12-29-19

Good Morning,

The golf simulator will continue to be available upon request.  I have been splitting my work schedule between the clubhouse and the maintenance facility on a daily basis.  I have been able to complete some of the scheduled maintenance on equipment as well as be available for the simulator rental and gift certificates in the clubhouse.  This upcoming month I expect to have the simulator used on a more frequent basis.

Rainfall during the winter months always turns into an uncomfortable situation.  It can lead to a lot of standing water freezing in low areas around the golf course.  We have experienced damage in a lot of these areas the past few off seasons.  It appears that everything has soaked into the ground decent and will be a positive amount of precipitation.  It’s always something that worries me.

I have done some research into our irrigation system problems.  The biggest issues have been electrical over the past three years.  Our type of system has surge protectors tied into the electrical connections.  These protectors are spaced every 300 yards throughout the course.  There are quite a few that have blown from issues this past fall.  These need to be replaced and additional surge protectors should be added into the wiring plan on a more frequent basis.  This will help limit damage to a controlled area when there is a power surge.

We can never control the damage caused by lightning when it strikes on the golf course.  The above normal number of thunderstorms have increased the probability of this becoming a reality.  It is the same irrigation system at the Country Club and the same type of problems they have dealt with for several years as well.

The pumphouse issues have mainly been due to outdated computer software and “bad luck.”  I don’t want to ever guarantee the worst is behind us because I can’t predict what could possibly happen in the future.  I plan to continue discussions with the irrigation contractor and develop a more concrete plan for the irrigation system needs.

I think we can all agree that something needs to be done to limit the number of hours that are spent “trouble shooting,” doing repairs, and having the system not working period.  I will keep you posted as more conversations are had as we move forward.

The daily fee tags as well as season pass bag tags have not been ordered yet.  I am going to wait until after the next golf board meeting to have approval on all areas of the tags.  The main discussion is to pay an advertiser or not to cover the costs of the daily fee tags?  We will be ordering 10,000 tags at a cost of roughly $800.  These tags will last close to three years and should definitely show an increase in missed revenue.

My initial thought is to only have the Spencer Municipal Golf Course name on the tags.  I think for under $300 per year as an expense is an extremely minimal amount of money to spend to reduce the amount of non paying customers.  I don’t feel like advertising is necessary to cover the cost of these tags.  I would recommend we only have our name and pertinent golf information on the tags.  This is only my opinion and it will be a golf board decision at the next meeting.

I am not sure what my work schedule will be this coming week.  I have taken off some family sick leave at the end of last week and will most likely need some more this coming week.  I don’t want to discuss it in detail but would appreciate your prayers for my family right now.

12-22-19

Good Morning,

This past week I was able to go through two of our fairway units.  Both machines have been serviced previously and now the minor repairs have been completed.  There is still one fairway mower that will be addressed in the future as well as the remaining equipment fleet.

I completed the majority of the 2020/21 golf course budget.  This new budget does not show much of an increase.  The final line items will be established by finance and presented in the month of January.  I’m really reaching out to have the stars align for  a quality season weather wise.

Lastly I spent time working in the clubhouse.  There has been minimal use of the golf simulator for the month of December.  Last year was very slow in December and picked up a little bit in January.  Right now I only plan to open the clubhouse for golf simulator reservations or for a private event.

This coming week I will be working in the clubhouse starting to thoroughly clean.  I will also have the building open during the day time hours.  The clubhouse will be closed on Tuesday afternoon, Christmas Day, and Friday the 26th.

Enjoy the beautiful weather and I wish you all a very wonderful Holiday season!!

12-15-19

Good Morning,

This past week I have focused on a few new procedures for the 2020 golf season.  The daily fee tags, season pass bag tags, and our “membership” drive in March of 2020.  I will be ordering the daily fee tags this coming week.  I also have a meeting scheduled to order the season pass bag tags.  And finally I will confirm the March date for the event at the clubhouse.

Below is the list of 2020 rates and a review of the new procedures:

 2020 rate sheet

Below is a picture of the daily fee proof:

 daily fee tag.pdf

Finally, I was able to attend the Iowa Golf Association awards banquet in Norwalk, Iowa on Friday evening.  This event recognized lots of people in the golf industry as well as golfers for their 2019 accomplishments.  Ryan Lux, former superintendent at SGCC, was recognized as the 18 hole superintendent of the year.  It was a great event and a lot of well deserved recipients of awards.

This upcoming week I will be working on the 2020/21 golf course budget proposal.  I will also complete the ordering process for the new “tag” system and complete the event details on March 28.  The remainder of my time will be spent in the clubhouse or maintenance facility.

Please contact me with any comments or questions.  Enjoy the remainder of your day today.

12-8-19

Good Morning,

This past week I have been working on some marketing ideas as well as some time in the clubhouse.  I will be working in the clubhouse and maintenance facility during the day.  The clubhouse will not be open unless there are reservations for the golf simulator or an event is planned.  There have been very minimal patrons during the daytime hours.  We have to eliminate expenses for labor if the facility is not being used.

On Monday I spoke at the IGCSA winter seminar covering the 2017 water quality project done by the City of Spencer.  The group in attendance was extremely interested in the topic and had a lot of great questions.  It was a great seminar!

New for the 2020 golf season will be a required sign in at the clubhouse prior to golfing.  It has become a growing problem with individuals not checking in and sometimes not even paying daily fees.  We are trying a new approach to help us monitor payment by our customers on a daily basis without hiring additional staff to patrol the golf course.

You will be issued a bag tag when you purchase your season pass.  This bag tag must be visible on your bag at all times so staff can recognize you have paid your balance in full.  Also, daily fee tags will be issued for green fees, punch cards, and cart rentals. This tag will be visible on your cart or golf bag after you have checked in to play.  The color of the tag will vary on a daily basis.  

This process will allow the staff and other golfers to help ensure everyone has paid and checked in each day.  SMGC asks for your help in monitoring this situation. The other option will be to increase fees.  

I have talked to a company that makes wrist bracelets that will be issued upon payment of your daily fees.  These bracelets are from comtix.com and run about three cents a piece.  The date will be written on the bracelet and it will be required to go on the cart or visible on the bag.  The bracelet color will change on a daily basis.  This same system is being used at a golf course in Arkansas and they have seen a tremendous turn around in missed revenue.

There will be a preseason kick off party in the clubhouse sometime in late February.  This event will give everyone a chance to pay their fees and sign up for some door prizes.  We look forward to seeing each of you in 2020 for another great year of golf!

12-1-19

Good Morning,

This past week brought the end of the 2019 golf season along with a lot of heavy wet snow.  It was very difficult trying to move the wet snow across the soft parking lot at the clubhouse.  I stopped moving the “slush” after a couple hours.  It was making a bigger mess instead of clearing the parking area.  Once the ground freezes it will no longer be an issue trying to keep the parking lot cleared for patrons.

Before the snow hit, I was able to spray the greens with a snow mold fungicide.  This treatment is done to prevent this fungus from appearing in the spring.  Once the temperatures start to rise, in the spring, the ground will heat up underneath the snow.  This creates an ideal environment for a fungus to develop which leaves gray or pink blotches on the greens.  It is very unsightly and usually takes a fair amount of time to recover.  The fungicide will help prevent this from happening.

I was also able to remove 14 of the 16 tree stumps around the golf course.  Justin Nolta, from the Country Club, helped me with this process.  These areas still need to be cleaned up, fill material added, and finally sod laid to complete the process.  This will be completed in 2020.

Justin and I have continued to have a great working relationship between the two golf courses in town.  This is a great situation being able to help each other out during a time of need.  Both golf courses benefit from this relationship and it makes our jobs a lot easier having another guy to lean on once in a while.  I plan to help Justin with any tree removal he has planned this off season.

Tomorrow I will be speaking at the Winter Seminar in Templeton, Iowa.  This event is through the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association.  My presentation deals with the 2017 water quality project completed by the city in the fall of 2017.  I have attached the slide show for those of you who might be interested.

 Water Quality at SMGC

The upcoming week will begin the process of sharpening reels and bedknives.  I hope to have this maintenance procedure completed prior to Christmas.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly.