The Muni Update

The Muni Update

Sep 15, 2024
The Muni Update
Good Morning,
 
At the beginning of the week we started refurbishing our existing tee signs around the course. These signs were installed when the golf course expansion project was completed in 2000. We use a special lithichrome paint on these signs to update all the painted areas including advertising. 
 
We try to complete this process every five years since the signs get a lot of wear from the elements. We plan to have every sign completed by the end of this month. It is time consuming and very tedious work but the finished project looks like the sign is brand new. Some paint was back ordered which still leaves a little touch up on the seven signs we painted this week. Below is a before and after of #6 tee sign:
Our beverage cart advertising was attached to our beverage cart on Thursday. This process was delayed due to the flooding in late June. Our advertising sponsors will start their agreement at the start of the 2025 golf season. SS Graphics did the design work for the beverage cart and we are thrilled with the finished product. Thank you to the sponsors and donors who made this a possibility. 
The past few weeks staff has been busy repairing damaged areas on several of our greens. We have transferred over 250 plugs from the practice green into these areas. This week large pieces of sod were moved from the practice green to replace areas on #18 green and part of #10 green. We still have a little bit of sod to finish the repair process on #10 green this upcoming week. Overall it has been a successful project that will help these smaller areas on the greens get back to normal in a timely manner.

Twelve trees donated by Farmers Bank were planted this past week. We filled in areas around #11 green and hole #16 where trees had been removed the past couple of years. They are a great addition to the golf course and we thank Farmers Bank for the generous donation. Below is a picture of #16 showing quite a few of our donated trees:
On Friday I attended an equipment demonstration at the Country Club. We watched a comparison of several different brush types used on golf course greens. The Heying Company (Altin, Iowa) demonstrated their new product along with the current brushing system we use, except an additional brush was added to the unit. The results were pretty amazing. We were able to remove almost twice as many clippings in comparison to the old system.

The brushes help stand the bentgrass up a little bit which is followed by mowing the green. You remove quite a bit more plant tissue and it helps the putting surface roll more consistently with less grain. It has also shown to reduce our fungicide applications which has helped save money and create a healthier turf. We have been brushing greens, followed by double mowing for over two years now with great results.
 
 The last project of the week was the fall fertilizer application to the tees and fairways. This application is done annually in the second week of September to help create a strong and healthy turfgrass as we wind down the season. Our spring application for fertilizer from late May has provided the necessary nutrients to the turf over this time frame. The fertilizer prills should be mowed closer to the crown of the plant after a few nights of irrigation. Turfgrass benefits will start to be visible next week.
 
Another week at The Muni is quickly coming to a close. If you have a little time away from "The World's Greatest County Fair," stop out and see us today. We have open golf all week plus our 2025 season pass special is happening through the end of the year. Fall green fee specials will start on September 24.

 
Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
101 W 5th Street
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370
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