| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
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| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 99 (%) | Description: Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes. |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds. |
| Importance: 91 (%) | Description: Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Gather and remove litter. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage. |
| Importance: 87 (%) | Description: Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools. |
| Importance: 86 (%) | Description: Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes. |
| Importance: 85 (%) | Description: Decorate gardens with stones or plants. |
| Importance: 84 (%) | Description: Rake, mulch, and compost leaves. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans. |
| Importance: 77 (%) | Description: Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers. |
Park and Sports Turf Management Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Park and Sports Turf Management Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For people who want outdoor, hands-on work maintaining athletic fields, stadiums, or golf courses. Use the tools below to see which park and sports turf management roles fit your background and goals.
This specialized major focuses on maintaining athletic fields and golf courses, requiring turfgrass-science knowledge distinct from general landscaping. Use the tools below to explore Park and Sports Turf Management-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like Groundskeeper, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Head Groundskeeper or Golf Course Superintendent. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as Certified Sports Field Manager, that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Park and Sports Turf Management careers/jobs, (2) Find Park and Sports Turf Management job listings, (3) Prepare for Park and Sports Turf Management careers, and (4) Provide Park and Sports Turf Management career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Park and Sports Turf Management careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Park and Sports Turf Management Careers - 2023 to 2033 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Park and Sports Turf Management careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Park and Sports Turf Management, so relevant Park and Sports Turf Management jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Park and Sports Turf Management Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Park and Sports Turf Management Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Park and Sports Turf Management careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 32 Park and Sports Turf Management Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
11 Park and Sports Turf Management careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2023 to 2033 est.). Park and Sports Turf Management-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2023-2033 (% change) | Park and Sports Turf Management-Related Jobs |
12 Park and Sports Turf Management careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Park and Sports Turf Management-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Park and Sports Turf Management-Related Jobs |
12 Park and Sports Turf Management careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Park and Sports Turf Management-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Park and Sports Turf Management-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 32 specific Park and Sports Turf Management job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
Description: Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
1,117,800U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
1,202,800
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
85,000 (7.6%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
157,900
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Haul or spread topsoil, or spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Advise customers on plant selection or care. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Plan or cultivate lawns or gardens. |
| Importance: 58 (%) | Description: Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, or other grounds features. |
| Importance: 55 (%) | Description: Maintain or repair tools, equipment, or structures, such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, or benches, using hand or power tools. |
| Importance: 53 (%) | Description: Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste. |
| Importance: 43 (%) | Description: Shovel snow from walks, driveways, or parking lots, and spread salt in those areas. |
| Importance: 37 (%) | Description: Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses. |
| Importance: 36 (%) | Description: Build forms and mix and pour cement to form garden borders. |
| Importance: 28 (%) | Description: Care for artificial turf fields, periodically removing the turf and replacing cushioning pads or vacuuming and disinfecting the turf after use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
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| Build construction forms or molds. | |
| Clean facilities or sites. | |
| Cultivate lawns, turf, or gardens. | |
| Decorate indoor or outdoor spaces. | |
| Dispose of trash or waste materials. | |
| Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites. | |
| Evaluate reports or designs to determine work needs. | |
| Inspect buildings or grounds to determine condition. | |
| Install equipment to protect or support trees. | |
| Install fencing or other barriers. | |
| Install masonry materials. | |
| Irrigate lawns, trees, or plants. | |
| Maintain equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning. | |
| Operate grounds maintenance equipment. | |
| Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance. | |
| Prepare chemicals for work application. | |
| Provide information about landscaping services or costs. | |
| Remove debris from work sites. | |
| Remove snow. | |
| Treat greenery or surfaces with protective substances. | |
| Trim trees or other vegetation. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
Transferable Skills
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Apply protective solutions or coatings. |
| Activity: Arrange displays or decorations. |
| Activity: Assemble products or work aids. |
| Activity: Build structures. |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Cut trees or other vegetation. |
| Activity: Dispose of waste or debris. |
| Activity: Explain technical details of products or services. |
| Activity: Inspect facilities or equipment. |
| Activity: Maintain tools or equipment. |
| Activity: Operate agricultural or forestry equipment. |
| Activity: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles. |
| Activity: Perform agricultural activities. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
| Activity: Read documents or materials to inform work processes. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Operating system software: |
| Microsoft Windows |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| Web page creation and editing software: |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft Word |
| General Software Tools |
| Electronic mail software: |
| IBM Notes |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 39.2 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
| Frequency of Attainment: 31.2 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 18.3 (%) | Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree |
| Frequency of Attainment: 8.2 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.1 (%) | Level of Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 39.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 22.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 17.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 13.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 10 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 0.8 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 0.3 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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Certified Grounds Technician
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Fire Protection: Water Based Layout - Level I
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Fire Protection: Water Based Layout - Level II
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Fire Protection: Water Based Layout - Level III
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Landscape Industry Certified Technician - Exterior (Hardscape Installation)
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Landscape Industry Certified Technician - Exterior (Irrigation)
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Landscape Industry Certified Technician - Exterior (Ornamental Maintenance)
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Landscape Industry Certified Technician - Exterior (Turf Maintenance)
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Water-Based Fire Protection Systems Layout Level - I
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Water-Based Systems - Level III
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Water-Based Systems Layout - IV
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WaterSense for Irrigation System Auditor
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WaterSense for Irrigation System Designer
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WaterSense for Irrigation System Installation and Maintenance
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Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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American Public Gardens Association
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
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