Winter Operations Around the Grounds

 

 A question we get often is what do the operations entail for the Grounds team in the winter months? The staff and I have been very busy across the course with many initiatives including:

• Tree Management Program 
• Clearing of silt and debris from the drainage ditches on holes 3 and 6 
• Staff recruitment for next season 
• Tournament volunteering at the Waste Management Phoenix Open 
• Continuing education 
• Preventative maintence on equipment

Bryan Miller Removing Silt from Ditch

Zach Mowing Greens in January

Master Plan Update

Over the last two months our team has been working closely with Golf Course Arctiects Tyler Rae and Jim Ryan Jr. to finalize the bid documents. With the help of Drew Horn (Assistant-in- training) and Arron Garrett (Assistant Superintendent)  we have analyzed with laser focus the scope of the work, quantities and detailed materials costing for all aspects of the project.  Around the course, we have placed a series of pin flags utilizing GPS technology defining the features of the plan outlining green expansions, tee locations, new grass lines and bunkers. This has been very helpful for obtaining accurate measurements, and it has been fun to see the details of the plan laid out. The next phase with the plan is to have 4-6 contractors bid on this project to get accurate costs, we intend to have final numbers back by early March. 

Thanks again for the feedback and questions about the golf course and grounds at Hyde Park.

Sincerly,

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent 

Winter Preparations

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.