"Old Glory"atop the flagsticks at Hyde Park this weekend

With the July 4th weekend upon us “Old Glory” will be flying atop the flagsticks at Hyde Park. Please remember to place the flagsticks when not in use with your playing partner or in within the cup located on the edge of the green in the rough. The “flagstick holder” is marked with a small US pin flag.

Have a Safe and Happy July 4th.

Thank-you,

Pat O’Brien
Grounds Superintendent

Sand Topdressing and Venting

Over the past two days the Ground’s Staff has been busy with sand topdressing and venting of the putting surfaces. The latest topdressing rate was increased to make up for the increased growth due to the fertilizer application of Ammonium sulfate and Manganese along with the above normal precipitation in June. The mowing height will be adjusted to match the increase in sand and the ball roll distance will be reduced until the sand disappears into the canopy. The venting of the greens allows them to dry out faster and improve air exchange with the rootzone to improve plant health for the upcoming stressful months.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Saturated Conditions on the Course:

Over the past week the golf course and grounds continues to be inundated with more precipitation, totaling over 2.5 inches. The extreme rainfall events are not conducive for member play or for the health of the turfgrass plant. As discussed before, the majority of the greens at Hyde Park drain poorly reducing the playability and inhibiting healthy turfgrass health.

In order to quantify moisture levels in the greens, tees and other playing surfaces we use a moisture meter that measures volumetric water content (VMC) at a 1.5 inch depth. This tool allows us to develop baselines for the minimal amount of water needed to sustain the plant as well as it gives a guide when the soil is saturated. When the soil is saturated, practices such as mowing and rolling can damage the plant long-term. Today, the majority of the greens were showing roughly about 25-30% VMC while #15 green is visually wet (many foot prints across the surface) and was showing readings in excess of 45% VMC and greater. Mowing was not possible on this green today and will be monitored closely for plant health. The end result is, this green will play much different then the others from a firmness and ball roll standpoint.

Long- term, this green along with the rest of the 16 other soil greens will be evaluated to determine what the most sustainable solution(s) is/are to improve the consistency of the surfaces.

Thank-you,
Pat O’Brien
Grounds Superintendent

Tony Blom Metropolitan Amateur Championship Qualifier

The Grounds Staff is busy again with preparations for the Cincinnati Metropolitan that will be hosted by HP on June 21^st and 22^nd. The tournament conditions will be a challenge for many of the best amateurs in Southwest Ohio. The playing conditions on the weekend will be representative of the conditions on tournament days. Come out and enjoy!

Thanks,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Zoysia Color Differences on #17 Fairway

There have been a couple questions concerning the color variations of the Zoysia grass on #17.

The brownish color on a small portion of the Fairway on #17 (about 100 yards from the green) is due to the excessive seedhead production of the Zenith Zoysia this spring.

Typically, this section of the fairway does not have this color variation, but this season you can see a clear line where the Meyer Zoysia and Zenith Zoysia meet on the 17^th fairway. This color variation will disappear over the next couple weeks as the Zenith continues to grow and we mow off the seedhead. The differences in playability of these two cultivars of Zoysia are negligible and Zenith is being utilized more in this area because of local sod production and reduced costs to the end user.

Thanks,

Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Practice Tee Trial of Bermudagrass

On the practice tee we have incorporated roughly 2000 square feet of Patriot Bermudagrass into the Creeping bentgrass as a trial to see if this warm season turfgrass could be used long term on the tee.

Hyde Park, similar to many other older clubs does not have enough space on the practice tee for adequate divot recovery. The current teeing space is roughly 20,000 square feet. The ideal space should be double to handle the amount of traffic and healing time required for divots. The question has been raised about using Zoysia grass on the tee to match the fairways but unfoutunately the recuperative capacity of Meyer Zoysia is slower then the creeping bentgrass and would require even more usage of the mats.

Patriot Bermudagrass is cold tolerant, has excellent divot recovery and almost requires zero chemical treatments. This trial area will be evaluated for playability, divot recuperative capacity and cold tolerance.

Once in use in roughly three weeks, we look forward to your feedback on the long-term implementation of this turfgrass on the practice tee.

Thank-you,

Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent