Distance Education School -Certificate -Study, Learn and Work in Greenkeeping and Turf Care
Become an Expert Turf Manager.
The turf industry is a huge sector within horticulture. It employs people as greenkeepers, curators and superintendents; seed and machinewry suppliers, consultants and much more. It's not without it's critics; nevertheless, golf courses, sportsgrounds and even home lawns are vey important contributors to the overall environmental quality of urban areas. There are however three primary reasons for which turf is created:
- Functional turf is used to control soil erosion, reduce dust and mud problems, reduce glare, noise, air pollution and buffer temperature fluctuations. Turf along a roadside or surrounding a factory are examples of functional turf.
- Recreational turf is used for sporting activities, such as bowling greens, golf courses and football grounds, and other outdoor recreational activities such as surfacing a children's playground or picnic area.
- Ornamental turf is primarily intended as a decoration, for example the front lawn of a home or office building or high quality grassed areas in public parklands.
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification -Certificate in Horticulture (Turf) is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
The course is divided into two parts, and involves completing all assignments and passing an exam in each of six subjects as listed below.
Part I
Horticulture I
Turf Care
Machinery and Equipment
Part 2.
Sports Turf Management
Turf Repair and Renovation
Irrigation (Gardens)
Note: Course fee does not include exam fees (x 4).
LESSONS COVERED IN THE CERTIFICATE ARE BRIEFLY OUTLINED BELOW
Horticulture I
1.Plant Identification
2.Planting
3.Introduction to Soils
4.Introduction to Nutrition
5.Introduction to Water Management
6.Pruning
7.Weeds
8.Foundations of Pests and Diseases
9.Landscaping
10.Plant Propagation
11.Introduction to Lawns
12.Arboriculture
Turf Care
1.Introduction - Turf Varieties
2.Turf Grass Physiology
3.Turf Establishment
4.Soils
5.Turf Weed Problems
6.Turf Pests and Diseases
7.Turf Maintenance Techniques
8.Irrigation - An Overview
9.Playing Fields & Bowling Greens
10.Managing Established Turf
11.Establishing Ornamental Turf
Machinery and Equipment
1.Engine Operation
2.Hydraulics
3.Machinery Components
4.Hand Tools
5.Power Tools
6.Tractors
7.Equipment Maintenance
8.Specific Workplace Requirements
Sports Turf Management
1.Turf Variety Selection
2.Mowing - selection, use and maintenance of equipment.
3.Cultivation Techniques -spiking, coring, thatch removal and other techniques.
4.Preparing for Play on Sports grounds - rolling, marking, etc.
5.Preparing for Play of Greens - rolling, marking, etc.
6.Turf Protection & Preservation
7.Irrigation & Drainage
8.Soil Treatment & Sprays - pesticides, fertilisers, etc.
9.Evaluate Maintenance Facilities
10.Develop a Management Plan.
Turf Repair and Renovation
1.Understanding Turf Deterioration - physiological and biological responses.
2.Repair & Renovation Equipment - use and repair of applicable equipment.
3.Turf Cultivation Techniques
4.Health Improvement Techniques -pest control, feeding, watering, etc.
5.Optimising Turf Usage
6.Replacing Damaged Turf - techniques for replacement.
7.Renovation of Degraded Turf - techniques to repair and renovated turf.
8.Eradicating Turf Weeds
9.Treating Aeration and Drainage Problems - compaction, etc.
10.Managing a Turf Nursery.
Irrigation
1.Introduction to Irrigation
2.Soil Characteristics & Problems
3.Estimating Plant Needs & Irrigation Scheduling
4.Drainage
5.Types of Irrigation Systems
6.Trickle Systems
7.Design Specifications
8.Pumps & Filters
9.Selecting the Right System for a Plant
10.Design & Operation of Systems.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
Why Choose This Course
- Unique course materials (developed by our staff) and more current than some colleges (many reviewed annually); as a result, ACS graduates can be more up to date.
- We work hard to help you understand and remember it, develop an ability to apply it in the real world, and build networks with others who work in this field (It’s more than just serving up a collection of information –if all you want is information, buy a book; but if you want an education, that takes learning to a whole new level).
- Start whenever you want, study at your own pace, study anywhere
- Don’t waste time and money traveling classes
- We provide more choices–courses are written to allow you more options to focus on parts of the subject that are of more interest to you; a huge range of elective subjects are offered that don’t exist elsewhere.
- Tutors are accessible (more than elsewhere) – academics work in both the UK and Australia, 5 days a week, 16 hours a day. Answering emails and phone calls from students are top priority.
- We treat students as individuals –don’t get lost in a crowd. Our tutors communicate with you one to one.
- Extra help at no extra cost if needed. When you find something you cannot do, we help you through it or will provide another option.
- Support after you finish a course –We can advise about getting work, starting business, writing a CV, etc. We can promote students and their businesses through our extensive profile on the internet. Graduates who ask will be helped.
- Support from a team of a dozen professional horticulturists, living in different parts of the UK, and in both temperate and tropical climate zones of Australia.
About ACS
ACS was started in 1979 by John Mason, who at the time was a gardening author, horticultural consultant and lecturer in horticulture at several colleges across Melbourne (in Australia). Over the summer that year John discovered that there were thousands of applicants going to be turned away from horticulture courses at Burnley Horticultural College (now Melbourne University). There were simply too few courses being offered for the number of people wanting to study horticulture in Australia. This situation prompted a move to establish a correspondence course at Burnley; but after months of unsuccessful lobbying for support from government; John wrote a course, and with help from a colleague at Council of Adult Education, marketed it.
Standards were originally set in line with what were seen to be the standards of Australia's top horticultural college; and over the years, those standards have never been reduced. This makes our courses longer and more demanding than some other colleges; but it has also led to us building a credibility that stands tall in the horticulture industry across the world.
In the early 1990's John started visiting the UK and becoming involved with the horticulture industry there. Around the mid 1990's ACS began offering RHS courses, and in 2003, John was formally recognised for his contribution to British Horticulture by being made a fellow of the Institute of Horticulture. ACS, as a school, established an office and staff in the UK in 2001, and has expanded considerably since then. Today it is formally affiliated with five other colleges in the UK (including Warwickshire College); all of who license and deliver ACS courses.
A team of leading horticulturists work for the school's horticulture department, including 12 faculty members in both the UK and Australia
How You Study
- As soon as you enroll, we send an email to explain it all.
- We direct you to a short orientation video (downloadable over the internet) to watch, where our principal introduces you to how the course works, and how you can access all sorts of support services
- You are either given a code to access your course online, or sent out a CD or course materials through the mail (or by courier).
- Work through lessons one by one, each lesson typically having four parts:
- An aim -which tells you what you should be achieving in the lesson
- Reading -notes written and regularly revised by our academic staff
- Set Task(s) -These are practicals, research or other experiential learning tasks that strengthen and add to what you have been reading
- Assignment -By answering questions, submitting them to a tutor, then getting feedback from the tutor, you confirm that you are on the right track, but more than that, you are guided to consider what you have been studying in different ways, broadening your perspective and reinforcing what you are learning about
- Other - Your work in a course rarely stops at just the above four parts. Different courses and different students will need further learning experiences. Your set task or assignment may lead to other things, interacting with tutors or people in industry, reviewing additional reference materials or something else. We treat every student as an individual and supplement their learning needs as the occasion requires.
- We provide access to and encourage you to use a range of supplementary services including an online student room, including online library; student bookshop, newsletters, social media etc.
- We provide a "student manual", that is a quick solution to most problems that might occur
Recognition
- ACS has a highly respected international profile: by employers and academics alike. People are more aware of us than many other distance education schools –just do a search for “horticulture distance education courses” and see what comes up on the internet; or search for ACS Distance education on Facebook or Linked in, and see how many connections we have compared to other colleges.
- Recognised by International Accreditation and Recognition Council
- ACS has been educating people around the world since 1979
- Over 100,000 have now studied ACS courses, across more than 150 countries
- Formal affiliations with colleges in five countries
- A faculty of over 40 internationally renowned academics –books written by our staff used by universities and colleges around the world.
Extra Books or Reference Materials
- The course provides you with everything that you need to complete it successfully.
- Assignments may ask you to look for extra information (eg. by contacting nurseries, visiting gardens or searching the internet), but our school's resources and tutors are always available as a back up. If you hit a "roadblock", we can quickly send you additional information or provide expert advice over the phone or email; to keep you moving in your studies.
- Some students choose to buy additional references, to take their learning beyond what is essential for the course. If a student wants to buy books, we operate an online bookshop offering ebooks written by staff at the school. Student discounts are available if you are studying with us. The range of e books available is being expanded rapidly, with at least one new ebook being written and published by our staff every month. See www.acsebook.com
