Intern Spotlight- Tizayi Sithole

It was another great intern class this year, each of them were integral in our success with many of the challenges we faced this year on the course. Our last intern to leave this year is Tizayi Sithole. Tizz was our first intern from Africa, it was a pleasure to have him and he accomplished much during his stay. Here is a little more about his experience at HP.

My name is Tizayi Tundu Sithole, I am from Zimbabwe, Africa. I recently completed my internship at the Hyde Park Golf and Country Club through the Ohio International Intern Program. I am very passionate about golf course management and have chosen it as my life career. I have a BSc. Hon. Agriculture-crop science degree and I am currently enrolled at Elmwood Scotland Rural University College (SRUC) - (UK), working on an HNC Golf Course Management Program and I hope to graduate in 2021. I first started playing golf before having the passion of being a Golf Course Superintendent. As a player, I realized that there was a very big gap in sports turf management in my country. I enrolled for a course in golf course management to gain theoretical and practical skills in golf course and turf management. With this program I managed to attend conferences and participate at the Nedbank Golf Challenge 2019 as a volunteer greenkeeper. At the African Turf Academy Biannual conference in South Africa I met Mike O’Keffee from The Ohio State University and introduced me to this world-renowned internship program. This was my beginning of my journey to the United States and Hyde Park Golf and Country Club.

My stay here has far exceeded my expectations. It was my first time being here in America and I did not know what to expect. The standards of golf course maintenance are exceptional in America. I was a little intimidated at first but with the friendly staff, and a very welcoming reception it was easy to fit into the Hyde Park organization and the community.

I wish to thank Pat O’Brien and his entire team for giving me the opportunity to learn many skills and concepts relating to golf course management in a short space and challenging time. I was given the opportunity to attend the Grounds Committee meetings where I met many great members and learned how committees function. I learned a lot, very quickly and I have built my greenkeeping skills from when I first got here. It was a very interesting and adventurous time I have had, meeting different people with different outlooks, and learning the diverse American culture.

Each department was unique is so many ways. The kitchen staff were so amazing and accommodating in serving me my meals. I had a great experience tasting the various American dishes.

There is not a single department I did not get a chance to visit and meet the team members from, security, administration, maintenance, kitchen, Pro-shop, and tennis. All the staff at Hyde Park made my stay a worthwhile and enjoyable I thought I would get home sick, but with all these interactions I felt right at home. They say “we meet to part, and part to meet”, here is hoping we meet again in the near future after this parting.

 

Stay safe and healthy,

 

Tizayi Sithole

Turfgrass Intern 2020

Grounds Update: Preparations for 2021

 The staff and I continue to move forward with preparations for next year, the fall is a great time to focus on practices that will enhance the turf for next season. The cooler temperatures and the shorter days have transitioned the Zoysia Grass fairways to dormancy slightly faster than past years. Zoysia Grass when dormant, exhibits poor recuperative capacity from cart traffic because of its slow growth.

In order to prepare the Zoysia Grass for the winter months we employ various strategies:

• Raising mowing heights 
• Vertical slicing of fairways 
• Herbicide applications to remove annual grassy weeds (Annual Bluegrass) to reduce competition
• Restricting carts to the path

Unfortunately, it will be soon that carts will be restricted to the path to reduce the impact of winter injury. (please check roster book for orange flag protocols during dormancy) 

                                            Winter Injury 2019

Textbook winter injury to Zoysia Grass occurs in shaded, wet and high concentrated cart traffic areas.  Leaf clean-up season is ramping up you will see our team mindfully traversing the fairways to remove the leaves. With the cooler temperatures, frost delays are inevitable, tee times will be pushed back the length of the delays. Email notifications will be sent to the membership indicating a delay along with the start time. It is always difficult to anticipate in advance of a frost just how long the delay will be. 

With almost 3 weeks since the putting green aerfication the greens are doing well and the team has moved on to the aerification of the rough areas. This process commenced early this week and we will continue while weather and soil conditions permit. This practice is beneficial to the turfgrass plant to remove compaction in the soil from the amount of play (cart traffic) observed this year. Overall, it will have a limited impact on playability as noted in the pictures below.

With the final mowings of the High Rough "Native Areas" our staff is making fall herbicide applications to roughly 25 acres of steep terrain, this will take roughly two weeks.

 As always, please pass along feedback or questions to grounds@hydeparkcc.com. 

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

Post Aeration Update

 

Over the past few days the Grounds team continued to move forward with the fall putting green aerification. We displaced roughly 8 percent of the surface area on each green, aiding in water infiltration, root growth along with improving overall long-term playability. We used about 65 tons of sand over the three day period. The team was mindful to be careful when performing the aeration because of the stress on the turf from the multiple practices to obtain consistent championship putting quality for the Member/Guest. Over the next few weeks, the greens will continue to heal, unfortunately the recuperation will be slower due to the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) prior to the Founder’s Cup and the cooler temperatures expected in the 10-day forecast. PGRs are utilized for many reasons but for our purpose we wanted to slow the growth of the turfgrass plant to allow consistent ball roll throughout the day during the event. It worked!

The team and I will smooth the surfaces post aeration with lightweight rolling, timely applications of fertilizer and monitoring soil moisture closely.

Here are a few pictures of the practices that took place over the past week.

If there are any questions or feedback please forward to grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

 

 

Agronomic Update July 15th

The summer continues to roll-on with some very typical heat and humidity. The fairways have recovered well from the aerification and we continue to repair low areas that had water sitting for a long period in the winter and late spring. 

Healthy Zoysia-Post Aeration 

Water Collection Area- Drainage needed

Sod Repair #4 Fairway 

Many of these low areas are in need of drainage to allow water to move off of the surface and reduce the chances in the future of damage. We have been utilizing sod from the 12th fairway because it aligns much better in density and height of cut in comparison to the zoysia from our nursery located behind the green on the 4th hole. We will replace the sod on 12 when we are finished with repairs.



The 3rd hole continues to mature quite nicely, overall we are pleased with the progress. The Zoysia was aerified this week and the mowing heights have been lowered again. The new tees on 3 and 9 have done exceptionally well. The new 4th blue tee has seen plenty of traffic this year, we have been shifting the teeing area between the old and new tees; to reduce some of the traffic and allow for recuperation of the new turf.

Over the past 15 years we have partnered with many schools and students around the world with our turfgrass intern program. Needless to say 2020 has brought many challenges but we have been fortunate to have another fantastic group of interns that have helped every step of the way. This year the class includes:

Casey Williams- Ohio State

Mark Niehaus- Cincinnati State

TIzz Sithole- Ohio State International Intern Program - Zimbabwe

Ryan York-University of Tennessee 

Here is a little more about Ryan....

Hi, I am Ryan York.


I am a Turfgrass Management Intern here at Hyde Park. I am from a small town in Tennessee just outside of the Nashville area. I am currently enrolled in the Turfgrass Science program at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. I will be graduating this December with my Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science with a concentration in Turfgrass Science and Management.


I can trace my first steps in this industry back to helping my father with his lawn care business at an early age. This developed my work ethic and love for the outdoors. Another step along the way was helping maintain the athletic grounds and facilities at my High School.


My first true job in Turfgrass Management  was at Foxland Harbor Golf & Country Club in Gallatin, TN the spring and summer before I began my college education. This is where I developed a true passion for the green industry. Since my time began at The University of Tennessee I have been able to work at great places. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work on the UT campus at all sports facilities; football, baseball, softball, soccer, golf, track & field, and tennis, as well as in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, in Georgia at McLemore Golf Club, and in Texas at Dallas National Golf Club.


I am thankful for this opportunity to work with Pat and his great staff and learn from each and everyone I come in contact with. I am looking forward to a great summer here and helping make Hyde Park the best it can be!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks again for the feedback and questions.


Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent

July Update-Around the Grounds

It is amazing to see how busy the golf course and the Club has been the past few months. Over the Fathers Day weekend (Fri-Sun) there were close to 700 rounds of golf played for an average of 230 rounds per day. A pre-pandemic "busy" weekend would be 170-180 rounds on a random Saturday or Sunday. Even on weekdays now, the course can see upwards of 200 rounds in a day. A positive note for the game of golf is that rounds are up around the country, which has brought many new players to the game. We are pleased that everyone is enjoying the course! With that said the course and turf conditions are heading into the stress period okay considering the amount of traffic. The Grounds Team has done a phenomenal job adjusting and readjusting to many different challenges.

The dry weather has allowed us to control the water which helps with both playability and plant health. You have probably noticed our team utilizing hoses to water small sections of the putting greens; certain areas on the greens will dry out faster then other areas. Utilizing a hose during the hottest periods of the day allows us to be more detailed with water; to create a more uniform surface. When members of our team remove the flagstick please do not hit the ball into the green until they have safely placed the flag back in. They will take less than five minutes to apply water to wilting turf.

Other adjustments to the high levels of traffic on the course include:

●      Increasing growth rates of the turf on the putitng greens to allow for recuperating from foot traffic 

●      Increased nitrogen in the rough areas from a high volume of traffic

●      Venting aeration of the greens to allow for more oxygen in the root zone (See Below)

Monday Golf: 

In order to allow the turf to recuperate from traffic and prepare for the summer months, beginning July 6th the course will be open to members on Mondays at noon for walking only.  The Proshop and the practice area will be closed, however a bag room staff member will be available to assist with your clubs. As usual, please check-in with the bag room staff and play will commence off of the first tee only. If there is a change in course status due to weather or another circumstance an email will be sent before noon on Monday.

Zoysia grass:

The new zoysia sod on 3 is doing extremely well, weed control and lowering the mowing height gradually is still our focus as the turf matures. Fairway areas injured in the winter from water sitting in low lying areas are being sodded and plugged. We are replacing turf in these areas from the Zoysia on 12th fairway because their respective heights of turf align much better then our nursery turf. The turf on 12 will be replaced when we are finished with the processes. 

 Regrading and sod repair on the 6th fairway

*Fairway Aerfication Reminder*

The golf course will be closed to all play on June 29th while the Zoysia fairways and practice area is aerified. (Pending Weather Conditions) We expect a two week time period for the turf to heal. 

 Aeration on the practice area

 Post aeration-2 days after

A couple questions have come up about the dead turf near the pavilion area. In the winter months we utilize a pre-emergent herbicide to provide year-long weed control between the pavers. This herbicide worked well between the pavers! Unfortunately, this year shortly after we made the application the herbicide was washed with an untimely rain into the rough areas adjacent to the 18th green.  We tried to seed into these areas with no success, we will now remove 2” of soil where the herbicide is concentrated and regrass. Stay tuned. 

Thanks again for the compliments and feedback. Please let us know how we can help?

Thank-you,

Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Whats Next? Agronomic Report

Dear Member:

After many challenges and a couple ups and downs over the last few months, we are quickly heading into summer with plenty on the to-do list however, we are making some progress. It has been a very long time since it has been this saturated for such a long period at HP; even walking on the fairways was a challenge!

Oops!

Last week, the Grounds team was able to take advantage of the drier weather and carefully create somewhat of a resemblance of fairways with the mowing equipment. After several mowings, the turf looked okay,  considering the Zoysia was not permissible to be mowed for about 2 weeks. 

The grass clippings left behind reminded me of the days working on the farm and bailing hay! The equipment and staff preformed fantastically to eventually reach this end result. (below)

Moving forward, some damage was sustained from the extended wet period. Low lying areas have seen turf loss, along with select areas of fairways where imprints have been left from both carts and mowing equipment. Summer aerfication of the fairways will be a necessity to smooth the surface, reduce compaction and eliminate scalping of the turf as noted in the picture below from the 18th fairway.

Other areas will need to be sodded and drainage added to help remedy this in the future. 

The rough has seen a tremendous amount of stress from the increased rainfall. The rough is composed of over 50 percent Annual Bluegrass. Also known as Poa, this grass type is undesired in this area because of its susceptibility to plant pathogens and poor heat tolerance. The summer is just beginning and we can already see areas that are looking tired. A long-term strategy to enhance the rough is to increase the populations of Turf Type Tall Fescue (TTTF) through multiple seasons of Innerseeding. TTTF  will allow for reduced inputs and increase playability in the rough areas.

Other Initiatives Include:

-Small drainage projects across the golf course

-Cart path repairs will continue with contractor availability (two weeks); most work is confined to the back nine

-Weed Control in the rough; Canada Thistle plants are the main target. 

Thanks to the entire Grounds Team for their continued persistence along with your patience over the past couple months! Please pass along any feedback or questions to grounds@hydeparkcc.com?

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien
Grounds Superintendent

Playing Catch-up

The month of May has been a challenge with almost 9” of rain and counting, which has left carts on the path more consistently then I can remember? Unfortunately, cart traffic on saturated soils can leave lasting damage to the turf. Here are some helpful cart operation tips when the green light is given to scatter from the paths: 

• Please operate carts in the fairways
• Exit fairways at the cart directional signs (please do not drive past the signs)
• Please avoid tight turns 
• Be mindful not to traverse steep hills 4,10, 12 etc.
• Please do not drive down into the swales on 9 and 17
• Please remember to operate carts on the path on the Par 3s 

Thanks again, for your patience while we continue to dry out.

It is nice to see the greens have finally recovered from April’s aeration. Thanks for your help with repairing ball marks on the putting greens. The image below gives a good explanation on how to properly repair a ball mark.

Over the next few days the team is focusing on mowing the grass, very carefully. In many areas we will have to use small light weight mowers or even string trimmers. Thankfully, we have not fertilized the rough this spring!

Bryan Miller, Horticulturalist has been very busy with planting of the summer annuals, when you see him around the clubhouse he would be happy to chat about the new designs and plants.

Thanks again for the feedback and questions concerning the grounds at Hyde Park.

Regards,

Pat O'Brien
Grounds Superintendent

Agronomic Update 5.14.20

Hard to believe it is the middle of May, and we are starting to see the Zoysia grass finally awake. There are many areas that are a little slower to transition, but I am hopeful with the warmth we will see consistent growth. For the moment, the weather trend looks to be above normal precipitation with warmer temperatures. Warm and dry weather would be fantastic; improving playability while increasing growth rates of the Zoysia grass. 

A few things of note on the course and around the grounds of Hyde Park:

A "purple haze" has been noted in some areas in the Zoysia grass. This time of year, Zoysia grass can produce a purple seed head. We use plant growth regulators in the fall to suppress the seed head for the following spring. We achieved over 90 percent control thus far with this application, across the 26 acres of fairways. The approach areas on #4 and #9  have exhibited more seed development than other areas. To be honest, I am not exactly sure why and no one has an explanation at this point!

Above: A close up of the Zoysia  seedhead on the 4th approach. As growth rates increase along with mowing frequency, the seedhead will be mowed off to create a smooth surface. 

With the wet spring and cooler temperatures a plant pathogen called Large Patch (Below) has been exhibiting symptoms in select areas of the fairways. We have applied a fungicide to these areas and we will see recovery over the next month. 

Across the property, we have roped off or have placed red pin flags (Below) in areas where carts should not travel through. Please continue to play your shot from these areas. Most of the areas noted with the flags are notoriously wet and or shaded where the Zoysia grass is slow to transition. The red flags also act as visual cues for our team not to mow these areas until the turf is actively growing!

At the practice area please refrain from hitting from the Zoysia grass in front of the teeing line,  the turning and twisting of the golf shoe, even while practicing a driver is a detriment to the Zoysia. It won't be long until the Zoysia tee will open for practice!

On the 3rd hole, the Zoysia continues to grow-in well, we are slowly reducing the mowing height to match the existing Zoysia grass in the fairways. It will take until Mid-July to achieve the desired height of turf. 

Thanks again for your patience, while we wait for Mother Nature to help with some warm and dry weather. If you have any questions or feedback please do not hesitate to send us a note to grounds@hydeparkcc.com 

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent  

Grounds Update

As April comes to a close, it certainly seems like a long month for many obvious reasons! The turf and other plants have had a roller coaster of a ride with the extensive swings in temperature ranging from the 80s to lows in the 20s. What can I say?  It is Spring in Cincinnati! 

The Zoysia grass started to transition very well, a green hue was beginning to show in very early April. However, after a few hard frosts and average temperatures almost 5 degrees cooler, the Zoysia decided to go back to sleep. 

(Above) On April 10th,  when the 3rd hole opened,  the established Zoysia in front of the green was close to 100 percent green. (Below) On April 25th, the Zoysia in front of the green was almost completely dormant. 

It has been a long time since we have seen such a quick transition back to dormancy. Some long-range predictions have below normal highs but the daily average temperatures are predicted to be more consistent. This will help with green-up and active growth for the ability of the Zoysia to withstand and recover from cart traffic. 

Warmer soil and air temperatures will continue to help with the recovery of the greens. As you might have noted, there are greens that have recovered faster than others. There are a multitude of reasons from; varying microclimates of the greens, (shaded vs sun) construction type as well as different bentgrass varieties. The two newer greens; putting green and #1 constructed of straight sand and composed of newer bentgrass varieties are traditionally slower, although these bentgrass types are more resilient in the summer they take a little longer to initiate consistent growth. When you have an opportunity,  please take a look at the practice putting green and walk 80 feet to the 18th green. These two greens are great examples of different construction materials and bentgrass varieties along with sharp contrasts of recovery and smoothness. Some courses, with high populations of Annual Bluegrass (Poa) are growing more actively in spring versus bentgrass. Creeping Bentgrass, traditionally is more resilient in the summer months and does not produce a seedhead in the Spring.The greens at Hyde Park are near 100 percent bentgrass. (Below) Close up view of the 18th. 

Over the next week,  we will continue to lower mowing heights, increase frequency of brushing to stand-up laid over turf, apply light amounts of sand for smoothness along with adjusting fertility regiments based upon growth for individual greens. It does look like Mother Nature will help the cause with consistent temperatures! 

Please pass along any feedback or questions and thank-you for your patience while turf conditions evolve. 

Thank-you,

Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Bryan's Favorite Blooms

Spring time brings a wide array of weather conditions, none of which are ideal for growing flowers for a sustained time. However, Mother Nature does allow spring season bulbs to bloom just in time for Easter. I would like to share just a few of my favorites, click on the link for more details.

Merry-Go-Round

Tom Pouce

Sol Array

Skyliners (tulips)

Evan Scent (daffodils)

Enjoy the rest of spring we are looking forward to the summer months and some new blooms!

Thanks,

Bryan Miller

Horticulturist