Good Morning,
We continued to work on sand trap maintenance on the golf course. There were quite a few traps with damage around the edges. Some areas are due to leaving the sand traps in the same place after machine raking on a daily basis. We cleaned these areas out and added new sod to bring the bunker back to its original shape. The end result was excellent.
#12 trap repair.HEIC
#13 trap repair.HEIC
There has also been sand traps with surface drainage issues causing erosion and leaving the trap filled with water for extended periods of time (some traps fill with water due to a high water table). The right sand trap on #14 green is the most significant problem area with surface drainage. We removed the sod on the face of this sand trap at a distance of three feet toward the green. Fill material was added to raise the area approximately 12 inches then the sod was laid back in place. Here is a few photos:
2.HEIC 14 bunker project 5.HEIC
Earlier in the fall we went to each sand trap and pushed the sand from the bottom of the trap up to the face and high parts of the sand traps. Rainfall and irrigation causes the sand to naturally wash down to the low spots of the sand trap over time. Going through each sand trap allowed us to return the traps to the original shape and document which ones need sand added late this fall. Here is a picture of the end result on #5:
Landscaping clean up, minimal tree pruning, as well as one large cottonwood tree to remove will start off the week ahead. Sand trap work and sod will also be scheduled. Equipment maintenance will also start soon. Our last project will be adding sand to quite a few of the traps, once the ground firms up substantially.
High winds really helped out with leaf removal this past week but also caused some issues. There are several areas around green mounding where the leaves have accumulated in deep piles. Heavy piles of leaves can eliminate sunlight to the turfgrass and smother the plant. This can lead to turfgrass diseases or even lost turf. These areas will be cleaned up early in the coming week.
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Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
101 W 5th Street
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 