The Winter Months on the Grounds at HP

 

A Last Look at Summer 

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 quality for next season. The cooler temperatures and the shorter days have transitioned the Zoysia Grass fairways to a golden brown. Zoysia Grass when dormant, exhibits poor recuperative capacity from cart traffic because of its slow, almost non-existent growth exhibited in the winter months. Carts are restricted to the path until the Zoysia grass is actively growing again in the Spring.

Frost and Frozen Soil Delays:

With below freezing temperatures the ground will continue to freeze rapidly and thaw slowly. The concentrated foot traffic pattern on the putting surfaces can cause damage to the root system due to the potential shearing of roots from foot traffic while thawing, thus the use of temporary greens on 6 and 7 has been utilized with the impact of shade from the trees in this area. Delays due to thawing soil and frost are more consistent as we get into the winter months, we will continue to update the membership via email when delays occur. The photo below is an example of the amount of traffic that is left from a single foursome.

Key initiatives for our team this fall/winter include:

Realigning tees:

After years of topdressing and encroachment of Bentgrass in the rough select tees are in need of realignment and leveling.  

Before

Resodding of edges to fescue

Sand Additions In Bunkers is becoming an increasingly common practice each year with the silt contamination from the bottom and the edges of the bunkers changing the physical properties and playability of the sand. Our team in the coming winter months will add another 150-300 tons of sand this winter to the bunkers.

Checking of Sand Depths

Continued dredging of the ditches behind the 3rd green and along 6 fairway to improve drainage flow and aesthetics of these hazards.

Silt Removal from Ditch behind 3 green

Other Initiatives:

-Irrigation system winterization 

-Finishing of deeptine aeration on the putting surfaces 

-Topdressing and aeration of the tees 

-Leaf clean-up 

-Repositioning the fan on 14 green to left side of green to enhance the view to 15th green

-Tree management program

-Preventative maintenance on all of the equipment 

-Masterplan development 

-Staff training and recruitment 

As always, thank-you for the comments and feedback on the grounds at Hyde Park. Happy Holidays from the entire Grounds Team.

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

What is next? Post Aeration, Landscape Enhancements......

Post aeration update:

 

The greens continue to heal well with many of the greens at Day 17 of post aeration. The weather has almost been perfect with above normal temperatures and timely precipitation and the smoothness of the greens continue to improve daily. Yesterday, the Grounds team was able to mow, brush and groom the surfaces multiple times along with a heavy sand topdressing to aid in smoothing of the greens. Today, the team will be out mowing in the early afternoon to achieve a clean cut of the stood-up turf from the brushing yesterday.  Over the next week we will continue to lower mowing heights, apply plant growth regulators to help with density and ultimately aid in improved playability. Thank-you for your continued patience, the turf is almost there!

Christo- Rolling the 18th

Day 14-Post Aeration 

Other Initiatives across the grounds at HP include:

 

Erie Avenue Landscape Enhancements: Bryan Miller, Horticulturalist is excited to start this week planting over 200 plants that will enhance the first impression coming into the club.

Rough Inner Seeding: Over 6000 lbs. of turf type tall fescue seed has been placed in the ground with the final touches being wrapped up this week

Innerseeding of rough

 

Greens Height Nursery: trials have begun again of new varieties of creeping bentgrass; our focus is on new cultivars that provide a high level of heat and ware tolerance, improved texture and disease resistance. 

School Visits- In the off-season our team’s focus shifts slightly with a focus on recruitment of the next turfgrass professionals with visits to both colleges and high schools. It offers our team opportunity to give back to the programs that we have partnered with offering a hands-on learning environment along with providing insight of other topics that might not be covered in the curriculum.

Class Tour from Cincinnati State

H2-B Guest Worker Visa Program: Our team members from Mexico are leaving next month to return to their families. We can’t thank them enough for their hard work over the last months, they are integral part of our success! We have already begun the paperwork for next season to have our same team back with us for a seventh year!

Bryan with our team from Mexico

Tee Aeration: We will begin the annual tee aeration this week with a minimal impact to play.

 

High Rough Areas: A second mowing has been completed in many areas of the high rough, herbicide applications will start this week to keep these areas weed free as possible for next year.

 

Continuing Education/Tournament Volunteering: Over the winter months our team will continue to grow with continuing education at various conferences, or they will have the opportunity to assist in the preparation for a PGA event. Recently, I had the opportunity to help a friend and a former classmate from Penn State to prepare the course for the 40^th USGA Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Nantucket, MA.  CJ Penrose and his team leading up to the event were challenged (like so many others in this industry) with a lack of labor. However, the lack of labor did not impact the quality of the golf course that was played by the field. The conditions were excellent in all areas, with outstanding feedback from the players and the membership at Sankaty Head. The opportunity to volunteer at events such as this provides a behind the scenes look at how courses are prepared for tournament play along with providing an opportunity to incorporate similar strategies into our operations at HP.  CJ and his team were extremely organized and welcoming of all the volunteers and were willing to share many ideas, strategies and challenges.  As always, I am thankful for these opportunities to play a small part in these events.

CJ Penrose- Golf Course Superintendent 

Sankaty Head 

Thank-you,

 

Pat O’Brien,

 

Grounds Superintendent

Aeration Update

With the Founders Cup in the rear-view mirror, the team is moving to the aeration of the putting surfaces. We began the process on Sunday evening to try to complete a few greens before the next cold front comes through with potentially heavy rain. Aeration is one of the most beneficial agronomic processes to help with these 100-year-old surfaces. Each year we conduct physical properties testing of the existing greens to tell us how we are doing with the management of the underlying rootzone. These data points help us identify challenges and assist in creating a strategic plan with cultural practices such as sand topdressing and aeration.

 

Once the plan is created it is time for our team to execute, each golf course or turf manager may have a different strategy based on the conditions, availability of labor and grass types. This link from the USGA Green Section gives a general view of the ins and outs of aeration. 

At Hyde Park this year we plan to impact 8-10 percent of surface area with this aeration while incorporating about 80-100 tons of sand to a depth of 2.5”. In order for the aeration to be successful we need to have dry weather and the soil profile needs to be at an ideal moisture content, if the underlying profile is too wet there is a risk of damage from the equipment and wet sand does not work into the open holes well. The forecast has not been in our favor this week with multiple days of rain slated, which has delayed our progress. (6 greens have been completed) We will have a better idea on resumption when the front moves through on Thursday afternoon. We will continue to update the membership as we know more about the soil conditions to complete the aeration and begin the healing process as soon as possible.

 

The Aeration Process at HP

 

We utilize a large tractor mounted aerifier, the cores are left on the surface to dry and they are shoveled or pushed into piles and picked up by the team.

 

Close-up of cores 

Tractor Mounted Aerator 

Pushing Dry Cores into piles for pick-up

Sand is applied via our sand topdressers and our team will utilize various leaf blowers to integrate the sand into the thousands of holes, the blowers reduce abrasion to the plant that would be seen from utilizing a large brush to move sand into the holes.  Our goal is to fill the holes with clean sand to improve drainage, increase firmness, remove unwanted organic matter and improve overall plant health.

Incorporating Sand Into the Open Channels 

Following the incorporation of the sand, the greens are fertilized to encourage growth and rolled to smooth. Unfortunatley, the healing process in the first week is extremely slow, we are unable to mow the greens until the plants grow through the sand layer applied. Generally, with ideal growing conditions, complete recovery will take 3-4 weeks. 

Post Sand Incorporation 

Thanks for your patience while we get a little cooperation from the weather to complete the process. 

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Grounds Update 9-10-21

The 2021 season continues to move forward quite quickly, many people are surprised when I say this time of year is incredibly challenging and busy with preparations for the final events, while also focusing on agronomics for the 2022 season. The 2021 season has been filled with many challenges to say the least, Mother Nature has thrown many curve balls with an extremely wet spring, a beyond dry July and the last couple weeks of August; the weather quite frankly was miserable to grow turf in this area. These conditions kept our team constantly pivoting, responding to the turf health and adjusting practices to keep the grass moving in the right direction. The Grounds and Horticulture team has done a wonderful job this year, in true fashion we have learned a lot from this season and I cannot thank our team enough for their flexibility, creativity and hard work to make the Member experience at Hyde Park the best it can be. 

Over the coming weeks the team will focus on the following:

Rough:

Innerseeding of the roughs with Turf Type tall fescue will begin soon.  Most of the rough so far has faired quite well, introducing more Turf Type Tall fescue varieties will improve playability, disease tolerance and overall quality of the stand. Fall Army Worm has created havoc in this area this year and looks like there is another generation of caterpillars that will be looking to feast on green turf over the next couple weeks.

White Egg Masses Laid on Flag by Fall Army Worm 

Innerseeding of Tall Fescue

Green Aeration:

The team and I are getting geared up for one of the most important and dreaded practices of the season; green aeration. The green aeration is scheduled for September 20th to the 23rd. During this time the golf course will be open however temporary flags be set up in the fairway while we complete multiple processes to the greens. We intend to have the aeration finished during this time period however, weather may dictate a different schedule, we will update the membership via email on the progress. The recovery of the turf will take 3-4 weeks. 

Other Initiatives:

Turf nursery preparations have begun for trials of new creeping bentgrass cultivars, the old bent grass types the greens had a difficult time this season with the extremes. We were able to introduce 2 new bentgrass varieties in our plug work on a couple greens.

Front Entrance Landscaping- Bryan has been able to source all of the plant material (which has been a challenge), the last of the remaining plants will be removed along Erie ave. post green aeration and we will begin planting in late September-Early October when cooler temperatures arrive. 

High Rough mowing continues with about 2 acres that will require string trimming because of the terrain. Once completed, herbicide applications will begin in late September. 

In closing, thank-you from our team and I to the entire membership for your understanding and patience while we have had to make adjustments to our practices to maintain existing turf stands. 2021 has been a very interesting and challenging year filled with many learning moments. If there are any questions or concerns please email us at grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thank-you,

Grounds Superintendent 

Agronomic Update

 Hard to believe that we are rolling into late August, the Grounds team continues to work extremely hard every day to produce consistent conditions even with a few challenges from Mother Nature. A few interesting statistics; since July 18th the golf course has seen less than .4" of rain which has meant our team has been utilizing hoses to be more accurate when watering dry spots on greens and tees. The last week of August is proving to be one of the most challenging weeks of the season, the forecasted highs reach well into the mid-high 90s with high humidity and lows in 70s with very little relief in sight. The grass on the greens is extremely stressed, forcing us to protect the surfaces with less frequent mowing and utilizing a higher mowing height.  We apologize in advance for the slower less consistent putting surfaces.

 The irrigation system continues to get a workout with over 7 million gallons of water applied the last month to about 100 acres of turf, the team has done an excellent job adjusting precipitation rates and timing to enhance turf quality. Over 60 percent of the water applied to the golf course has been to the rough areas. The grasses in the rough are not drought tolerant and require more frequent irrigation cycles, as the fall approaches we will begin to integrate more turf type tall fescues into the roughs to increase sustainability.

Small tine aeration to help dry surface

Zoysia grass off color from drought but playing well

 Bryan Miller and the Grounds team have begun the removal of the dying and dated plant material at the front entrance of the club. We have some final grading and irrigation changes to the area, once completed the new design will be implemented in mid-late September. 

Front Entrance Design

Other initiatives on the golf course include; the annual mowing of the high rough areas in anticipation of  fall weed control measures for next year. Herbicide applications are most effective in the fall when the plants are smaller from recent mowings and the temperatures are cooler. Recently, we have seen recovery from the damage from the Annual Bluegrass Weevils on the 7tees.

New Seedlings on 7 Tees

 Unfortunately, another pest has made its's arrival to many mid-western golf courses this year, including HP; The Fall Army Worm in its larval (caterpillar) stage march across in the hundreds to devour nice green, lush turf. Yesterday, the dreaded caterpillars were noticed in the rough on 6 and 7 at Hyde Park. Once noted, we were able to get out and spray an insecticide in many areas of the golf course. Below are a couple pictures of the caterpillar and the damage they can cause. We will continue to monitor and make curative applications when necessary.

Fall Army Worm

Damage from Fall Army Worm

Thank-you for the comments and questions on the golf course. We can be reached at grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

The Arrival of a New Pest at HP

Recently, we have had a few questions about shifting the green tee markers to the lower tee on 7 as well as utilizing the back tee. We are not trying to make the game of golf more difficult, unfortunately we have identified turf damage on the tees on 7 from a new pest at HP; the Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW). ABW is a small black beetle that lay eggs  and the larvae feed on closely mowed creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass on greens, tees and fairways. (Zoysia grass is not impacted!) 

Close-up of ABW of Larvae and Adult 

Close-up damage of Annual Bluegrass

Damage to the middle tee on 7 

ABW has been a longterm problem for much of the Northeastern states however, they have slowly made their way to the Mid-West. ABW has multiple generations and requires close monitoring utilizing salt and soap flushes to determine if these pests are present. So far, we have only seen damage on the 7th tees and the back collar on the 6th green. We are applying curative insecticides, increasing nitrogen applications and inner seeding of bentgrass to these areas. 

Utilizing salt water to bring larvae to the top of water

In the meantime, we apologize for the inconvenience of shifting traffic from the green tee to other tees on 7 to help aid in recovery of the turf. We will continue to monitor closely and pass along updates to the membership.

Thanks as always for the questions and feedback.

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent 

Golf Course and Grounds Update

The weather continues to be a roller coaster of a ride with plenty of rain to make it somewhat challenging to get the grass mowed on a consistent basis, forcing us to become a little creative to hit the mark. Thanks for your patience for enduring the roar of the mowers on a Saturday afternoon or evening to get caught up.

The course continues to get a little better each day, the high rough areas are very healthy and for the most part are relatively weed free and offer a good visual contrast with the plants producing a brown appearance. When early August arrives we will begin to mow the fescue down to about 6" in height to reduce weed encroachment and in preparation for additional herbicide applications.

The Zoysia grass continues to improve with the warmer temperatures,  allowing our team to continue to improve some small areas with sod across the golf course. The weak areas in question are impacted from high traffic areas where water moves or sits in the winter season or highly shaded areas that do not see adequate sunlight. Additional tree removal and drainage in these areas will assist in growing healthy turf. 

Recently, we partnered with Lefke Tree Experts to complete a tree inventory across the property. Roughly, 350 trees were tagged with a GPS location and data was complied on each tree that includes a visual inspection of condition, species, age, size and potential challenges with each tree. This data will allow for data based decision making and assist in prioritizing and budget development of a large inventory of trees at Hyde Park. Each dot on the picture below signifies a GPS tagged tree, along with data mentioned above.

As always, thanks again for the feedback on the golf course and grounds at Hyde Park.

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Tulip Recycling

Another tulip season in is the books, which showcased roughly 4,500 tulips this year and over 10 different colors and patterns. Now that the tulips have past their prime and beginning to drop their petals, I am often asked what happens to them next. A great question and to keep the landscape beds fresh and new for the following year, we pull all the bulbs out of the ground so that we do not get any unwanted colors mixed in with the new bulbs that will be planted in the fall. We also amend and till the beds in preparation for the Summer Annuals, in many cases this damages the bulb from blooming the following year.

If you are interested in recycling the bulbs to create your own masterpiece at your home we have removed the tulips and placed in piles in the landscape beds with a picture of what they looked like at full bloom. Please bring your own buckets/boxes/bags and gather what you would like over the next few days. Below is a brief guide on how care for the bulbs.

Any questions do not hesitate to ask. Spring bulbs were a huge success, and we are getting close to summer annuals. 

How to care/store/replant springtime bulbs:

• Find a covered well-ventilated area to lay out all your bulbs (leaves and bulbs still attached), making sure they do not touch.

• Once the leaves have dried out and turned yellow or brown, you can cut the leaves off all the way back to the bulb (this could take a few weeks).

• Store in a cool, dark, ventilated area like a basement or garage until fall.

• When it is time to plant in the fall, plant bulbs 3-5 inches in the ground, please keep in mind that 100 percent of the bulbs may not bloom again, so plant a few extra! 

Cheers!

Bryan Miller

Horticulturist at Hyde Park CC

Grounds Update- Practice Like a Pro/Post Aeration Update

 Practice like a pro:

I have been asked a few questions on the proper etiquette on divot removal on the grass tees. Below are a few pictures of divot patterns that are exhibited at HP. Ideally there is one divot pattern that should be utilized for increased recuperation and the most efficient use of turf, better known as a “lineal” divot pattern. The lineal divot pattern is a series of divots connected in a lineal fashion with a minimum of 2-3” of turf between each strip. The creeping Bentgrass/Zoysia grass left between the divots will grow horizontally, decreasing the amount of time for recovery.

Post Aeration Update:

The Grounds Team recently completed the Spring aeration of the putting surfaces, incorporating roughly 70 tons of new sand to the profile to aid in firmness, increased water infiltration and to improve the overall health of the plant. As most of you know, the first 7 days post aeration, the putting greens are sandy and can be bumpy. Warmer temperatures and rain are very helpful with recovery, however 3 weeks is generally the rule of thumb for improved playability. Over the coming days, our team will be rolling the surfaces more than mowing because the plant needs to grow through the sand that was applied to backfill the holes. We will monitor growth rates, add fertilizer and lean on Mother Nature to provide some much needed sun and warmth.

 

The Zoysia Grass continues to be slow in its transition to full green-up this season due to the inconsistent and cooler temperatures. Please be mindful when traversing the fairways to keep carts out of roped off  areas, and please return to the cart path at the cart signs located in the fairways. 

With the golf season almost in full swing a couple quick reminders to repair ball marks properly, this graphic shows the correct way to enhance recovery and playability.

Thanks as always for the feedback and questions, we look forward to seeing you on the course.

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent