Spring Blooms/Practice like a Pro

Tulips-

Another tulip season in is the books, which showcased roughly 10,000 tulips this year and over 10 different colors and patterns. The tulips over the next week or so will continue 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 will remove the tulips and place 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 beginning Monday May 9th. 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 planting the 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

Zoysia-

We have finally seen some green in the fairways but there are still some areas that continue to be slow to transition. Carts continue to scatter to the fairways when the soils are not saturated, unfortunately carts are restricted to the path on 18 until the turf wakes up a little more. We have yet to mow the fairways due to below-normal temperatures lack of growth and the stress the mowers can place on the turf. The Grounds team has replaced the turf on the right side of #5 where the large Oak shaded the fairway and on 13th approach. The fairway height sod is coming from behind the 3rd green and is being replaced with new fescue sod.

#5 Right Side

 

Newly Sodded

13 Approach

Practice Area-

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.

Thanks for the feedback and questions on the golf course and grounds please do not hesitate to reach out. grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien,

Grounds Superintendent 

Post Aeration/Zoysia grass

Last Monday and Tuesday the Grounds team was able to complete the aeration of the greens around a few rain drops. We adapted our practices slightly based upon data (over the past several years) of the soils and also the short and longer term forecasts. We also incorporated the practice of vertical mowing to decrease the lateral growth of these older bent grasses. The recommendation of vertical mowing was a result of a recent USGA agronomist visit in March. With a little help with warmer temperatures we hope you will see a significant improvement in playability by the weekend. 

Day 1-Post Aeration 

Day 5-Post Aeration 

Zoysia Grass:

The Zoysia grass green-up has been delayed this year with the roller coaster-ride of temperatures; however over the weekend there was significant progress, we anticipate with the warm-up this week and when the soils dry out, the carts will be scattering to the fairways very soon. The caveat to this is; there will be areas that will be roped off or we will be utilizing the geo fences on the GPS carts to reduce cart traffic in weak areas. There are a few areas that have been impacted by winter injury (i.e. poor drainage/ shaded) and will need to be resodded or plugged out with new Zoysia. 

#5 Tree Removal and new sod will improve playability

13 Approach- water sitting in front of the green over winter

13 approach 

Areas of thin Zoysia grass we will focus on turf improvements include:

• The end of 4 fairway  
• Right side of 5 fairway 
• 13 approach 
• Right side of 18 fairway 

Practice Area:

We will continue to shift the practice tee line at the range between the bentgrass area and the synthetic turf line. Once the Zoysia tee is actively growing it will be placed there more consistently. 

USGA Agronomist Visit:

On March 15th,  Zach Nicoludis from the USGA Green Section made a visit to Hyde Park, it was a great opportunity to tour the property and talk agronomy with a person that literally sees hundreds of golf courses each year. On the tour, we discussed the successes of the agronomic program and the challenges that are evident in the future. He had many observations and a few recommendations to further improve our program and the overall quality of the golf course.

The emphasis of the visit focused on:

• Agronomic Programming (i.e. organic matter management)
• Infrastructure Challenges (i.e. greens, bunkers)
• Tree Management Program
• Data interpretation 

Firmness testing

Zach Nicoludis, USGA Agronomist

Shade Study 10th green

Cultural Practices Paying Off

Thanks again for the feedback and questions on the course and grounds at HP. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions? grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thanks-you

Pat O'Brien,

Grounds Superintendent