December Update

The Grounds staff and I are in moving into winter season with much accomplished on the project front to hopefully improve the golfing experience at Hyde Park. The winter months signal a shift in objectives for the staff. Some of the activities the staff are involved with throughout the winter months are:

• Snow and ice removal in the parking lots and platform tennis areas
• Preventative maintenance on all equipment
• Organization and interpretation of weather, fertilizer, pesticide and labor data to adjust strategies for the upcoming season
• Continuing education and training seminars
• Long-range planning
• Tree Management program
• Organization of the shop area
• Hiring of seasonal staff
• Small projects
• Refurbishing of course accessories

A couple off season notes; please note that all carts are on the path due to the dormant Zoysia grass. Orange flags will be permitted when the soil conditions permit. Dormant Zoysia has a limited recuperative capacity, therefore any damage from carts will remain well into next summer.



The winter months signify a select few temporary hole locations in the fairways on holes 6, 7and 16 due to shade from trees not allowing the putting surfaces to thaw completely out. This situation will be evaluated on a daily basis. As always, please check with the Proshop or twitter (@pobrienhpgcc) for the latest on course conditions.



From the Grounds Department we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.



Regards,



Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Fall Update

The golf season is starting to slow down, but the Grounds Staff and I continue to forge ahead with a continued sense of urgency to complete many tasks before the rain turns to snow. Some of the current initiatives include:

• Championship tee construction on # 7, with a target completion date around Thanksgiving

• Deeptine aeration and topdressing of the greens

• Winterization of the irrigation system
• Annual bulb planting for the spring
• Leaf clean-up across the entire grounds
• Late fall fertilization of the roughs
• Herbicide applications to all rough areas
• Final fungicide applications to the to greens and tees
• Final mowing of all playing surfaces

Reminders-

• Due to the freezing temperatures the bathrooms on the golf course are closed and winterized for the season
• Please check with the Proshop for frost and freeze delays
• For daily updates on course conditions follow us on Twitter @pobrienhpgcc

Thank-you,

 

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Suprintendent

 

Member Improvements-update

The grounds staff continues to move forward with tee renovations on holes 2, 5 and 7. Last week, the staff finished the forward tee on 5 located about half way down the hillside on the rightside of the path.

5 forward tee

Renovations are in full swing on #2 with an additional championship tee being added along with realigning and reshaping the existing tees. The progress has been slowed with the wet weather, this time of year can be a challenge with construction based upon the dynamic weather patterns. The staff and I will finish the final construction project of the season with the addition of a championship tee on 7 that will play roughly 180 yards from the back. We hope to have the 7th tee completed by the end of November.

-Wet conditions near the new championship tee

 

-Leveling and realignment of the tees on 2

 

- New championship tee on 2 being sodded

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Golf Course and Turfgrass Managment Internship 2013

Golf Course and Turfgrass Management Internship

The Hyde Park Golf and Country Club Grounds Department in Cincinnati, Ohio has two Turfgrass internship positions available for the upcoming 2013 season. HPGCC is a classic Donald Ross Club est. in 1909, located just minutes from downtown. The club completed a bunker renovation in 2006 and replaced the irrigation system in 2008. Upcoming projects include; tee leveling, green expansions and conversion of bentgrass approaches to Meyer Zoysia.

Position Description:

The intern will be exposed to the full gamut of golf course and turfgrass management issues faced in the northern transition zone. The interns will be responsible for, but not limited to:

§        Calibration and Application of Fertilizers and Pesticides

§        Proper moisture management techniques

§        Irrigation repair

§        Attending a Grounds Committee meeting

§        Leading small crews during projects and daily practices

§        Wide array of record keeping

Course Information:                

Greens: Bentgrass/Annual Bluegrass                                                                                   Roughs: Turf Type Tall Fescue/ Kentucky Bluegrass

Fairways: Meyer Zoysia                                                                                                         Equipment:  John Deere/ Jacobesen

Tees: Bentgrass                                                                                                                    Irrigation: Toro Lynx

Compensation:

§        $10.00/ hr. with overtime (typical week 45-65hrs)

§        Housing provided on-site with meals

§        Golf Privileges

§        Uniforms

Contact Information:

Please send resumes and cover letters via e-mail, or mail:

            Attn: Pat O’Brien, MSM

                     Grounds Superintendent

                     Hyde Park Golf and Country Club

                     3740 Erie Ave.

                     Cincinnati, Ohio, 45208

                     E-mail-grounds@hydeparkcc.com

                     Phone-513.526.1903

                     Blog: hydeparkgolfandcountryclub.blogspot.com    

7 tee renovation

The grounds staff finished leveling, reshaping and regrassing the upper tee on 7 today. Tee renovations will continue with with additional tees on 7, 2 and a forward tee on # 5.

Before

During

 

After-

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Aerification Update- two weeks later

Two weeks after the aerfication of the greens they are healing well considering the cooler October temperatures. We continue to mow and roll in the afternoons due to the amount of sand that is still being picked-up in the morning dew by the mowers. The sand dulls the mowers; quickly thereafter tearing and damaging the plant. With a 3rd application of fertilizer we will continue to see recovery but they will still be "bumpy" until the turf fills the remaining holes. Thank-you for your patience.

Oct 3rd, 2012

October 16th, 2012

 

Regards,

Pat O'Brien

 

Project Update-Zoysia Conversion

The " new " approach area on 9 is almost complete, the remaining work includes extending the fairway on the other side of the ravine. This work will be completed early next week. We hope that you enjoy these improvements.

Before-

After-

Thank you,

Pat O'Brien

Zoysia grass conversion

The staff has continued in project mode with the conversion of the bentgrass approaches to Meyer Zoysia. In a effort to improve consistency, playability and reduce costs the approaches on 1, 5 and 9 will be converted to Zoysia grass. The remaining approach areas will be converted next season.

 

Before-5

After-5

9 approach-new approach contours

 

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

 

Aerification of the Greens Completed

The grounds staff recently finished the aerification of the greens with excellent results. In order to continue to impact the poor soils of the near 100 year old greens, we aerified twice to incorporate over 100 tons of sand into the profile. With the late aerfication date the healing process will be slower compared to our typical early September timeline due to the cooler soil temperatures. In the coming weeks additional sand topdressing will be applied depending on growth to continue to smooth the surface. Thank- you again for your patience during this important process.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superinetendent

 

Bermudagrass Removal in Zoysia

The Crew has been been working over the past couple weeks removing small sections of Bermudagrass in the Zoysia grass fairways. Bermudagrass has been a problem in the roughs, but so far the Zoysia has done quite well with competing with the Bermudagrass. Bermudagrass is considered a weed at HP because the playability and cold tolerance is poor. Fortunately, we have only had to remove roughly 2500 ft2 with another 3000ft2 to go. Please stay out of newly sodded areas which are marked with red flags.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

 

 

 

Unusual Spots on the Greens

-------------------
Over the past two weeks a series of yellowish-bronzed sunken spots have been noted on many of the putting surfaces at Hyde Park. At this point the 3rd green has seen the most damage mainly on the Poa annua, but it looks as though the older bentgrasses are being impacted as well. The new bentgrass varieties along with 1 green (sand-based) have not been infected. Samples of turf and root zone have been sent multiple times to accredited labs to test for pathogens (fungi). Unfortunately, the results have come back negative early in the process, leaving us little information on how to treat the decline. Finally, on Friday, 7th a Plant Pathologist from the University of Wisconsin found spores for a pathogen called Pythium Root Rot (typically seen on poorly drained areas). It is difficult to determine if this pathogen is the primary or secondary cause of the decline. We have been treating the infected greens with multiple applications of three different fungicides to target Pythium Root Rot. You will also note that there are also red paint dots located on a few of the greens to allow us to determine if the areas are expanding.. Untreated areas have been also set up to monitor treated vs untreated.

We continue to work with Plant Pathologists, colleagues, University extension agents and consultants to determine if this is primary cause behind the decline. We will continue to update the membership as more information is available.

If there are comments or questions please do not hesitate to contact me. (grounds@hydeparkcc.com)

Initial symptoms on turf

A view of the 3rd green

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Innerseeding and aerification of the roughs.....

The aerfication and innerseding of the roughs has started and will continue through the 1st week of September. So far, the disruption has been minimal because there has been a dramatic change in the populations of turf type tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. The annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass has been reduced since the aggressive inner seeding program began 3 years ago. Following the seeding, an herbicide will applied multiple times to reduce weed encroachment, these applications will give the rough a white appearance.

Please do not operate the golf carts in the rough, the over 6000 pounds of seed that will be placed in the rough will need time to germinate. Cart signs will continue to be located on the fairways to direct traffic from the fairway to the paths.

 

If there are any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Innerseeding of turf type tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass

Thank- you

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Golf Course Update- More storms

Unfortunately Mother Nature has not been very forgiving lately. Another storm passed through the Tri-State with heavy rain, wind and hail. Fortunately, the damage was on the moderate side but closed the golf course due to temporary saturation of the greens and clean-up of debris. The crew was able last night to clean the greens of debris before the last blast of rain came in. Today the Grounds staff along with the help from a temporary service continue to pick up debris around the course.

-15 green-

As of 3:30 today the staff have one hole left to clean, the fallen trees along Erie Avenue and the left of 2 will be removed on Monday. We apologize for any inconvenience during the clean-up process. Attached are a few photos of the storm damage.

Left of 2 Fairway

Thank-you

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent


 

Summer Patch

Over the past few weeks a few more yellow rings have been evident on the greens at Hyde Park. With the extreme temperatures and added stress to the turf such as mowing, rolling and regular traffic the annual bluegrass or Poa Annua has been working overtime to survive.  

As many of you know Poa Annua (Poa) is an undesireable turfgrass plant. With the majority of the greens at Hyde Park being over 90 years old, the populations of Poa can be almost 60 percent. Poa is undesireable because it is a shallow rooted plant that prefers moist shaded conditions. It is a prolific seed producer, creating a bumpy surface particularly in the spring time and in the summer it declines rapidly due to heat and fungal pathogens from Summer Patch and Antracnose to name a couple.

The yellow or unhealthy area is Poa, while the healthy area is green and composed of creeping Bentgrass

So what are the yellow rings? The yellow rings are symptoms of Summer Patch, a fungal root pathogen that infects the Poa plant in the spring, while the signs of the infection are only noticeable in the summer under stress conditions. We target this pathogen in the spring with multiple applications of acidifying fertilizers, and fungicides to slow the demise of the Poa. Curative applications have been erratic in controlling this disease at HP.

In the short- term we will continue to monitor the progress of the Summer Patch, trying to offset the effects on playability through sand topdressing, fertilization and promotion of creeping Bentgrass.

In the long-term, encouraging Creeping Bentgrass will improve the playability and health of the putting greens. The building blocks of a healthy putting surface include; added sunlight, aggressive topdressing and aerification, improving air movement, proper moisture management, and the addition of internal drainage to the putting surfaces.

A look back from 7 green to the shaded 6th green.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Cicada Killers

Over the past week there have been questions about the large number of bees noted in the bunkers at Hyde Park. In the majority of cases these are not bees but Cicada Killer Wasps. They look menacing but are relatively harmless.
Please click this link- http://butler.osu.edu/topics/horticulture/news/cicada-killer-wasps

Golf Course Update- Storm Damage...

The Grounds Staff has been busy getting the golf course and grounds cleaned up from the two wind storms. Yes, two! The second blast of wind came in on Sunday evening. This second storm dropped about half as much debris compared to Friday. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Grounds Staff is still cleaning the golf course of debris. We are hopeful to have all the debris removed by the end of the week. I would like to pass on a thank-you to the entire Grounds Staff for their effort over the past few days. A special thanks, to Eric O'Bryan, Larry Dhres, Eric Toth and their all of their staff for aiding in the clean-up effort. And thank-you to the entire membership for your patience and understanding during these events.

To date:

• The staff have removed over 60 utility vehicle loads of tree debris
• 7 trees were lost mainly along the property and fence lines- damaged trees along 6,7, 13 ,14, 16 will be removed on July 9 and 10th pending weather conditions
• Over 700 labor hours have been used for the clean-up

Moving forward,the Grounds Staff will be getting back to a sense of normalcy including mowing and rolling greens, raking bunkers, mowing the US open-like rough, along with dealing with the extreme weather that will be present for the next 7-9 days.

Below are few photos of the clean-up effort....

Eric OBryan, GM at wheel of the debris blower

Francy- with a few of the million sticks

Greg-taking care of a dead tulip tree on Friday night

A quick cool down on the 16th fairway

Eddie,admiring his sticks...or it could be heat exhaustion?

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Storm Damage at Hyde Park

Around 5:00 pm today a storm hit the Tristate leaving roughly 100,000 homes and businesses without power. The golf course and grounds at Hyde Park were not spared from the 50mph gusts that occurred. A large tree in the parking lot fell and struck the platform tennis courts. The removal of the tree will commence tomorrow. The golf course held up relatively well with roughly 6 trees that were lost mainly along wood and property lines. However, there is a tremendous debris across the golf course that will need to be clean-up on Saturday to make the golf course safe and playable. The tennis area has a series of windscreens that are damaged along with a tremendous debris down.

 

The Grounds staff is currently working on:

• Cleaning debris in the parking lots
• Trouble shooting the irrigation communication system to get back online
• Scheduling of contractors for large tree removal

With the large amount of debris spread across the entire property of Hyde Park the Golf course and tennis facility will be closed tonight and tomorrow morning. We are hoping to have the course ready for play in the afternoon. We will reevaluate an opening time at 11:00am once the debris is removed and the course is safe to play.

 

Information will be sent via email, through the Proshop and via twitter pobrienhpgcc.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Untitled

 

Golf Course Update-Summer is here...

Summer in Cincinnati is here! Temperatures have been well above normal levels and the grounds at Hyde Park have seen less then an 1.5 inch of rain for the month of June. In fact, since June 1st, the irrigation system has applied more then 3 million gallons of water to the golf course, tennis, and landscaped areas. The trend is leaning towards the the drier side of the continuum, with little relief from the extreme heat anytime soon.

In order to enhance the playability and health of the golf course, hand-watering or syringing of the greens, tees and approach areas is employed. Syringing occurs when a light mist of water is applied to the turf to reduce the surface temperature of turf canopy. The cool season grasses, specifically the Annual Bluegrass are compromised compared to Creeping Bentgrass in hot weather. This is a challenge when up to 60% of the putting surfaces are composed of Annual Bluegrass.

When our staff is syringing the putting surfaces and the flagstick is pulled out of the cup please do not hit the ball onto the green until the flag is placed back in the cup and the Grounds staff is off the green. This process takes less then 5 minutes to complete and will improve the health and playability of the putting surfaces.

Also, please continue to operate the golf carts in the Zoysia grass fairways to reduce traffic and stress placed upon the turf-type tall fescue roughs.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Bird Baths on the Course

Over the next few weeks the Grounds staff will continue to level low areas in the fairways that have traditionally held water and of recently have seen turf decline. As you can see from the photo many of these areas require lifting of the sod and placing soil to move the water away via surface drainage. Areas in the fairways that cannot be raised to allow positive surface drainage will be drained using subsurface pipe and catch basins.

 

Before-# 1 fairway

 

After-#1 Fairway

Completing these drainage improvements in the summer is ideal because the Zoysia is actively growing and will heal in rapidly. These areas will be played ground under repair.



Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Fairy Ring- An Olympic Year

The end of the spring is near and with the warm temperatures, dry soil followed by almost an inch of rain some interesting rings are starting to emerge on the greens. These darker circles are called Fairy Rings consisting of various types of fungi in the soil and thatch. These rings, in most cases can be a cosmetic problem but depending on the type of fungi that have colonized these areas, they can cause localized dry spots and or cause issues with root growth. Generally, Fairy Rings are noted on the greens at Hyde Park each year. In order to reduce the severity of the Fairy Rings, preventative fungicide applications were applied in March and have continued to this date. Venting, applications of wetting agents ( allow water to penetrate these hydrophobic areas) along with hand watering will aid in reducing the severity of these rings.

#5 Green Hyde Park

Thank-you

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Putting Green Venting

Over the next two days the putting greens will be "vented". The process of venting involves placing a 3/8 of an inch hole on 1.5 centers roughly about 3 inches in depth. Venting improves the Turfgrass health by:

• Allowing increased oxygen exchange within the root zone
• Increased water infiltration into the subsoil
• Added root growth while temperatures are moderate

Venting is completed roughly every 25 days, it generally takes about 15 hours to topdress, punch holes and roll the surfaces. It generally takes a few days for the holes to completely close.

Thank-you

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Tee Aerification

This past week lineal and core cultivation were completed on the teeing surfaces, these practices remove thatch; enhancing water movement, firming the surfaces, allowing for improved playability. The newly renovated tees on 11, 12, 14, 16 were only aerified to break up the layering between the sand and sod. The tees should see full recovery in two weeks.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

The Drehs Cup-Golf Course Update

 

The grounds staff is placing the final touches on the golf course and grounds for the 1st annual Drehs Cup on Friday, May 18th. The membership at Hyde Park initiated this event to honor Larry for the 27 years of service and commitment as the Head Golf Professional at Hyde Park Golf and Country Club. I have worked with Larry for 7 years, and there is no question he is a true professional and advocate when it comes to communicating and answering questions related to the grounds and golf course operations. The entire Grounds staff would like to say "thank-you" and we are looking forward to a great event for the members and guests.

-He even is willing to pass on feedback that his putting skills are impacted by the " bumpy greens" as noted in the photo below.- thanks Larry we have noted!

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Summer Annual Plantings

Mary the staff Horticulturalist, along with the help of Diane have been very busy getting the summer annuals ready for the areas around the Clubhouse, Tennis, Pool and Proshop. This entire process will take roughly about 2 weeks to complete all these areas. The spring plants will be slowly be removed to make room for the summer blooms.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Turfgrass Interns

Thomas Baillie Turfgrass Intern


With the golf season starting to ramp-up it signals the arrival of new staff members including the Turfgrass Interns. Each season we have 2-3 interns from various schools across the United States and the globe. The intern program provides a valuable learning experience along with bringing dedicated individuals to Hyde Park. Recently, Thomas Baillie from the Ohio International Intern Program completed a year long internship, we would like to thank Thomas for his hard work and dedication. Thomas is looking forward to returning to Scotland for some much cooler weather! The two new Turfgrass interns are Pham Tai from The Ohio International Intern Program and Trevor Stacy from Purdue University.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

Trials on the Putting Green

On the practice putting green a series of trials are being conducted using a plant growth regulator (Trimmit) and various fertilizer strategies to enhance the creeping bentgrass and regulate the Annual Bluegrass. Annual bluegrass is not the ideal grass for this region because it is suspectible to many plant pathogens, displays poor playability in the spring because of seedhead production and it is not heat tolerant. The Annual Bluegrass in these plots will exhibit stress when the weather heats up.

Our goal is to develop a long term strategy to reduce the populations of annual bluegrass and enhance the playability and sustainability of the putting surfaces. We will continue with updates throughout the summer with our trials.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent