Good Morning,
Another week is coming to a close and it looks like the heavy winds are going to blow in the 90 degree temperatures again next week. Last weekend the foot valve went out in one of the itake lines of the pumphouse. That was repaired on Monday and we were back to full strength on Tuesday just in time for the downpours. The course definitely needed the rain and a break in temperatures.
Toward the end of the week I tripped a circuit breaker in the pumphouse two nights in a row. This really limited the amount of irrigation time the past two nights. Last night I only irrigated the greens, tees, and approaches on high schedules. I could not diagnose the electrical problem yesterday. I could not take a chance of the system shutting down again overnight. I will explore repair options tomorrow.
Irrigation issues have not helped some of the dry areas on our practice green and a couple others on the course. These areas experienced some valve problems and have since been fixed. Day to day hand watering is helping the turfgrass slowly work back to normal. Also the application of wetting agents aids in holding moisture in the upper part of the soil profile.
Tomorrow I will be aerifying many of the greens with needle tines. This will help open up the greens and allow water to penetrate deeper into the soil. I will spray some wetting agents on the greens tomorrow evening followed by heavy nighttime irritation. Daily hand watering will help us get through the heated days next week.
The staff did a very nice job staying on top of our daily maintenance procedures keeping the golf course looking nice. Everyone has put their best foot forward, battled through the weather conditions, and kept the golf course in pretty nice shape. It’s been a difficult year with all our provisions and being short staffed along with fighting the great Mother Nature.
This past week we have changed some of our clubhouse policies as far as staffing relates. There will now be a cash change out during the daily shift change in the clubhouse. The drawer will have two employees count the money down, record all daily receipts, complete documentation, and return the register to starting totals. The same process will take place at closing. I will then compare all the figures from staff and complete the deposit. Everything will have a receipt for verification by more than one individual.
Beer carts will have an inventory list made of all products leaving the clubhouse and a record of all transactions made on the golf course. Returned excess inventory will be recorded on the sheet. Another employee will verify the totals and enter the cash amounts into the register with a receipt. The beer cart will no longer function in a manner that some of our league members are used to seeing. It will be cash payment on the course at the time of purchase.
The tile issues at Stoneybrook South and Upper Waterway Park continue to be part of conversations. The four tiles were exposed on the south side of Stoneybrook last week. Elevation readings and other estimates are being put together for discussion. Tile measurements have been made along with cost estimates in Upper Waterway. We will continue to move forward with these areas.
It’s been another busy week and COVID 19 continues to remind us to be safe and sanitize. Please be safe friends and enjoy the remainder of the weekend!
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Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 