Good Morning,
The game plan changed immediately on Monday morning. A main irrigation line cracked overnight, causing significant concern due to the dry and windy weather. We spent a couple of days repairing this problem and a few other issues. The irrigation system ran more frequently than average during May. We definitely need some precipitation, hopefully not in the form of a bad storm.
A visible difference exists between the irrigated and non-irrigated areas of the golf course. There were electrical issues with some irrigation heads on the practice green. This has caused the turf in this area to turn very brown. We hand-watered extensively until the electrical issue was resolved. The area is starting to recover nicely.
The dry conditions and very high winds have also made it difficult to establish all the new sod throughout the golf course. We had a couple of employees hauling water to the sod Monday thru Friday. It is still very dry but the sod should recover once we get some rainfall. We will continue to hand water the sod and new trees this week.
We continued to address the tiles entering the wetlands pond behind #12 green. The Street Division brought a backhoe to expose the easternmost tile in several areas. This upcoming week we will jet this tile to clean out any debris restricting water flow. This project should be completed by the end of the week.
Golf course conditions remain very nice especially considering the weather. The warmer nighttime temperatures have made a big difference. Rainfall will make an even bigger difference.
Mowing frequencies are approaching our normal times during the growing season. The grass is starting to grow more rapidly. The different types of grass all have a very nice hue and are in very healthy condition. I’m very pleased with the golf course’s condition, especially after the winter weather and drought conditions.
Our golf course has been extremely busy so far this season. It’s great to see the familiar faces as well as the new golfers stopping by to spend some time with us. During the busy days a round of golf takes longer than it does on a weekday morning. Please be patient and remember everyone is trying to have some relaxing recreational time.
Both families of geese have had their goslings in the past two weeks. The first hatchlings came from the tree on the ninth fairway. The geese on the 11th hole, near the irrigation pond, arrived two days later. Both families had six goslings. The two families have come together and spend most of their time near the irrigation pond. It’s very cool to watch them move around the golf course. It’s great to see all of our golfers giving them the necessary space so we can all enjoy watching them grow.
This coming week we will focus on completing the landscaping area by the blue tee. We are combining the Craig Miller memorial into the new landscaping area. We will also address the waterfall landscaping by rebuilding the walls on each level. Hand watering and daily maintenance practices will consume the remainder of our time.
Please get in touch with any questions or additional information about a topic at The Muni. Enjoy the remainder of this beautiful weekend. Sunshine and smiles are in the forecast!
Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
101 W 5th Street
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370