pretty young and I played a lot of golf. I was always curious about the grass on the golf course and how they took care of it, so I pursued a golf course job when I was 14 years old. I worked my way up and then when I went to college, I went to a turf school, Eastern Kentucky University and got a Bachelor’s Degree in turf. I started off on golf courses and worked there about four years, then got kind of burnt out with it. I switched to a college, Sweetbriar College, and started working on the athletic fields there and I’ve been working on athletic fields for the last 17 or 18 years.

VTJ: How many and what type of sports fields are under your management?

BG: I take care of right at 10 acres — 10 or 11 acres — of sports turf. Pretty much all of it is Bermuda, but we’re overseeding two acres this year — a lacrosse field. We’re trying that out with the sports turf blend. It’s a ryegrass/bluegrass blend. For lacrosse, they like to have green grass in March and April, and that just doesn’t work very well with Bermuda, so we’re going to try it and see how it works this year. My team does 11 acres and also maintains some infields and softball fields, we do various jobs with parks and rec. You never do the same thing each day, there’s always something different.

VTJ: With a busy work schedule and unexpected challenges, how do you maintain work/life balance — what do you do away from your turf management job?

BG: I do love turf. When I go home, I find myself working in the yard a lot. But that’s a stress reliever for me. When I look out the window of my house, I like to see a nice landscaped yard. That’ll never change. My wife and I go to a lot of sporting events, a lot of local festivals. I play golf some. Not as much as I probably want to, and I stay plenty busy.

VTJ: Do you have a mentor in the turf industry who’s guided and directed your career?

BG: I would have to say it would be Dr. Mike Goatley from Virginia Tech. I met Dr. Goatley my first year at Sweetbriar College, at a conference in Roanoke. I was trying to learn about athletic fields and the difference between sports fields and golf courses and he answered all my questions. I’ve looked up to him ever since. Whenever I have questions, when I get in a tough job or something I don’t understand, I shoot him an email and he always answers. I’d say for the east coast, he’s probably the man to turn to.

VTJ: You recently completed the Certified Turfgrass Professional course. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what that looked like for you to go through the course and get the certification?

BG: It’s been about 21 years since I graduated college and went through the turf program. I thought it was pretty basic, and the last couple of years I’ve been wanting an extra challenge. It’s been a while since I’ve been challenged bookwise. I went to the Short Course in 2016 and that was a refresher and was a great course in Richmond, Virginia. Two years later, I took the CTP class. I was amazed by the material they covered and the book that was given. They do cover a lot of material and it was not easy — a lot more weed ID than I was used to. I studied for the test and I think I did fairly well, but it was not an easy test. I think it will challenge just about anybody, even people who have been in the turf industry for 40 years. I say that the test will challenge you to do your best and it’s not an easy test.

VTJ: Aside from gaining the knowledge and spending the time to advance that element, what’s another benefit of having that certification?

BG: I think it increases your job opportunities and your professionalism. Dr. Goatley said in the class right before we started that they designed this course and this test so that if someone made it through, that he would feel comfortable recommending them for any turf job they applied for. That’s what made me want to do it even more. It’s always making your résumé better, it never hurts.

For the full interview, visit theturfzone.com/podcasts

Brian Glass, Athletic Field Manager for the City of Lynchburg Parks and Rec