Good Morning,
On Monday, we started aerifying the golf greens. We used 1/4 inch hollow tines to pull cores to a depth of approximately five inches. The plugs remained on the greens for several hours to dry out. Next, the verticut attachments on a fairway mower were used to break the plugs apart. Lastly, the greens were dragged with our brush, rolled, and mowed.
I decided to core aerify to help relieve the thatch layer present in the golf greens. We discovered the thatch layer during soil tests conducted very early in the golf season. I have also been applying several chemical products monthly to control the small thatch layer. All of these practices have resulted in improved turf quality.
The greens were a little wet during the aerification process but overall, it went very well. We finished the practice green and the front nine by 1:00 PM on Monday. Next, we completed greens 10 through 13 by 4:00 PM. On Tuesday, we completed the remaining five holes on the back nine by early afternoon.
Maintenance staff has done a great job getting the golf course into great condition as another week closes at The Muni. The aerification holes are present on the greens, but they don’t affect the putting conditions. Most of the sand was brushed back into the aeration holes. Eight inch cups will also make putting a little easier for today’s tournament.
Rainfall started early Thursday morning and continued throughout the entire day. A total of 1.5 inches was recorded at The Muni. The golf course was closed on Thursday due to the rain and cold temperatures. The golf course was very wet heading into the weekend.
The golf course received thirty new trees provided by the tree grant secured by Park Director, Bob Fullhart. I recorded the GPS locations for these trees to be planted on holes #1, #5, #6, and #7. The holes will be drilled on Tuesday and the planting process will occur on the 22nd at 8:00 AM. We are asking for volunteers to help with this process at the golf course and Park Department properties.
Golf Board members are working to create a campaign to gather community support for developing an annual tree planting program at the golf course. This will allow us to continue planting trees every Spring and Fall through monetary donations. We lost many trees to the Emerald Ash Borer, meaning we still need approximately 800 trees to complete our Master Tree Plan.
This morning we will host our annual Chili Open four person best shot golf event. One hundred sixty-eight golfers are registered for this tournament. A portion of the proceeds from this golf tournament will go toward the tree fund created by the Golf Board.
The cart path overlay project is scheduled to start on Monday, October 26. They are a little ahead of schedule on their other projects, so there is a chance they might start around the clubhouse at the end of this upcoming week. They have started delivering equipment which is being stationed in the maintenance parking lot.
Monday night, the City Council will be presented with the Director of Golf prospectus. Once approved, the position will be advertised for approximately thirty days. We look forward to receiving many great applicants as the search for my replacement begins. I will retire in late February, 2027 after nearly thirty three years at The Muni.
Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
101 W 5th Street
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301