About Boekholder & Associates
Three decades of professional sports turf leadership. Now focused on helping owners protect their investment and build safer, higher-performing athletic surfaces.
Boekholder & Associates was founded to provide independent, technically grounded consulting and owner’s representation for athletic surface projects. With experience spanning professional baseball, collegiate athletics, and complex field construction, we bring practical expertise to every phase of planning, design, and oversight.
Leadership Rooted in Professional Field Operations
Michael D. Boekholder is a 30+ year veteran of the sports turf industry and President of Boekholder & Associates.
His career in professional baseball began in the Short-Season “A” Northwest League with the Yakima Bears, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He later served as Head Groundskeeper for both the Durham Bulls and the Indianapolis Indians, earning eight consecutive “Groundskeeper of the Year” honors in nine seasons, along with two “Triple-A Sports Turf Manager of the Year” distinctions.
In 2003, Michael was appointed Director of Field Operations for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he led field operations planning and preparation for the opening of Citizens Bank Park in 2004. He remained in that role until retiring from professional baseball in 2022.
Throughout his career, Michael developed deep expertise in:
Athletic surface construction and renovation
High-performance field maintenance programs
Construction oversight and contractor coordination
Long-term performance planning and compliance
He is a Delaware Nutrient Management Consultant certified through the Delaware Department of Agriculture and a graduate of Central Washington University with a degree in Administrative (Office) Management.
In 2008, he founded Boekholder & Associates to provide independent, owner-focused consulting for athletic surface projects. Today, his professional field experience informs every engagement – helping clients reduce risk, protect their investment, and build surfaces designed for long-term performance.