Good Morning,
Another strange weather week from Mother Nature. I applied water, including a wetting agent, to each golf green during the week. It immediately soaked into the green but the 45+ mph winds on Friday were strong enough to dry out the greens if they were completely saturated. It’s been another very frustrating offseason with no precipitation.
The wetting agent application will help retain future moisture in the top portion of the green. We just need to get the precipitation. There are multiple chances of rainfall over the next ten days. If that misses us, we will need to continue hauling water to the greens. This is definitely the concerning time of the Winter offseason. Fluctuating temperatures, high winds, and no precipitation lead to turf damage.
Drought conditions during this time of the season definitely affect the golf course opening. The weather might cooperate regarding temperature, but the lack of moisture will eventually be the deciding factor on an opening date. The irrigation system will start as soon as possible but we cannot have heavy foot traffic on the golf course with such dry conditions. The end result would be serious turf loss on our greens. I always try to open the golf course as soon as possible but it must also be ready. Please be patient as we move forward.
The point-of-sale software we use in the clubhouse has been down since the middle of the week. This database issue has affected all of their customers across the nation. There has been no update other than that their servers were taken offline and are inaccessible. There is no expectation that it will be operational within the next few days. No data breach has been reported.
I previously advertised that our 2026 rates would take effect at the end of February. Since the software has been inaccessible for most of the week, I will extend the 2025 pricing through the first week of March. Payments can also be made at City Hall. I will be returning from a turf conference Wednesday evening and will be back in the clubhouse on Thursday. The driving range will be open later in the week.
Amenity items for the golf course have been on the work agenda for the past couple of weeks. This consists of cleaning, sanding, and painting all of these items. They include tee markers, ball washers, divot pails, etc. Everything is prepped for the fresh start of the golf season. This also includes repairing hand rakes and hazard stakes.
The Muni Golf Board has offered a membership drive each of the past several years. This year the membership drive will run through April 19. Anyone who purchases an adult type season pass before the end of business on April 19 will be entered into a random gift certificate drawing. The gift certificates will include one for $100 and five for $50 to the Spencer Municipal Golf Course.
I will attend a turf conference until the middle of the week. There will be no golf board meeting Monday evening. I will not be at the city council meeting on Monday evening either. If you have questions or need further information please feel free to reach out to me and I will get that information for you promptly.
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