Renovations and Preparations for 2020

The fall season is here, overall the last 3 weeks have been great for golf. The recent renovations on the 3rd hole have been well received, with a lot of excellent questions being asked? The grounds team, once again did a great job with all of the work that was completed, we are very excited to showcase these efforts early next season. Our biggest challenge is to ensure the new sod on the tees is established as quickly as possible. The 3rd hole will open in early spring but a temporary teeing area will be employed for a short period of time to ensure the newly sodded turf areas are established to sustain all of the traffic. 

Before- Hole #3

After-Hole #3

Merry Christmas! Hard to believe how fast 2019 is progressing. We have had some good days of golf in November, with some moderate temperatures and drier weather. We will see what December and January will bring, if looking for information on course openings please check with your daily club email, Proshop or follow us on Twitter for the latest information.The last month the team has been busy with many initiatives on the course including:

●      Turf Fan Installation on 7
●      Preventative maintenance on the fleet of equipment
●      Leveling irrigation sprinklers around the putting surfaces
●      Various drainage projects around the course●      Leaf clean-up

Preparations for 2020 are well underway, with Turfgrass intern program recruitment and securing guest worker visas for next year. Recently, our friends from Mexico left to get back with their families in Durango, Mexico. As many of you know they are an integral part of our success, each year we work diligently to obtain legal, seasonal workers. The H2-b guest worker program is a challenge to navigate with many political pitfalls; unfortunately,  there are not many other alternatives. It looks as though 2020 will be no different; a shortfall in the number of visas issued will most likely occur again, delaying the workers or even worse, they may not arrive at all. Over the past few weeks, we have reached out to Senators and Congressman to help educate the need for legal seasonal workers and the importance of raising the visa cap to meet the need. 

Late Fall Happenings

I'm often asked what goes on in the Horticulture world after summer and the cold weather starts to set in. Aside from leaf cleanup and keeping the clubhouse grounds looking the best they can with the ever changing weather, a lot of what's going on is planning for the following year. Designing, plant selection, areas for improvement, etc. It's a time where I can let the creative juices flow and find ways to better improve the landscaping. I take notes throughout the year on what plants do well in their particular location and if there's enough plant material, whether it's too many or too little. Then around this time of year, I sit down and review those notes and figure out how I want to utilize certain plants next year and what new plants I can incorporate into the landscape.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and until next time...

-Bryan Miller
Horticulturist
Hyde Park Golf and Country Club