Good Morning,

October is in the air.  The fall weather has arrived and we are getting ready for our annual Chili Open golf tournament this morning.  There are 37 teams of four signed up and ready to enjoy the day.  Free chili and free laughter are on the menu.

There has been damaged turf throughout the golf course tees, fairways, roughs, etc.  It looks like somebody whacked a hundred golf balls in the same area.  These spots are from the skunks digging for grubs during the night time.  They can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

I spot spray areas each year to prevent this situation.  It changes year to year on which areas they dig up grubs.  It would cost many thousand dollars to treat the majority of the golf course each year which is why I try and spot spray areas from year to year.  It is unsightly and frustrating but has become something I try and deal with in an affordable manner each fall.

There have been some electrical issues within the irrigation system.  My control panels shut off one night and the system lost it’s charge the next night.  Fortunately I was able to repair this situation on Saturday morning and the irrigation is back up and running.  I was able to irrigate the course heavily over night.  With all the rain I would never guess the irrigation system would be necessary.

With the subject of rainfall, there are some issues in the area of 16 green and 17 tee areas.  The water table is so high we have standing water in the low parts of these two holes.  I have inspected the tile and drains with no issues present.  It is on my agenda to add some tile and another drain in this area to help alleviate some of the problem.

We have experienced a lot of rainy days in the month of September.  This has resulted in lesser revenues than we normally experience this time of the year.  Along with pumphouse expenses and other unplanned repair work we are a behind schedule on our budget success.  I am still confident everything will come together and the bottom line will still result in positivity.  Here’s hoping to an early spring!

I finally finished the setup of my new blog for the muni golf course.  This has been added to the website menu.  It will allow me to post my weekly updates, for the public, and eventually add educational videos or work projects.  I appreciate the help I received from Mandie Roberts with the blog and her technical expertise.  She has a lot of skills and I appreciate her help.  Check it out under the links area of the website……Fore Real is the name!

The fall herbicide application has begun throughout the entire golf course.  This is time consuming but I always finish the project before it gets too cold.  The cooler weather actually helps with the effectiveness of the herbicide application.  The weeds are under a little stress and very susceptible to the chemical.  A good weed is simply one that is no longer present!

Thankfully we have beautiful weather today and a full field for our golf event.  Please contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns so they can be addressed in a timely manner.  I will see each of you at the respective meetings tomorrow evening.  Enjoy the remainder of your weekend!