1-30-2022

Good Morning,

This past week I started working on some of the smaller equipment repairs in the shop.  Our older fairway units had several rollers with some slight bearing damage.  This process consists of removing the old seals and bearings out of each end of the roller.  The next step will be to install new seals and bearings in each roller.  

There is a front and rear roller on each reel.  The rollers allow the mower reel to provide a uniform cut of the turfgrass.  If a roller has a damaged bearing it will not provide a consistent mowing pattern across whatever surface of turfgrass it is designed to maintain.  The roller is a significant factor when it comes to mowing turfgrass, the smallest fault can create a poor mowing pattern. Below is a picture of a repaired rear roller and a damaged roller:
 repaired roller.jpg
 damaged roller.jpg

Each end of the roller has a seal, bearing and race, and another seal which holds everything in place and allows the mower to create a uniform mowing pattern across the surface of the turf.  There is no margin for inconsistencies when you are mowing greens at 1/8 of an inch or fairways at 3/10 of an inch.  The slightest imperfection becomes an immediate problem to the quality of the playing surface.

I completed the five year capital improvement plan which will go to the city council Monday evening for approval.  The past year has been very difficult to acquire turf equipment.  Anything the distributors don’t have on hand is over 12-15 months out for delivery.  Our rental carts were ordered in March of 2021 and are scheduled to go to build in March of 2022.  Delivery is still undetermined.  I have been networking and researching to do my best to meet our maintenance needs.

A big part of the past week was continued cleaning in the clubhouse.  I cleaned and sanitized our beer coolers in the clubhouse.  I also cleaned the rest of the kitchen area.  A broken water line added to the problem in the kitchen area.  After cleaning and sanitizing the beer cooler I painted the interior of our oldest cooler.  It was a little rusty on the bottom as well as the shelving units.  In the end our kitchen has been cleaned and the product has been organized better in the coolers and refrigerator.

We are nearing the end of January and we can all agree the winter has been pretty gentle so far in Iowa.  February and March are the two months when turf damage really becomes a concern.  This is the second winter in a row where moisture levels are way below normal.  Even with the last snowfall our greens are still in serious stress.  When I say I look forward to snow please don’t take it personal…..it’s the best thing for the golf course.
—
Brian C Mohr

Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer

101 W 5th Street

Spencer Municipal Golf Course

Spencer, Iowa 51301

712-260-5370

www.spencermunigolf.com

1-23-2022

Good Morning,

This past week I was on vacation for the majority of the week.  Upon returning from vacation I continued to work on the golf course budget and Capital Improvement Plan for the 2022/23 fiscal period.  I will be having a couple of meetings this coming week to discuss these figures.

Saturday was a busy day in the clubhouse with a bridal shower in the morning and a Christmas party starting in the evening.  It was nice to have the clubhouse used during the off season.  The clubhouse hours will continue to be in operation on a limited basis this winter.  We have several events that are scheduled in the coming weeks.  

Each Sunday, for the past several months, I have recorded turfgrass data and a photo of our practice green for a study being conducted by the University of Minnesota.  The past two Sundays it was nice to have snow included in the photos.  This study has participants all over the world gathering information to help the golf industry better understand how winter weather affects turfgrass.  It will be very interesting to see the data once it’s completed.  

Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.  Please contact me with any questions or comments.  
—
Brian C Mohr

Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer

101 W 5th Street

Spencer Municipal Golf Course

Spencer, Iowa 51301

712-260-5370

www.spencermunigolf.com

1-16-2022

Good Morning,

We had some beautiful weather earlier this week followed by an actual winter weather snowstorm.  The snow cover acts as an insulation blanket for the turfgrass.  It provides protection from the colder temperatures and blowing winds.  It also provides moisture for the plant once it starts to thaw.  The precipitation is much needed for the golf course.  

Conditions had become very dry with high winds, up and down temperatures, and no snow cover.  I have continued to monitor the course conditions in preparation for hauling water to the greens if necessary.  The current snowfall will definitely help.  I’m probably one of the few who prefers a lot of snow in the winter because it’s necessary for the golf course.

On Wednesday there was a controlled burn conducted with coordination between public works, the golf course, and Spencer Fire Department.  We burned off the retention area to the east of hole #12.  We also burned the retention pond behind #12 green.  The cattails were too wet to burn so we didn’t have as much success as hoped.  We will give it another shot at a later date.

 Controlled Burn 2.jpg
 Controlled Burn 6.jpg

I have been working on small repairs to the reels off the units we use to mow greens, tees, and fairways.  There are a few rollers with bearings that are starting to fail along with some other welding to reinforce some of the bolts holding the rollers in place.  Both of these types of repairs are extremely important to keep the reel mowing at the proper height of cut at a high quality.  I will continue to work on equipment in the upcoming weeks.

I have completed my Capital Improvement Plan and will be reviewing it with our city manager, Dan Gifford, and Finance Officer, Brian Weuve.  Turf equipment is difficult to purchase just like everything else in these challenging times.  Most equipment is not available until 2023 and prices increase on a regular basis.  Equipment quotes are only good for 30 days if we’re lucky.  

On Friday morning I started a continued education conference for my NREMT license.  This conference will end later this afternoon and will include a total of 26 hours of training on EMT skills necessary to keep my licensing up to date with the National Registry for the SFD and City of Spencer.  

The upcoming week I will be taking some vacation time away from work.  I will be available through email if necessary.  2022 golf course fees can be paid online at our website or at city hall.  You can also make plans to pay them in the clubhouse starting January 24.  Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

—
Brian C Mohr

Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer

101 W 5th Street

Spencer Municipal Golf Course

Spencer, Iowa 51301

712-260-5370

www.spencermunigolf.com

1-9-2022

Good Morning,

The up and down temperatures, high winds, and a lack of moisture creates a very stressful environment for our turfgrass at The Muni.  Snow cover is an invaluable insulation blanket offering the best protection considering our available resources.  I continue to monitor the health of our golf course greens on a regular basis.  At some point water might be necessary to haul if conditions don’t change.

The crown of the turf plant is what we worry about the most during the winter.  If it dries out too much it can cause turf loss in the Spring.  Foot traffic is definitely an added type of stress that can have an adverse effect at this time of the year.  With above normal temperatures in the forecast I ask that you please stay off the golf course.      

The windy conditions continue to wreak havoc with our sand traps.  In the Spring we will use a large blower to see if some of this sand can be moved back into the traps.  We will also plan to haul more sand to the traps at a later date.  Below is a picture of the sand trap by the chipping green on the driving range:
 Chipping Trap.jpg

I have been working on the new order of scorecards with NW Printing.  I have added our policy on group size to the scorecard along with a couple other small changes.  The scorecard inventory usually lasts close to four years and two sponsors offset the cost.  This year Weasy’s and SMU will be sponsoring our scorecards.  I thank them both for their support at The Muni.  I’ve added a couple of photos:
 Weasy Card.jpg
 SMU Card.jpg

This weekend I was able to complete the reel sharpening for this off season.  There were 24 total reels sharpened along with the bedknives.  This coming week I will go through each reel and adjust the height of the cut accordingly.  There are also some small repairs to make on some rollers and welding.  Otherwise these units are ready for another season.

We accumulated a lot of tree branches and other debris after all the pruning and removal this fall.  The Street Division will be hauling away some of the large stuff and I will run the smaller stuff through the wood chipper.  In the future we will run the debris through the wood chipper at the time of pruning and removal to save time with clean up.  

Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.  Please contact me with any questions.  2022 fees can be paid online or arrangements can be made to make those payments in the clubhouse or at city hall.  Cheers!
—
Brian C Mohr

Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer

101 W 5th Street

Spencer Municipal Golf Course

Spencer, Iowa 51301

712-260-5370

www.spencermunigolf.com

12-2-2022

Good Morning,

This past week I started working on the off season reel sharpening process.  Some equipment is a rotary mower, such as your home lawn mower.  There are also quite a few reel type mowers at the golf course.  This type of mower completes the process by a reel rotating and ever so slightly contacting a bedknife.  The cutting of the turfgrass is a result of this process.  

These reels are kept in adjustment on a daily basis.  It is imperative to keep the adjustment correct to create a clean cut of turfgrass.  When the reel falls out of adjustment there is more of a tearing effect when mowing.  This causes stress to the turf and can result in more disease and higher stress levels.
Each winter I sharpen the reels and/or sharpen/replace the bedknives  This week’s update is going to walk you through the steps in the sharpening process.

The reel is removed from the machine.  Next the bedknife is removed from the reel.  The reel is checked for any mechanical issues or necessary repairs.  The reel has to be uniform when it is mounted and leveled on the sharpening machine.

The grinding stone is guided across each reel individually.  Our machine is extremely outdated but it is still effective for our needs.  Over and over and over again until a new edge is established on the reel and the correct bevel is on each blade.  Below is a photo of this process:

 Reel Sharpen.jpg
Next the bedknife is mounted and leveled on a separate sharpening machine.  This grinding stone creates a sharp edge on the bedknife.  This process doesn’t take as long as the reel sharpening but it is just as important.  Below is a photo of this process:

 Bedknife Sharpen.jpg

Lastly, the bedknife is attached back onto the frame.  The reel and bedknife are adjusted until there is slight contact that is uniform all the way across the bedknife.  The reel will cut a piece of paper all the way across when it is properly adjusted.  The height of cut is checked and now the reel is ready for the new golf season.

 Adjusted.jpg
If the reels are not kept in close adjustment, on a daily basis, there will be visible imperfections in the turf following a mowing.  Proper adjustment and sharp reels allow for a more attractive and healthy cut of turf.

I have also spent time working on the 2022/23 budget and Capital Improvement Plan.  Turf equipment is in very high demand and the wait period for out of stock equipment is well into 2023.  That is just a crazy thought to try and process for me.

I would like to thank Councilman George Moriarity and Mayor Kevin Robinson for their contribution to the City of Spencer during their tenures.  You both have been a pleasure to work with each day.  I look forward to the next phase as Mayor Steve Bomgaars and Councilman Brian Balk start their terms.

Please let me know if there are questions or more information needed on any topics related to the golf course.  I will see the golf board and city council at the respective meetings on Monday evening. 
—
Brian C Mohr

Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer

101 W 5th Street

Spencer Municipal Golf Course

Spencer, Iowa 51301

712-260-5370

www.spencermunigolf.com