Good Morning,
This morning I have prepared a report covering the past month’s activity at the golf course. It also details some of the projects we have planned for the month of October.
1. Golf Events
- We have hosted the Police Outing, Carl Spackler, and Glow Ball event since our last golf board meeting. The Chili Open is October 2, Senior 4 Person Best Shot is October 10, and the Rocktoberfest 4 Person Best Shot is October 16. The 2023 golf schedule of events is currently in the process of securing dates.
2. Animal Control
- Over the past month we have relocated an iguana, fox, and badger from the golf course. We used All Seasons Animal Rescue to relocate the fox and badger. The iguana was sent to SR Exotics.
- Skunks are starting to tear up several areas on the golf course. In July the tees, fairways, and green surrounds were sprayed with an insecticide to control the grub development in September. The skunks are digging up the grubs in areas of the rough that were not treated. We are in the process of trying to trap the skunks and remove them from the golf course.
3. Trees
- We have several ash trees on holes #16 and #17 that show the presence of Emerald Ash Borer. Campbell’s Tree Service has met with me and will be removing these trees in the next week or two. They will also remove a tree on #11 that is behind the green and another on #18 that is split down the middle of the trunk. These two trees are safety concerns. All trees are marked with a pink ribbon.
- Staff has been pruning trees around the golf course. We still have a couple dead trees to cut down and remove from the golf course. These will be done later in the fall.
- The tree debris pile by the maintenance facility is being addressed. We have been mulching the large pieces and hauling everything to the tree site. There are a couple of loads left to haul away. We have been working on this early in the mornings when it’s been too cold to mow.
4. Fertilizer
- The tees and fairways were fertilized with a granular 22-5-12 mix during the middle of September. This fertilizer application will help provide nutrients to the turfgrass into the early part of June 2023. Due to the irrigation issues we have not been able to irrigate fairways. There has also been no rainfall. So, the fertilizer has not moved to the crown of the plant and into the soil profile. It will eventually get to where it needs to be when we have some precipitation.
- Greens were fertilized with a foliar fertilizer on two different occasions in September. There was also a fungicide and wetting agent applied to the greens. The fertilizer is readily absorbed through the plant tissue and lasts for 10-14 days. The fungicide helps limit the disease pressure. The wetting agent helps with water movement through the soil profile.
5. Ponds/Well
- There is an issue with the well pump and most likely the well casing. The pump has been operating at about 10% capacity for some time now. Milford Well Service has been on site and we have discussed some possible issues. They should be on site the first week of October to pull the well pump and remove the well casing. After these two steps we will evaluate the damages and how to proceed forward. The well is out of service for the remainder of the season.
- The amount of water in the irrigation pond is how much water we have to irrigate for the remainder of the 2022 season. I have been focusing on the greens as our primary irrigation focus. The tees have been our secondary focus. The approaches to the greens have been the third priority. Irrigation of the fairways has been eliminated for the season. I am trying to conserve as much water as possible so our greens make it through the season.
- The pond on #10 is completely empty at this time. There are some issues with the pond liner where water is leaking out and finding its way into the old 18” county tile running through the property. We are trying to locate this tile so it can be plugged at the pond. The pond liner will then be repaired in this area. As we move forward the plan might alter a bit but capping the tile will eliminate the majority of the water loss in the pond.
6. Irrigation Repairs
- The intake for the lead pump was repaired earlier in the month of September. This pipe broke on a Sunday night at the start of the irritation programs. It took us a few days to complete the repair process. I was able to run the second pump in hand mode so the greens could still be irrigated. Running the pump in hand mode requires me to be in the pumphouse in case there is an issue because the safety switches will not shut the pump down if there is an issue.
- We are currently repairing broken valve boxes and cracked lateral irrigation lines. The lateral lines are only under pressure when that station is running. We have completed close to ten of these problems.
- I have been replacing damaged irrigation heads as well around the golf course. We will continue to update these new heads on some of the greens and tees stations as a priority.
7. Clubhouse
- Repairs were completed to the stall doors and frames in both of the bathrooms. These brackets require a special safety screw that had to be ordered. All of these issues have been addressed.
- The first week of October we will be painting outside areas at the clubhouse. Most of these areas will be on the columns and entry ways.
- All of the doors were repaired or adjusted by NW Glass. A couple of the doors would not lock properly so the doors were not operating correctly. Each one of the doors now opens and closes properly and very quietly.
- The amount of golfers is diminishing each day. We are in the process of reducing inventory as far as candy, pop, and other snacks are concerned.
- The new TPAR computer software will be updated during the winter months. We have decided to wait until the clubhouse is closed for the season so we can ensure everything is operating properly before the start of the 2023 season.
- The golf simulator will be available for appointment only during the off season. I will try to accommodate everyone if I am available at times requested.
- I have been exploring beer cart options for the 2023 golf season. I will continue working on this and hopefully have more information at the November meeting. Expensive is what I have realized so far.
8. Fall Projects
- Aerification of the greens will be done mid October. For the 2023 golf season I plan on aerifying the greens with needle tines on a monthly basis during the summer months. Using needle tines creates a hole a little bigger than a pencil to a depth of 8-10 inches. This process will not disrupt play and also help us control isolated dry areas.
- Cart path removal will be done on the south side of #12 green. We will also use a skid loader to extend the cart paths on holes #13 and #15. Crushed concrete will be added to these areas to provide a new cart path surface. The exact time frame has not been established.
- The east cart shed will be used for our rental cart storage. We still have a few private carts that need to be relocated in order to free up the last half of this cart shed for our rental carts only. I also plan on moving forward with controlling the barn swallows.
- Painting tee signs will begin the first week of October and continue until weather no longer permits. The paint is chipped on quite a few of our signs and they need to be addressed.
- We will continue edging sand traps on the remainder of the golf course. I also hope to explore different sand options for our traps. A sand that is fine enough for our traps but not so find that it is easily moved by the wind.
We are hosting the annual Chili Open today with 132 golfers registered. Open golf will start around 4:00 PM today. 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
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 