Groundskeepers maintain facilities such as golf courses, parks, athletic tracks and other large sports grounds. They are responsible for keeping the turf field in tip-top condition, as well as looking after the rest of the grounds, where they do similar tasks to gardeners, or else supervise others doing these duties.
Duties of groundskeepers include the following: supervision of regular mowing, fertilising and aeration of fields; application of chemicals and fungicides to control weeds and crabgrass and to prevent diseases; and ensuring that the underlying soil has the proper consistency to sustain new sod. Groundskeepers also mark out boundaries and paint team logos and names on the turf before sporting events.
They need to have thorough knowledge of aspects such as soil erosion and pest and disease control. Some groundskeepers are also responsible for keeping machinery in working order, so some knowledge of mechanics is useful.