Employers

There are approximately 103,580 grounds managers working in the United States. Grounds managers are employed by golf courses, lawn-service companies, greenhouses, nurseries, botanical gardens, public parks, as well as colleges and universities, theme parks, and many types of corporations and institutions. Many people in this field start their own businesses.

Starting Out

Summer or part-time jobs in grounds management companies often lead to full-time employment with the same employer. Those who enroll in a college or other training programs for grounds management can receive help in finding work from the school's career services office. In addition, directly applying to botanical gardens, nurseries, or golf courses is common practice. Jobs may also be listed directly on companies' Web sites and professional associations' Web sites. Entry-level grounds management professionals offer receive on-the-job training.

Grounds managers can expect to advance as they gain experience and additional educational training. In large companies they may advance to become senior managers, overseeing more complex projects for more prestigious clients. Those with an associate's degree may gain an edge in the job market by getting a bachelor's degree. They may also advance by getting certification in specialized areas of grounds management. 

Grounds managers also advance by taking jobs with larger companies or starting their own grounds management consulting business.

Visit the following Web sites for job listings: https://sma.mcjobboard.net/jobs and https://careers.gcsaa.org.

Talk to grounds managers about their careers. Ask them for advice on breaking into the field.

Read the Grounds Management Forum (https://cdn.ymaws.com/pgms.org/resource/resmgr/newsletter) to learn more about the field.

Visit https://pgms.org/page/Programs for information on certification and awards and scholarships programs.