Quite An Expansion!

It was a very busy year, on all ends, at the club. As the year wraps up, I wanted to share some of the changes that occurred in the landscape world. The landscape has changed quite a bit over the last 18 months. From completely new landscape beds to renovated beds, we more than doubled the landscape square footages! We also doubled the square footages of the annual beds! There are also added window boxes and containers being placed around the new paddle building and tennis courts, as well as at the entrance of the golf teaching facility.

 

Come next spring and summer, the club is going to be blooming on all ends with new flowering shrubs and perennials and a lot more annuals. With added square footages and plants, comes more challenges and more maintenance (mulching, pruning, edging, dead-heading, weeding). So far, the new plant material is doing very well. Getting through the first winter is crucial in establishing new plants.

 

Exciting times are on the horizon with a lot of learning opportunities in the horticulture realm. I can't wait to see the landscape evolve as plants begin to establish themselves and fill in the landscape the way we envision them. Over the last couple weeks, I have been working on getting designs ready for the 2019 annual beds. Designs have been completed and the plants have been ordered! Just a waiting game now until warmer weather heads our way! If you have any questions or comments about anything, don't hesitate to stop and ask me.

Happy New Year!

Bryan Miller, Horticulturist

@HPGCCPlantman on Twitter

 

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So long 2018! Hello 2019!

2018 has been an interesting year with 15 months of renovations and challenging weather that has impacted turf mangers across the country. We continue to play catch up with our 2019 agronomic program, Mother Nature has slowed our progress slightly with the continued precipitation, but we feel confident we will hit the mark in 2019. As you can see from the graphic below, prolonged heat, humidity and high rainfall were the norms for 2018. Since, March 1st we are closing in on over 55" rain and 42 days above 90F.

Considering the challenges of Mother Nature, the new practice area is maturing well and will be open for play off of the grass in spring of 2019. Please continue utilize the synthetic tee line for all practice.

Walking around the golf course in the winter months, the landscape begins to change; fewer leaves on the trees, opens up vistas and sight lines , the dormant fairways add contrast to the cool season roughs and the putting surfaces have a camouflaged appearance, as noted in the photo of the 10th green. These old bentgrass types originally planted in the 1920s exhibit this appearance typically each fall and winter when the soil temperatures dip below 50F.

Holes 4,6 and 7 in the winter and summer months

Over the winter months the Grounds team and I will be busy with the following:

• Drainage improvements on holes 4 and 6
• Installation of an electric turf fan on the 7th green
• Preventative maintenance on the equipment fleet
• Tree Management program
• Data Analysis from 2018, relating to clip volume, ball roll and moisture management
• Snow and ice removal
• Construction of new grounds building
• Review and updating of 5 year grounds plan
• Continuing education

One of the biggest challenges is navigating the H2-B guest worker program for 2019. Each year, we engage in this program becuase it provides legal seasonal workers that reduce training costs and improve consistency for an 8 month season, however with Visa shortfalls and political obstacles there is no guarantee we will have our friends from Mexico back 2019. Fingers crossed!

 

From the entire Grounds Team we wish you a safe and Happy New Year and a prosperous 2019!

As always, if there are any questions or feedback please send to grounds@hydeparkcc.com

 

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

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