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.
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.
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 