Good Morning,
This past week I set the grinding machines up in preparation to start sharpening reels and bedknives. All the reels have been taken apart and any bearing replacement was completed. The reel grinding machine is set with an exact measurement from the grinding stone all the way across each blade on the reel. I manually run the stone across each reel until a brand new sharp edge is established.
The bedknives are what the reels spin against to cut the turfgrass. These brackets are set on a separate grinding machine and the measurement must be exact all the way across the bedknife. I manually run the stone back and forth across until a new edge is established on the bedknife. This bracket is then attached to the reel, adjustments are made, and a perfect cut is established.
The reels are ground during the off season. The bedknives are periodically sharpened during the season to maintain a quality cut. The reels are checked on a daily basis to ensure they are cutting at a high performance level. This establishes a more healthy turfgrass during mowing operations. Improper cutting adjustments or poor quality of cut result in poor mowing and stress to the turfgrass because it is basically ripped instead of cut.
Retrofit Companies, Inc. was on site to conduct a lighting survey at the golf course and the other departments within the City. They will use the data to decide whether we will see a significant cost saving switching to LED lighting. The maintenance shed will definitely need to see some changes as will the clubhouse. I will keep you posted.
I have also created a slideshow presentation which I will be presenting at the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association Winter Seminar December 2, in Carroll. This presentation will share the 2017 water quality project that was completed at the golf course. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to be a speaker at this event and I think the project will be of benefit to many other golf courses. Let me know if you would like me to share the slideshow with you?
I also attended a telephone conference call with Tyler Technologies to discuss new software for our day to day operations. This would be a change in the Point of Sales system we currently use for paying customers. It would make paying online much easier and also lessen the time spent recording daily receipts at City Hall. It is in the early stages but sounds very promising.
I was able to get out on the golf course and continue with our tree pruning project for 2019. I finished quite a bit of the golf course. I will be working with Justin, from the Country Club, this upcoming week to remove the 16 tree stumps we have on the grounds. This will conclude the tree work that was planned prior to the season ending.
A couple other tasks that were completed this past week:
-The tile area on #16 was addressed where some of the trench was still open.
Fill material was pushed into the trench and will be left to settle over winter.
-I completed some irrigation repairs in a few of the valve boxes.
-Lightning damage on the heating/cooling system in the clubhouse was
was addressed with the insurance adjuster.
We anticipate a lot of golfers to enjoy one of the last days of nice weather. The outside golf course will be closed at the end of the day for the 2019 season. I will be spraying greens with a fungicide to prevent snow mold damage when the spring weather arrives.
Please contact me with comments or questions. Enjoy the sunshine today.
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 