The Muni Update
The Muni Update
Oct 20, 2024
Good Morning,
This past Monday we fertilized the golf greens with an 18-9-18 foliar fertilizer which was irrigated for eight minutes after application. The product will provide nutrients to the bentgrass green for the remainder of 2024 and be "plant ready" in the spring of 2025. This will help produce a healthier turfgrass as we start the next golf season.
Late Monday morning we started aerifying the golf greens. We completed seven greens on Monday and the other twelve greens on Tuesday. The half inch diameter solid tines penetrated the soil to a depth of ten inches. The aerification process helps control compaction, allow better water penetration through the soil profile, and allow deeper root depth.
After aerification we rolled the greens surface twice and followed that up with mowing. The whole process helped create a smooth putting surface that will allow for a "true" roll of the golf ball. Overall, the aerification process went very well especially since the temperatures were a little cooler at the start of the week and there were not a lot of golfers.
During the June 22 flood our pumphouse was under water for an extended period of time. The bearings and seals were damaged but the pumps have still been operational. We could not afford to remove the pumps at the time and wait for them to be rebuilt so we decided to work with what we had to get us through the season. We have continued to have quite a few issues in the pumphouse but we're getting close to the end of the season.
I have been working on irrigation totals for the 2024 golf season. Our Iowa DNR water permit allows us to use the irrigation system from April 1 thru the month of October with an allotment of 121.5 acre feet of water (39,600,000 gallons). An extension will be filed to allow us to irrigate in the month of November. The extension will allow us to irrigate from the pond but not use our well.
We did not irrigate in April or May and used the system very minimally in the month of June. In July we used 6,750,000 gallons of irrigation water from the pond. High temperatures and drought conditions resulted in using 7,200,000 gallons followed by 11,000,000 gallons of irrigation water in the month of September. October has continued to be a heavy irrigation month for the golf course.
This past week I met with a second pumphouse contractor to discuss the upgrades to our system. Both contractors have submitted bids to replace our three centrifugal pumps with a turbine pump set up. The proposal will be presented to the city council on Monday, October 21 for approval. Installation would take place at the end of the season depending on scheduling with the contractor.
Today we are hosting our annual Chili Open four person best shot tournament. We have a full field of golfers with 176 registered players. A portion of the entry fee will go toward helping offset the cost of upgrading our shelters and adding concrete floors to both buildings. This could be the warmest Chili Open we have ever had at The Muni.
Lastly, Cindy Tigges and I met with Upper Des Moines Opportunity to set up a couple of music bingo fundraisers on November 21 and March 27. We hosted UDMO back in February with a music bingo night and it was a huge success. We look forward to hosting two more of these events to help raise money for a great organization in our community. Stay tuned for more information on registering a team.
This upcoming week maintenance staff will be working on several items listed below:
- stump removal and clean up
- irrigation repairs to valves and diaphragms
- leveling sprinkler heads around the golf course
- additional sod work to damaged turf areas
Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
101 W 5th Street
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370