A PEEK INSIDE UAC NEWS
A peek inside... Legacy Turf Farms
Join us as we take a peek inside the history and operation of this UAC member company. The Shaw family has been well known in the Northwest Georgia corridor for over 60 years in the flooring business. However, not many people outside of Cartersville, Georgia know the Shaw family enjoys farming as well. “Legacy Turf Farms is proud of our history dating back over a century. We believe our land is a special part of the Cartersville community and the turfgrass industry,” said Lee Shaw, CEO of Legacy Turf Farms.
The story
“Legacy Turf Farms is proud of our history dating back over a century. We believe our land is a special part of the Cartersville community and the turfgrass industry.”
UAC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021
~ Lee Shaw, CEO of Legacy Turf Farms
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A distant relative named James Shaw owned land in Bartow County adjacent to the Etowah Indian Mounds. His property was fertile row crop farmland located in Cartersville, Georgia. James was the patriarch of this land, which had been in his family for over 100 years. In the 1970s, J.C. “Bud” Shaw told James if he ever wanted to sell this land, Mr. Shaw would like to buy it. James Shaw was a quiet, reserved man and he was not interested at the time. Fifteen years later, James called Mr. Shaw, saying he knew that he would do the right thing with the land: preserve it. Shortly after their conversation, Mr. Shaw bought the land from James and the sod farm’s story began. When this land was added to the family’s various business interests, it was important for Mr. Shaw to follow through with his promise to preserve these fields adjacent to the historic Etowah Indian Mounds. He wanted to keep it for green space, preserving the archaeological significance and heritage as a farm in the community. Being next to the Etowah River, the fertile land had a sandy soil mix and access to water. Mr. Shaw also wanted to continue farming the land. He loved golfing and owned golf courses in Atlanta and throughout North Carolina at the time. Through his many contacts in the golf industry, Mr. Shaw thought growing turf would be a viable way to keep the farm business thriving. Starting in 1999, Legacy Farms began sprigging Bermuda.
