The golf season is slowly getting ramped up, with the typical hit and miss Spring-like weather. Most of the playing surfaces have been mowed a few times and we are starting to see the Zoysiagrass transition with a green hue evident. When does the Zoysia grass green up? A great question, that has a dynamic answer; it depends! Zoysia is a warm season grass that will start to transition with hints of green becoming noticeable when air and soil temperatures are consistently above 60F. The cooler and frosty nights have slowed the transition down slightly this year but the turf, overall looks very healthy coming out of the winter. While the Zoysia is transitioning, we limit cart traffic on the grass because the recuperative capacity of this turf is slow and excessive traffic will cause damage. Carts will be able to operate in the fairways once the turf is actively growing and the surfaces are firm. Recently, we rolled the fairways to help increase the firmness and smooth from the freeze/thaw cycles.
Spring Aeration of the putting greens is right around the corner, in fact we were able to get a head start with the aerification of the tees on the course and they are healing nicely. As you see in the graphic below aerification provides many beneficial pieces to growing healthy playing surfaces. However, it is a disruption to you and we try to get the surfaces healed quickly as possible. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks to see full recovery depending on weather, and soil temperatures. Spring aeration of the putting surfaces will commence (weather and soil conditions permitting) on Monday April 12th and we hope to be completed by the end of the day on April 14th. The golf course will be open, but we will employ temporary holes locations in the fairways until we are finished with the processes.
Thanks for you patience!
The new forward tee on 18 continues to establish well and we hope in the coming weeks (April) to have this open for play. Thank-you for utilizing the temporary teeing grounds located beside the new tee.
On the horticulture front, Bryan Miller and the rest of the team have been busy planting various trees and shrubs behind the 6th tee and along the fence line bordering Brotherton Ave. It looks much more aesthetically pleasing then the solid line of invasive Honey Suckle that was removed in late 2020. It won't be long before it fills in to help reduce the sights and sounds of the street.
Another sign of spring with the tulips just starting to bloom.
If there are any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to grounds@hydeparkcc.com. Thanks for the feedback and comments.
Pat O'Brien
Grounds Superintendent
