News

Good Morning,

 

This past week we were able to complete the winterization of the irrigation system. On Monday we used a 250 CFM air compressor to blow out the irrigation lines. We start blowing out the main lines of the irrigation first then go through each individual station to remove all the water from the system. This compressor is run at about 50 psi during this process while a couple of irrigation heads run at once. The entire process takes about twelve hours if everything goes smoothly.

During the irrigation blowout I noticed several irrigation heads with damage or other smaller necessary repairs that needed to be completed. Staff was able to complete all these repairs over the next couple of days. It's a great feeling to have addressed so many irrigation issues in the past couple of months. This will make a big difference in productivity of the system in 2025.

 

Once the irrigation system was completed we moved our attention into the pumphouse. Staff removed all three pumps, the two six inch intakes, and both 18" intake screens. We also removed some of the smaller galvanized steel piping only leaving the six inch main line exiting the building. This leaves the area ready for the pump contractors when they arrive on site the week of December 9th.

I have been working on the off season reel sharpening for each mower. There are 29 reels that will be sharpened as well as the bedknife on each reel. This process is completed every off season to ensure each piece of machinery is cutting properly. There is a separate machine for the reel sharpening and one for the bedknife. The reel spins against the bedknife while mowing creating the cut of turf. I am just about finished sharpening the reels.

The Muni has enrolled in the University of Minnesota winter turfgrass study for the fourth year in a row. We installed the turf sensors in the practice green which will record the gases in the soil, soil temperatures, and moisture in the soil at depths of 1/2 inch, three inches, and six inches. Data along with pictures of each corner of the practice green are recorded once per week and sent in to the University. The live data can be tracked online. It's a great project and I'm happy to be once again participating.

This morning I applied the snow mold fungicide application, transfilm, and optimizer to the greens. This application helps prevent snow mold from developing underneath the snow cover in the spring when temperatures start to rise. The transfilm is a protective barrier that helps the turfgrass during the colder temperatures. The optimizer is a green dye that helps attract the sunlight to the green to provide a little bit more "warmth" during the off season. I have six greens left to spray and am currently dealing with a sprayer issue.

This following week we will be completing our tree pruning around the golf course. Each fall we prune all the trees to a safe height that allows us to better perform maintenance tasks around the trees while maintaining the integrity and natural shape of each tree. 

 

The golf course will be closed for the 2024 golf season at the end of today. I appreciate everyone that chooses to play golf at The Muni and support our beautiful golf course. I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Thanksgiving.