Golf Course News - 12/1/2008
It is hard to believe that the golfing season is already over. The golf course is sitting in excellent shape going into winter. The abundant rains that we received late in the fall were great. The turf has plenty of moisture going into the winter. Hopefully a nice blanket of snow will cover the golf course………..without the ice. Actually, as I write this we are white from our recent snow. The crew has been busy blowing out the irrigation system and topdressing greens and tees. We finished topdressing just in time. Now our focus will be on the equipment, trees and some minor irrigation repairs. Although we need frost in the ground for some of our work, we have plenty of things to do before the ground freezes.
I know that between now and the reopening in spring that there will be some nice days – probably nice enough to play golf, but with the ground frozen, the turf can not recover from any damage done. The more damage that is done during the winter, the more the golf course has to recover in the spring, ultimately lowering the quality of the golf course.
I also know that there will be plenty of nice days for winter activities, once we get snow, such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing. If you participate in these sports I encourage you to use the golf course. The only thing that I ask is be mindful of our greens and avoid them. As always, snowmobiling and any other off road vehicle is not allowed on the golf course at any time.
I would like to take an opportunity to recognize my employees. I had an excellent group of individuals working with me. They did a great job of maintaining the Country Club property all year. I like the fact that they are reliable, hard workers, but I love the way they care about the condition of Fort Dodge Country Club. It is very difficult to teach someone to care about what they are doing. Luckily, I don’t have that issue with my crew. Have a happy holiday season.
-Mark Siems
