{"id":41114,"date":"2026-07-22T19:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T19:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/41114\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T19:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T19:35:16","slug":"the-spartans-behind-your-favorite-michigan-golf-courses-msutoday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/41114\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spartans behind your favorite Michigan golf courses | MSUToday"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the eyes of the world turned to the FIFA World Cup 26, they were watching a playing surface engineered by Michigan State University<\/a>. In collaboration with FIFA and the University of Tennessee, MSU helped provide the elite natural grass surface where Spain prevailed. Some of the same science behind that World Cup turf is also found at hundreds of golf courses around Michigan and the world, driven by alumni who design and maintain them. <\/p>\n

In fact, right in East Lansing, Forest Akers is a course designed by a Spartan and currently run by a Spartan \u2014 and its west course was ranked the No. 3 college course in the country<\/a> by GolfPass in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"20260626.GK.08074.jpg\"Ben Keeler, golf course superintendent at Forest Akers in East Lansing. Photo by G.L. Kohuth<\/p>\n

Ben Keeler is the course\u2019s superintendent, which means he manages the team that makes the grounds run smoothly \u2014 by mowing greens and maintaining sand traps and other hazards. He graduated from Michigan State University\u2019s Turfgrass Management Program<\/a> in 1998 and has been at Forest Akers for five years after stints at other Michigan golf courses. \u201cI love being at MSU,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause with the turfgrass program right here, you get to do things that are on the cutting edge.\u201d <\/p>\n

Keeler is far from alone. MSU\u2019s nationally recognized turfgrass management program has produced generations of leaders in golf course design, agronomy and grounds management \u2014 and the impact is felt on courses across Michigan and around the world. <\/p>\n

Spartan roots in Michigan links<\/p>\n

Michigan is known as \u201cAmerica\u2019s Summer Golf Capital.\u201d According to the National Golf Foundation, Michigan is the U.S. leader<\/a> in publicly accessible golf courses, with 748 daily fee, municipal and resort courses \u2014 which is more than the total golf supply in 45 other states. Add in the private courses, and Michigan is home to 868 golf courses as of January 2026. Only Florida and California have more than the Great Lakes State. <\/p>\n

Spartans play a role in many of those courses \u2014 whether as superintendents, designers or in other roles \u2014 and have been doing so for over a century. One family of Spartans, according to the Michigan Golf Journal, has left a legacy<\/a> on Michigan\u2019s links scene like no other. Of the over 800 courses, nearly one-third have been original designs, expansions or renovations led by the Matthews family. <\/p>\n

\"FiveThe Matthews family, pictured in 1986, is synonymous with Michigan golf. W. Bruce Matthews Sr. (center), Jerry Matthews (second from left) and W. Bruce Matthews III (far right) all designed courses. Mark Magee (left) and Wally Matthews (second from right, and W. Bruce Matthews III\u2019s father) both had careers in managing golf clubs. Photo courtesy of W. Bruce Matthews III. <\/p>\n

The dynasty began with W. Bruce Matthews Sr., who graduated from MSU with a degree in landscape architecture in 1925 and traveled south to design and build golf courses in Georgia and Florida. He returned home in 1929 to create his first solo design: the Manistee Golf and Country Club, which is along Lake Michigan. From there, the Matthews family and Michigan golf became synonymous. Some of the family\u2019s well-known designs include Forest Akers, the Beeches Golf Club in South Haven and Hawk Hollow and Timber Ridge just north of East Lansing.<\/p>\n

Matthews Sr.\u2019s son Jerry Matthews graduated from MSU in 1956 and in 1960 joined forces with his father to design and build multiple courses. Today, W. Bruce Matthews III (Jerry Matthews\u2019 nephew and son of Wally Matthews) keeps the tradition alive and currently runs Matthews Design Group, a course design firm. W. Bruce Matthews III has designed 36 courses and renovated over 80 \u2014 and his family, he says, has had a hand in over 300 courses in Michigan. Their involvement in MSU helps the university\u2019s turfgrass legacy continue. <\/p>\n

Bruce Matthews Sr. was instrumental in the formation of the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation<\/a>, which supports MSU\u2019s turfgrass program; he served as the foundation\u2019s first president. Jerry Matthews would go on to teach a golf course design class as part of the turfgrass program at MSU, and Bruce Matthews III took up the class when his uncle retired from teaching. <\/p>\n

\u201cMSU is one of the leading institutions on turfgrass and soil research and has had a tremendous influence on turfgrass maintenance around the world,\u201d Bruce Matthews III says.<\/p>\n

Matthews family members aren\u2019t the only Spartans to design and run courses throughout Michigan. Many alums who have come out of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources\u2019 Turfgrass Management Program are designing and working at some of the state\u2019s most iconic golf courses. <\/p>\n

\""SpartanThis map shows a handful of the courses where Spartans have served as leaders in golf course design, agronomy and grounds management. The reach extends far beyond<\/a> these eight courses, as MSU alumni are at hundreds of courses across the globe. Illustration by Molly KillingbeckMore than a century of excellence<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of Michigan State,\u201d Ray Hearn told Spartan Magazine<\/a>, \u201cI do more than design golf courses. I create experiences that are environmentally responsible, economically sustainable, interesting to play and built to help my clients thrive for generations.\u201d Hearn earned degrees from MSU in turfgrass science and landscape architecture in the 1980s and has run a design firm for 30 years, with projects across the U.S. and abroad.<\/p>\n

MSU\u2019s turfgrass legacy<\/a> dates all the way back to the renowned William James Beal, a professor at MSU from 1871 to 1910, who many consider to be the first turfgrass researcher in the U.S. MSU created short courses for greenskeepers in the 1930s, and by the 1960s had founded the two-year turfgrass management program that would become today\u2019s program, which offers both two- and four-year degrees<\/a>. John \u201cTrey\u201d Rogers<\/a>, the professor who led the World Cup turfgrass team for MSU, teaches multiple courses in the program. <\/p>\n

The program encompasses education and opportunities in golf courses, athletic fields, and home lawns and covers aspects like construction, establishment and management.<\/p>\n

Much of this work takes place at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center<\/a>, a premier 56-acre campus facility. From here, graduates transition to high-profile careers ranging from Major League Baseball fields like Comerica Park to international championship golf courses.<\/p>\n

Spartans make the grass greener\"AerialForest Akers in East Lansing is a top-ranked collegiate golf course. It is also one of the few courses in the country to also be recognized as an arboretum<\/a>. Photo by Garret Morgan <\/p>\n

Back at Forest Akers, Ben Keeler views his role as being a steward of MSU\u2019s turfgrass history. And he\u2019s proud to be part of the alumni network that, as he says, seems to be everywhere in Michigan\u2019s golf scene. <\/p>\n

\u201cLeaders like the Matthews and Ray Hearn have shaped the industry for us,\u201d Keeler says. \u201cNow we\u2019re just trying to carry out that legacy.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"SelfieChristopher Burnett, along with Roxy, at Bay Harbor Golf Club in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

Working at Forest Akers and with MSU, Keeler says, has made him feel like he has even more resources to keep the course in top shape. The RainBox irrigation system being tested at Forest Akers is the perfect example. Working with Thomas Nikolai, a senior turfgrass academic specialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences<\/a>, Keeler is excited about the system, which mimics rainwater. For Keeler, RainBox could help with irrigation and pesticide management, which allows for better environmental decision-making. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe MSU Turfgrass team has been leading the way in turfgrass irrigation techniques since the late 1980s,\u201d says Nikolai, who is known as the \u201cDoctor of Green Speed\u201d thanks to his research on putting greens. \u201cWe are pleased to have the opportunity and support of RainBox with hopes of adding to the legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program also ensures a steady pipeline of new talent. Along with the almost 30 people on the grounds crew, Keeler usually employs a student or two each year \u2014 and those students often go on to work at golf courses across Michigan and beyond, often at iconic courses like Arcadia Bluffs or Bay Harbor Golf Club.<\/p>\n

Christopher Burnett, a 2003 graduate of the turfgrass program, says the sunrise at Bay Harbor Golf Club in Bay Harbor is \u201cepic.\u201d Burnett is the superintendent of the course, which stretches over two miles along the Lake Michigan shore. <\/p>\n

After graduating, Burnett worked at courses on the East Coast and in Michigan before landing at Bay Harbor five years ago, where his friends joke that he has one of the best offices in the world. Throughout his career, he has seen other turfgrass alums, whether as colleagues or at nearby courses. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of us,\u201d Burnett says of Spartans in the world of golf, \u201cand we band together.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"PanoramicMSU alumni work at some of the world’s most scenic golf courses, including at Bay Harbor Golf Club in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Photo courtesy of Christopher Burnett, Bay Harbor Golf Club<\/p>\n

Keeler notes how the strong Spartan network makes it easier to learn and advance the field. \u201cThere are Spartans everywhere,\u201d Keeler says of Michigan\u2019s golf industry. \u201cAnd having that network sure makes my job easier.\u201d <\/p>\n

The turfgrass alumni network counts at least 100 Spartans who are currently working at Michigan-based golf courses and hundreds more are outside of the state. The team at the turfgrass program maintains a map of Spartans<\/a> around the globe, and the reach is vast, with Spartans everywhere from East Lansing to Singapore. (Alumni fill out a form<\/a> to appear on the map, so some Spartans may not appear.)<\/p>\n

Whether on the grand stage of the World Cup or a golf course close to home, Spartans are making sure the playing surfaces enjoyed by millions are up to par. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the eyes of the world turned to the FIFA World Cup 26, they were watching a playing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16463,16470,16467,6493,16465,44,8781,16468,16473,16464,117,16472,16469,16466,16471],"class_list":["post-41114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-alumni","tag-americas-summer-golf-capital","tag-bay-harbor-golf-club","tag-fairways","tag-forest-akers","tag-golf","tag-grass","tag-greens","tag-hancock-turfgrass-research-center","tag-matthews-family","tag-michigan","tag-ray-hearn","tag-rough","tag-turfgrass-management-program","tag-w-bruce-matthews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}