Fall Time, Tulip Time

 Now that November is here, it is time to get started planting everyone's favorite spring time flowers, tulips. This year the horticulture department, along with some help from grounds, will be planting 10,000 tulip and daffodil bulbs. Included in that 10,000 are over 7 different varieties and colors. Getting them in the ground now will ensure they have a long enough time to develop and flower just in time for all the spring activities around the club. The next few days we'll be out preparing the landscape beds for tulips as well as planting. 

When planting your own bulbs, plant them 3-5 inches in the ground. About 5 bulbs per square foot. I always get asked how I keep the squirrels from getting the bulbs, and while there's no real answer, what I do is sprinkle some Milorganite on top of the soil when finished and that usually keeps them away.

If you have a questions don't hesitate to stop me and ask. Cheers!

Bryan Miller

Director of Horticulture

A Year Later......

It has been just over one-year since the Restoration was approved by the membership, since then, our talented and dedicated team has wasted no time making excellent progress with the drier weather to prepare the canvas for Tyler Rae in July of 2025 while maintaining the golf course during a challenging season. The work completed by the HP Grounds team has included:

• Multiple herbicide applications to 14 acres in preparation for seeding of fine fescues on challenging terrain
• Erosion measures and seeding of clearing areas 
• Construction of temporary aggregate storage bins behind the first green and at the grounds building 
• Tree planting 
• Stump removal 
• Hydro Seeding and mulching 
• Drainage repairs 
• Documentation of the on-going work 
• Partnering/Monitoring of contractors

In mid-November our H2-B visa team will be leaving for the season, unfortunately there are many uncertainties when or if we will have them for next year, so the coming weeks will be important to continue to move forward with preparations for 2025. 

#15- Rendering (Tyler Rae & Jim Ryan Jr.)

Hillside Cleaning 

#14- Rendering (Tyler Rae & Jim Ryan Jr.)

Hydroseeding of Holes #10, 14 and 15

Fine Fescue Establishment:

The new "native" areas are proceeding well, the last few months the weather has been extremely dry, YTD the Grounds of Hyde Park have been running with a 7" deficit in precipitation, the above normal temperatures have kept the team mowing and hand watering much more than expected over the last couple months. The dry weather has been perfect for our continued internal work across the property with seeding, tree removal and seedbed preparations.

Tree Planting:

Bryan Miller and the Horticulture team continue to plant another round of periphery/screening trees on Holes 1,2,4,5 and the practice area.  The diverse of selection of trees includes:

• Green Vase Zelkova
• Valley Forge Elm
• Forest Pansy Redbud 
• Greenspire Linden
• Cheery
• Hornbeem
• Flowering Dogwood 
• Wilfire Blackgum 

Tree and Shrub Arrival

Current Restoration Initiatives:

• Finalize sequencing plan with golf contractor (McDonald and Sons) for 2025
• Dormant hydro seeding and mulching of #10,14,15
• Sand and gravel deliveries
• Tree Planting 
• Physical properties testing of green and tee mixes 

Thanks again for the feedback and questions. Our team and I have enjoyed explaining the progression of the restoration.

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Restoration Update-August 10th

This week our team have placed white flags/paint and signs outlining some of the changes that will occur on the 16th Hole. The updated rendering is located on the Pro Shop porch and a sign is located at teeing locations. Hole #16

Par 4
Ross: 318
Blue: 310
Green: 285
Silver: 273
Gold: 239

A. Move the tees back to their original location
making the hole a dogleg right as opposed to a
straight hole.

B. Add forward tee at such an angle that forward
tee players don’t have a forced carry over the
interior hazards on the dogleg.

C. Restore Ross’ fairway bunkering to challenge
shots of varying lengths off the tee. Many
bunkers will be raised mounds with sandy faces
as is seen elsewhere throughout the course.

D. Push fairway left to the precipice of the ridge
further emphasizing the dogleg and strategic
interest of the hole.

E. Expand the green forward to bring back the intimidating
false front that once existed. Rebuild
the bunkers to sit below the putting surface
making the green feel even more perched.

Other Initiatives:

• Tree Removal continues on the left side of 13 opening views down to #6 and improving light to the 7th tees

• Non-Selective herbicide applications to multiple areas on the course in preparation of Fine Fescue seeding this month

• Bryan Miller and the Horticulture team have been planting trees and shrubs on Holes 1,2,5 and practice range for added visual and sound screening. These trees have been selected for the longterm with size, species and specific location to enhance the natural environment. 

New plantings along practice range 

Thanks for your questions and feedback.

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent 

Herbicide Applications to New Fine Fescue Areas/Bermuda Grass#4 hillside

 The golf course will be closed to all play Monday August 5th,  while the Grounds team makes herbicide applications to the new fine fescue and Bermuda grass on the hillside of #4. These applications will be made 10-14 days apart followed by seeding shortly there-after. This timing is ideal for herbicide uptake and seeding window in August. The closure is required to allow the herbicide to dry and not be tracked to fine turf areas of greens, tees and fairways.  The areas of application are noted in red in the photo below. 

Thanks for your patience.

Restoration Golf Hole Profile of the Week- Hole #2

This week our team will place blue flags/paint and signs outlining some of the changes that will occur on the 2nd Hole. The updated rendering is located on the Pro Shop porch and a sign will be located at teeing locations. 

Some of the highlights of the 2nd hole include:

Ross: 478

Blue: 430

Green: 414

Silver: 397

Gold: 333

Pull back first layer of trees to open up tee shot
and allow for tees to shift left. Replant under
story and areas where there are gaps to better
screen houses from view.

Create dual championship and forward tee
between Holes #2 and #18. Gold tees can play
from here or the Silver tee for variety in length.

Restore Ross fairway bunker scheme on the
right side of the fairway. Challenging these
bunkers off the tee will provide the best angle
into the green, especially if the hole is back left.
Widen fairway down the entire left side.

Bring back Ross’ raised mounds with sandy
faces as a layup hazard for forward tee golfers
playing the hole as a Par 5. Golfers playing the
hole as a long Par 4 will need to land their long
iron or wood near these sandy mounds to run
the ball onto the green if they cannot reach via
an aerial approach.

Recapture lost front corners of the green for
unique hole locations.

Shift cart path further away from the green to
allow for small misses to remain in the rough.

Other Design Elements in the Restoration

With the Restoration of the golf course less then a year away there will be a few design elements that will be incorporated. Click on the link below!

What is a Hummock?

Golf Course Update

The Grounds team has been very busy across the the golf course including preparations for the the Restoration in July of 2025. 

With the drier weather our team has been able to work on tree and brush removal left of 13. These removals will enhance the view from the 4th green back to the Clubhouse, allow for increased air circulation and assist with increased sunlight to the new forward tee on 7. The mature healthy trees will remain and post restoration this area will be restored with Fine leaf fescues and select plantings. 

New Forward Tee- Above Existing Tee

View from the 4th

Our team has been working across the golf course to reduce the amount of standing water in low-lying areas on the fairways. The added ~ 33,000 lineal feet of fairway drainage during the restoration project along with the raising many of low-pockets in the fairways will reduce the chances of winter injury and allow carts off of the path sooner. The Zoysiagrass nursery will be shifted to right of 13, from #4 to make room for a new teeing area on the hill on #5. 

Added Tee Location #5 

The 13th fairway shifts to the West leaving an expansive area to grow both Zoysia and Bentgrass while being surrounded by Fescue.

New Turf Nursery Location #13

13 Fairway Shifts to the West 

In the coming weeks we will continue to delineate locations of proposed bunkers, tees and other features. We will place an excerpt of the proposed rendering at the teeing areas and mark the new features with paint and flags.

Proposed Bunker Complex #5/6

Rendering #5/6

Thanks again for the feedback and questions!

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent.

Horticulture Update-July Update

What has the Horticulture Team been up to?  After a successful spring season with the tulip blooms Bryan Miller and Aubrey Ketchie (Horticulture Intern) and the Horticulture team have been very busy with the Summer Annual plantings. They are starting to shine!!!

Wines By The Vines:

In Mid-August (Date TBD) come and explore the Club's plantings with Bryan Miller and Aubrey Ketchie. Members can learn about flowers and designs right from the sources. The walk aournd the Clubhouse, pool and rackets area will take about an hour or so. 

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien,

Grounds Superintendent 

Turfgrass Intern Spotlight- Fraser Curran at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Hello, my name is Fraser Curran I am from Glasgow, Scotland and a Turfgrass Intern from the Ohio International Intern Program. Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Rocket Mortgage Classic PGA tournament which was held at Detroit Golf Club (Donald Ross, Design) and was a fantastic experience!

Fraser Curran

During the tournament I was one of 20 volunteers that were part of the grounds team. Each morning, we were assigned our tasks, and my job was to rake the bunkers on the front 9 of course and for the evening my jobs varied between cleaning and collecting debris around the course, blowing greens and tees and divoting fairways. I really enjoyed raking the bunkers for such a great event and it was exciting to watch the golfers play their shot out of a bunker that I raked.

On Saturday morning thunderstorms were in the forecast and we had heavy rain all morning which meant the tee times were delayed because most bunkers were filled with water and fairways had large puddles on them which meant we had to split up into teams with one team on bunkers with a pump clearing the water and raking the bunkers once cleared of water and a second team using squeegees to clear fairways, thankfully we managed to clear all the water and make the course playable again so the tournament could continue.

 I enjoyed every minute of my time volunteering at the tournament and really enjoyed meeting new people from around the world.

I would finally like to thank the Grounds team and Hyde Park members for this amazing opportunity and allowing me to attend the Rocket Mortgage Classic, it was a great learning experience for myself and showed me the preparation that takes place and the standards of a golf course to hold a PGA tournament.

 

Thank you, 

Fraser Curran, Turfgrass Intern-The Ohio International Intern Program                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Grounds Update

The Grounds team has been busy across the golf course and grounds. The weather has been much more consistent, and we are starting to see many of the grasses actively growing.
 
Zoysiagrass Fairways:

 
Low lying, shaded areas in the fairways have been impacted with winter injury, we have placed directional ropes and Geo Fences in the GPS system to help reduce traffic in these weaker areas. During the restoration 33,000 lineal feet of drainage will be installed that will cover ~ 10 acres of fairways/ rough areas. With past drainage installations the course will have about half of the 30 acres of the fairways with internal drainage. The additional tree removal will assist allowing more sunlight for photosynthesis to grow healthy turf reducing the chances of winter injury in the future.
 
Currently, the Grounds team has aerified all winter injury in the fairways along with additional fertilizer applications. Over the coming weeks, sodding, plugging and little patience to allow for the turf to recover on its own.
 
Fine Fescue Establishment:
 
Fine Fescue Turfgrasses provide the following:
 
Drought Tolerance 
Shade Tolerance 
Soft Texture 
Natural Appearance 
Playability 
Stability on steep hillsides

 
The areas that were cleared over the winter  that were seeded and covered are starting to establish, weed control via mechanical means and herbicides to reduce weed competition.  The advance planting of Fine Fescue will help these slow growing grasses to develop. Fine Fescues can take 12-18 months to develop a seed head. We have begun another trial between 10/11 with FF, we will keep you posted on the development. In the fall we continue to establish Fine Fescue on holes, 1,2, 7,12 and 18. These areas will not be impacted by the restoration, and it will allow us to establish turf in "out of the way"non-irrigated areas. 

Fine Fescue on 5 Hillside

Hydroseeding of slopes with Fine Fescues

H2-B Guest Workers:

We received great news that our team from Mexico will be finally joining us in May! This will mark the 9^th year that they will be assisting on the grounds of the golf course.

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. 

 
Putting Green Aeration:

The greens are healing well, we have lowered mowing heights twice and we will continue to work on texture and smoothness of the surface.

Thanks for your feedback and comments around the course and grounds. Please reach out if you have any questions grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Pat O'Brien,

Grounds Superintendent

Tulip Recycling 2024

Tulips:

Another tulip season in is the books, which showcased roughly 10,000 tulips this year and over 10 different colors and patterns. 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. Please bring your own buckets/boxes/bags and gather what you would like. Below, is a brief guide on how to 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

Director of Horticulture 

Storm Update

Overall, the golf course and grounds faired well from the storms. Minor flooding was observed on the 5th and 6th fairway. The Grounds team has begun cleaning debris and silt from 6 fairway and we will move to restoring the bunkers along with a few odds and ends over the next couple days.

The golf course is open with all carts on the path.

Thanks for your comments and feedback on the course.

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent 

Around the Grounds-Spring Edition

The Grounds team and I are shifting into the golf season after a busy off-season with work on the Restoration Plan, behind the scenes the team will continue to work on the plan, however our focus is on the playability of the golf course. 

Zoysia:

The Zoysiagrass is beginning to show hints of green in the canopy and we are hopeful that the transition will occur sooner than later to allow carts to scatter to the fairways. Cart traffic can be a challenge to the health of the Zoysia with its slow recuperative capacity during the cooler months. Click on this link for more information. 

Aeration:

The putting greens will be aerified on April 15th (Course Closed) 16th and 17th (Course Open with temporary hole locations in the fairways)- Pending weather and soil conditions. Thanks for you patience the healing process will take 3-4 weeks for full recovery.

Turfgrass Interns:

We are excited to welcome 3 gentleman this season to Hyde Park for 20th year of our Turfgrass intern program with many success stories over the years from all over the world.  

Fraser Curran, Scotland-Glasgow Golf Club

Lindo joins us from South Africa

Jake Gulley, Northern Kentucky- Pittsburg Steelers Grounds Staff

Clay Tennis Courts:

The spring conditioning of the tennis courts was finished recently and our tennis team is working on some minor details, however they are in great condition for this time of year and open for play.

Horticulture:

Bryan Miller, Director of Horticulture  has been busy around the Club with pruning, select plant replacement, near the Pickleball area and mulching will begin shortly. The tulips are starting to peak out and we are hopeful to see more shining by Easter. 

Other Initiatives Around the Grounds Include:

Herbicide treatments to the Bermuda grass on #4 hillside and inner seeding of multiple types of cool-season grasses to enhance playability. This is a work in progress with different timing and rates of a selective herbicide to reduce the Bermuda grass. Bermuda grass offers playability challenges and is considered a weed at HP. 

The Grounds team will be working on the final seeding of the hillsides on #8 and inner seeding of the primary rough areas post winter herbicide applications to remove creeping bentgrass.

Bentgrass removal 

Innerseeding in the rough

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

Thank-you,

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent