Golf Course News - 5/1/2008
With the start of a new month my title at Fort Dodge Country Club will change from Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent. It all started at Fort Dodge Country Club in 1998 when I was employed as summer help and got hooked. That is when I decided to pursue this career. After graduating from Manson Northwest Webster in 2000, I attended Iowa Central Community College for two years before heading to Iowa State University for an additional two years.
In 2004, I graduated from Iowa State with a major in Horticulture and a minor in Agronomy. Upon graduating from ISU, I returned to FDCC to become the Assistant Superintendent. The last five years under Donnie have proven to be very valuable and will allow a seamless transition from Donnie to me. Although the golf course came through winter very well, we still have some damaged areas that will need some TLC. Some of these areas have been seeded to speed up the recovery, but it will take time. The rest of the golf course just requires a little nutrition in the form of fertilizer.
In the coming weeks the crew will be getting the fertilizer spread and a pre-emergent herbicide applied to prevent weeds later in the year. The fertilizer will do wonders for the golf course in aiding its healing. You can also aid in the healing by avoiding the areas that appear thin with your golf carts. The decrease in cart traffic will help the plants fill in and get established, making for better playing conditions later in the year.
As I am sure you have noticed, we have completed the aerification of our greens. We used 1/2 inch solid tines to poke 6 to 7 inches deep into the greens. This process does a lot to improve drainage, root development, gas exchange, and relieve compaction. Our greens will be healthier throughout the year as a result of the aerification. The holes created in this process are very small and will heal quickly. It will not be long until we have the greens back to normal. I look forward to seeing everybody on the golf course.
-Mark Siems
