Bert McCarty, Ph.D., professor emeritus of plant and environmental sciences specializing in turfgrass science and management at Clemson University, has been selected to receive the 2026 Outstanding Contribution Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).
The Outstanding Contribution Award is given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the membership, through outstanding contributions for the golf course industry. The contribution must be significant in both substance and duration. The outstanding contribution may be or have been regional in nature.
"From research to teaching the next generation of turfgrass scientists to the articles and books he’s authored to his seminars at the GCSAA Conference, Dr. McCarty’s positive impact on turfgrass management is huge,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “His commitment and passion for turfgrass science over the last four decades is a prime example of what the Outstanding Contribution Award celebrates.”
McCarty, a 28-year Educator member of GCSAA, grew up in rural South Carolia before heading to Clemson University. While earning a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and soils, his college years also introduced him to golf course work.
“At that point, I knew I wanted to go into turf, and at that time golf was the most lucrative portion of turf,” McCarty said. “A professor advised me to do an internship at a golf course, and that was what I was doing — intern, summer help, gofer. Whatever. What I did, I really enjoyed, and I knew that was the life I wanted to live. I wanted to be a professional turf person.”
McCarty collected a master’s in turfgrass management from North Carolina State University in 1983, then returned to Clemson for his doctorate in plant physiology and pathology in 1986. He then took a post at the University of Florida. At UF, he published the first Best Management Practices book for golf courses in the early 1990s, and that became the blueprint for many future BMP publications, including the Carolinas GCSA’s “BMPs for Golf Courses”, which McCarty served as coordinating author of in 2015.
He returned to Clemson in 1996 and has been a faculty member at his alma mater for three decades. His academic work is staggering. McCarty is author or co-author of 20 books, 110 book chapters, 120 refereed journal articles, 175 Public Service Activities/Extension publications, 230 trade journals (since 2000), 36 annual research reports and 630 scientific presentations/abstracts. He has been a frequent presenter at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show for decades, including his upcoming seminar “Advanced Weed Management of Warm-Season and Overseeded Turfgrass” scheduled for Feb. 3.
His long list of honors includes the Godley-Snell Award for Excellence as the top agriculture researcher at Clemson University and the Fred Grau Award as the top national and international turfgrass science researcher from the Crop Science Society of America. He is a Fellow of both the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. In 2018, he earned the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association’s Distinguished Service Award. He was awarded Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Distinguished Service Award in 2024.
Although he is semi-retired and now teaches at Clemson part-time, McCarty continues to be a force in the industry.
“I like teaching. I like site visits,” he says. “I like being at golf courses, trying to figure out issues, problems and solutions. I don’t do near the research I use to, but I do the things now that interest me, things that have the potential to impact the industry in a positive way. It’s been a great run for me. I enjoy the business. I enjoy the university lifestyle. I still teach and do research. Very few days of mine are alike. Every day is different. It’s been a great run.”
McCarty will formally receive the award on Feb. 2 during the Opening Session of the 2026 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando.
To learn more about McCarty, read the feature article in the November issue of GCM magazine.