Interns & Looking Ahead
Fall also marks the next step for two members of our Grounds Team, Thio from South Africa and Andy from Japan, who have spent the season with us as interns.
They joined Hyde Park during an incredibly demanding year that included the final stages of restoration, grow-in and reopening of the golf course. They worked a very difficult schedule, contributed wherever they were needed and became an important part of our team.
Their experience extended well beyond their daily work at Hyde Park. Thio and Andy volunteered at a PGA event, participated in multiple visits to other golf course and turf facilities, joined a local running club, and had the opportunity to meet many of our members along the way.
We are all very proud of what they accomplished and grateful for the energy, professionalism and positive attitude they brought to Hyde Park. It has been wonderful to host them and be part of their development.
Their next stop will take them to Los Angeles, where they will continue their internship experience at Bel-Air Country Club. We wish them the very best.
Our internship program has been an important part of Hyde Park for many years. More than 60 interns from 12 different countries, along with students from schools across the United States, have spent time learning and working with our team. Many members of our current leadership team began their careers at Hyde Park as interns, which makes the program especially meaningful to us.
We have already begun recruiting for next season and look forward to continuing this tradition.
Restoration & Fall Work
It is hard to believe the golf course only reopened in mid-June. In the days leading up to opening, sod was still being installed and many areas were still in active grow-in.
Since then, our focus has steadily shifted from major construction and establishment work toward the smaller details that will continue to improve the presentation and performance of the golf course.
Our team continues to work through fine fescue establishment, settlement repairs, small drainage projects and other restoration details throughout the property.
We have also completed the final irrigation as-built documentation, giving us an accurate record of the installed system and an important tool for future troubleshooting, adjustments and long-term water management.
The greens are healing well following aerification, and we are pleased with their progress. Weather and wet conditions have slowed our ability to complete aerification of all tees and approaches, so that work will continue as conditions allow.
Tall Fescue Update
We continue to make progress in areas of the tall fescue rough that showed more response than anticipated from our summer Poa-control program.
Much of this rough was established late last fall as part of the restoration. Because of that late seeding window, Poa annua established alongside the new tall fescue in a number of areas.
Poa annua is an unwanted grass in these rough areas and has a persistent seedbank in the soil. Even when an area is newly seeded, dormant Poa seed can remain in the ground and germinate when conditions are favorable. By summer, Poa populations were moderate in some locations and had reached a level where we felt they needed to be addressed to improve the long-term quality and consistency of the rough.
The treatment program is one we have used successfully in the past and has historically been very safe on tall fescue. After the first application, we saw the desired reduction in Poa along with some temporary discoloration and growth regulation, and the tall fescue recovered well before the second treatment.
Following the second application, however, the response was significantly greater than anticipated.
Our Hyde Park weather station has recorded more than 60 inches of rain this year, including repeated heavy rain events and periods of saturated soil during the summer. Those conditions increased the availability and uptake of the treatment while high temperatures, humidity and warm nighttime temperatures were placing additional stress on young cool-season turf.
We view the resulting turf response as an unusual and isolated event associated with a unique set of environmental conditions rather than something we would normally expect from this program.
The manufacturer has worked closely with Hyde Park throughout the process. Their representatives reviewed the application timing, rates and environmental conditions with our team and did not identify any concerns with how the program was applied. They have remained engaged as we evaluated the unusual turf response and developed our re-establishment plan, and they have also assisted with the costs associated with reseeding and re-establishing the affected areas. We appreciate their cooperation and support throughout the process.
The good news is that our timing for re-establishment is excellent. Early fall provides some of our best growing conditions for tall fescue. The areas have been seeded and fertilized, and this week our Grounds Team is conducting additional spot seeding where needed.
We are already seeing new establishment and expect continued improvement throughout the fall, with additional maturation and filling-in next spring.
Tree Update
The Princeton elm located behind the 18th green, adjacent to the pavilion, has developed a significant split in the trunk, possibly associated with last week’s wind event.
The tree was planted in 2023 to replace the pin oak that was lost to oak wilt. Unfortunately, the split has continued to move and has created a safety concern in an area with regular member and guest activity.
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| Split in the Elm |
We are disappointed to have to remove the tree, but safety has to come first.
Once it is removed, we will evaluate the space carefully and thoughtfully consider the best long-term replacement for that location.
Box Tree Moth
Bryan Miller, our Horticulture Director, and our horticulture team are monitoring a new challenge this season: Box Tree Moth.
Box Tree Moth is an invasive insect native to Asia that was confirmed in Ohio in 2023. This year, we have seen our first signs of activity in boxwoods at Hyde Park. The caterpillars can feed aggressively on boxwood foliage and, when populations are high, rapidly defoliate plants.
Early signs include chewed or skeletonized leaves, silk webbing within the branches, caterpillars and frass within or beneath the plant. The caterpillars are generally green with black and yellow striping and spots, while the adult moth is typically white with a brown or tan border.
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| Caterpillar |
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| Damage |
Our horticulture team will continue scouting boxwoods closely and managing activity where needed. Early detection gives us the best opportunity to protect these important landscape plants.
Members who have boxwoods at home may also want to keep an eye on their plants, particularly if they notice unusual feeding damage or webbing.
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| Adult |
Next 30 Days
The next month will be an important working window for our team.
Our priorities include continued tall fescue establishment and spot seeding, fine fescue seeding and grow-in, settlement repairs, small drainage projects and completion of the remaining aerification on tees and approaches as weather allows.
We will also continue irrigation adjustments and supplemental watering in newly established areas, address cart path edges and other restoration details, and continue monitoring Box Tree Moth activity in our landscape plantings.
Much of this work is detail-oriented, but it is important to the long-term performance and presentation of the restored golf course.
Our team has a busy fall and spring ahead. With the course now open and the largest construction items behind us, our goal is to spend more time on the details — refining surfaces, improving consistency, strengthening newly established turf and continuing to elevate the daily presentation of the golf course.
Thank you for the many positive comments and feedback we have received about the golf course. Our team takes a great deal of pride in caring for Hyde Park, and we truly appreciate the membership’s continued support as we continue building on the progress made this year.
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please feel free to reach out to us at grounds@hydeparkcc.com.
Pat O’Brien
Grounds Superintendent
