Allison - Flight Zone Toptracer Driving Range

Meet Snappy Pete

While we were turning on the fountains at the miniature golf, we found an unusual critter hiding out under the bridge! Yes. That is a snapping turtle. We have many of them on the golf course, but none have ever made the long trek up to the minigolf. Most just hang out in the pond by number one. Given that Pete probably doesn’t like kids, he needed to be taken back to a more appropriate pond where he might be more well received. They got him to slowly move out from under the bridge, so that he could hop on a shovel for a ride to the nearby pond. Once they got him out, then he was scooped up and carried to the Cushman. Great care was taken in making sure his ride was a safe and pleasant one and no one was snapped at along the way. Once he was placed in the Cushman, they put him up against the side, so they could keep his mouth within the net. Those nets are used to retrieve golf balls on the minigolf. They are a multi-use tool! Is it just me or does Pete seem embarrassed that he strayed so far from his home? Niko and Austin rode along to make sure Pete stayed in place and didn’t make any sudden moves. Once we got to the pond where all the painted turtles hang out, we drove to the far end so we didn’t disturb them. By this time, Snappy Pete wasn’t super happy about his ride and really wanted to bite the handle to the net. He did manage to smile for his picture, though. After his photoshoot, we tipped the bucket of the Cushman and Pete slid down into the tall grasses near the pond. He was happy again. On our way back to the clubhouse, we found Snappy Penelope who had heard about Pete and was crossing ponds to hear all about his adventures. Turtles are cool. How about you? Ever eat turtle stew?

Hiding the Uglies

Project List

At any business, you have one major eyesore. The dumpster. It’s a necessary evil. It’s no secret that the back of our clubhouse could use some TLC. Since repaving the back and putting in drainage isn’t in the budget, we thought we could at the very least cover it to make it look more attractive. My trusty outside guys got to work one day putting in a gate that could be pulled across the driveway. It won’t always be pulled as we get many delivery trucks in that area, but it will be pulled for special occasions where we want the area to look nice. Before we did any digging, we called Iowa One Call to mark our lines. Once they were marked, the guys decided where they would place the fence post. The first step was to dig a hole to put in a fence post that would hold our gate in place. Once the hole was dug, they mixed up some Sakcrete to stabilize the fence post. They made sure the post was level while they got the hole filled in. Sakcrete dries quickly, so they made good progress quickly. Once they saw everything was level, they took a quick break to regroup. The golf course has been pretty busy lately and we have had many events going on and project deadlines. We got everything lined up while the concrete dried. Once it was dry, they filled the hole with clay and spread out the remaining rock. It was highly scientific as they spread the rock around with their feet! The post was in place, so they attached the gate hinges to the fencing. They unloaded the fencing and tested out the steel wheels they had attached to the bottom to help to guide it along the rock. Once the first panel of fencing was attached, they moved on to attached the second section of fencing. This was something that they had designed in their head. Definitely not a permanent fix, but it is something that will accomplish what we need to get done. It didn’t hurt that Menards was having their 11% sale. That was good motivation to make some purchases. They also mentioned to Kim that they had made some new projects for her to stain! Doug was busy running the bolts through to Dick who was on the other side of the fence. Hi there, Dick! Next up was the big reveal! They rolled out each fence section to test their design. Ta! Da! Once everything was all moved out, we went from this view… To this beautifully hidden view! What a relief! That is a work of art in my book! How about you? Do you have an “ugly” side to your house or business? I sure hope we aren’t the only ones.

Field of Greens Minigolf

Project List

We added a miniature golf course to our place in 2004, so we didn’t waste any time in getting a sign put up. This year. 2013. But who’s counting, right? While we had Iowa One Call out here marking the lines for our fence post, we decided to have them mark the lines for our planned location of our miniature golf sign. Both the phone line and gas were running very close to where we had planned to place the sign. Steve got things marked where he would dig some holes to attach the sign. In case you didn’t notice, Steve doesn’t go anywhere without his grandkids cup. You can see it in the grass. It has pictures of his grandkids it. He’s a good grandpa. He grabbed all of his tools to dig the hole for the fence post. I had to go inside to take a few phone calls and before I knew it, the sign was being screwed into place! See. It only took us nine years to get a sign hung up for the minigolf! Just imagine what we will do in the next nine years! The possibilities are endless! Looking good! How about you? Do you enjoy playing miniature golf or regular golf?

Mud. Rain. Muscles.

Project List

Since we are beginning to offer a Tuesday Night Burger Buffet, we thought we needed to amp up the play area around the minigolf, so families could have more fun. What better way to accomplish this task, then to build a playset. Before we could put the playset together, we had to prep a space for it. This required a fair amount of organizing because we needed to get several boys together to help cut the sod and prepare the space. We scheduled everyone to come on Thursday. It had rained every day that week, but we took a peek at Thursday and it was looking pretty good. Once we woke up that morning, the radar was telling a different story. It was looking like we’d have about 3 hours to get a pretty big project done. Jason got us started by cutting the sod near the miniature golf course to prepare a bed for our playset. Once he had all of the sod cut, the boys rolled the sod up, so we could move it to some areas of the golf course that desperately needed some new grass. We had a pretty big crew on hand, so we were hoping we could make our deadline before the rain came. They rolled and cut sod until the 20×25 foot area was free from sod. They cut the rows of sod into more manageable sections that could easily be carried. It was very saturated with water, so it was pretty heavy. We found many earthworms. The rolls of sod got loaded onto the cushman and another work cart, so we could transport them to the areas that needed some extra sod help. The first spot was near the minigolf entrance. In last year’s drought, the grass had died out. We have reseeded several times this spring, however, the seed was constantly getting carried away by the rain. Yes. We did find this all very ironic. The ground was very saturated which really worked quite well for sodding purposes. Here’s Jake laying some of his finely rolled sod. It didn’t take long before the whole area looked like this! After that area had been patched up, they boys headed over to the practice green area to lay the rest of the sod. The first area was by the practice green. This area had been torn up last year in preparation for our new ceremony site. Our outside crew have a lot of fun together. We were feeling a little pressure as the rain was knocking on the door, but the boys continued to press on! Once that area had been filled in, they also laid some sod near the cart path by the practice green. This damage was also caused from the dredging of the pond last year in preparation for our ceremony site. Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Jason was busy preparing the playset area by digging up some dirt to level the site and give the foundation a deeper base in order to put down wood chips. He scraped and dug at the play area. Jason was the main man on the skid loader today because dad decided he needed some time off, so he had his gall bladder removed. Seriously. Some people will do just about anything to get out of work. It was a pretty tight spot and we didn’t want to make too big of a mess because it was wet and pretty muddy. By the time he was done, things were looking pretty good. The final parts of the digging out the space required some hand work. We also had to be careful around a drainage area that pumps water off of the minigolf holes. After about two hours, the space was looking like a pretty big bed for a playset. In our constant quest to kill multiple birds with one stone, we got to work hauling that dirt to a project that we will work on later this year. The dirt was hauled up to the championship tee on number thirteen. We are planning to build up that tee since it is smaller than a postage stamp. Niko drove the dirt up the “no mow” area behind number thirteen championship tee. We gathered enough dirt that we should be set for the number thirteen project once we get to it. It is pretty low on the list at this time. It was about this time that the rain began to fall. Our boys pressed on. They cut some more sod to make the flower bed along the seating area a little bit bigger and in better proportion. The sod cutter makes the job so much easier. The entire bed had its sod cut, it had been dug down and leveled and now required some woodchips. The rain wasn’t coming down too heavily, so they decided to finish the project in the rain because another day would have resulted in nothing, but a lot of mud. They were still smiling and having fun. It’s really all in how you look at it. We even had some minigolfers who decided to ignore the bad weather. They spread the mulch and filled in the area. By this time, Jake was regretting his decision to say yes to this project. All of the woodchips were smoothed out. It was time to call it a day! What a huge day of work. We were all so very grateful for their willingness to put in a big day of work. They got all of this done in under three hours! Pretty impressive. How about you? Have you decided to just work in the rain this spring?

The Thrill of Rain

Golf Course

In reality, golf courses are kind of like farmers. We complain when it rains and we complain when it doesn’t. Our business is highly dependent on the weather. Sometimes, we want to punch the weather forecaster when he predicts rain and it turns out to be a perfectly nice day. Last year, we ran out of water, so we try really hard not to complain about the bountiful rain that we have had this year. Ultimately, this spring has been very interesting in trying to find a good time to mow. It is usually too wet. When it isn’t too wet, it is dark, or the golf course is filled with golfers. This has led to quite a bit of night mowing. Luckily we have headlights on our mowers. Since we are constantly working on the timing of thunderstorms, our staff must press the envelope when the skies threaten. It appeared that we would have about three hours before the storm would hit, so the outside staff was buzzing and pressing to get all their mowing done as the weekend was approaching and we only mow greens on the weekends. It is always thrilling to see just how many more stripes you can mow into a fairway. Just how many more tees can we fertilize before the rains stops our work? On this day, we needed to get our two newly grown in tee boxes fertilized, so they continue to grow and fill in with thicker and more sustainable grass. Ron was busy getting number nine tee fertilized. We have a large broadcaster spreader called a Lely. While he was out, he stopped to give some direction to his workers on the course. The course was buzzing with activity trying to get as much done as possible before the looming storm. The rough was getting its last pass through before the weekend. Fairways were getting mowed. Tees fertilized. All hands were on deck. The best part is that even when bad weather is on the horizon, there is still so much beauty on the golf course. All of our wild cherry trees were in bloom. A sight that only last a few days. How about you? Do you press your luck with the storms or do you hide out in your house?

Turtles Tanning

Golf Course

If you drive on the cart path on number one, you are bound to see some turtles all perched on the log in the pond. They sit there. I’ve seen as many as twelve painted turtles hanging out. Stacked on top of each other. When the ponds were dry last year, we asked my dad if we could go in and remove some of those branches from the ponds. We thought it’d be a nice way to clean them up. He said, “Absolutely NOT!” Why? Because if we removed the branches, then where would the turtles tan? They have never become accustomed to golfers or the noise of outside staff. Although they have been hanging out on this log for years, as soon as they hear the slightest sound. Jump. Plop. Splash. In the pond they go. One right after the other. Only one brave turtle remained. How about you? Are you a turtle fan? Number one and number two always have lots of turtles hanging out in the waters. If you’re lucky, sometimes you can see the big snapping turtle when he decides to switch ponds.

A Plated Meal Meets the Drill

Project List

If you’re looking for a dull moment, then you’re in the wrong spot. I’m not sure we have ever had just a normal day. It’s what keeps life interesting and tests our abilities to remain positive. We’re glass half full kind of people. Last weekend, we had a beautiful wedding reception. I wish I was a better photographer because I clearly wasn’t able to capture its beauty. Last year, we started offering plated meals. They are more complicated than our standard buffet meal, so it has been a learning curve. After doing several last year, we felt confident that we could make things happen in 2013. So far this year, we have had four plated meals! I think we finally have a good system down. Our conference center is very versatile, so when our bride asked us to change up the room, we were happy to oblige. She wanted a “King’s Table” in the center of the room and the guests were surrounding their table. We have done this set up a few times. It’s my favorite. That being said, it is all the male staff members least favorite because it requires moving the dance floor which isn’t exactly a fun job. The King’s Table is located in the center of the room. It allows the wedding party to be at a big table where they can see each other. The tables were all set and ready for the guests to arrive. They had a social time prior to being served the meal. It was our intention to have the social time outside on the deck, but the weather wasn’t really cooperating. The event was moved inside. When guests arrived, they were directed to their seating assignments by a big board that the bride had made. We had originally planned to plate both the cake and salad and have it ready and waiting for the guests when they were seated after the social hour. Because of the weather, we decided to only plate the cake. We were quite certain that many guests would probably eat the cake as an appetizer, but most actually practiced restraint and waited until after their dinner was served. The highlight of the evening was when the screws came out of the hinges on our service doors, so in the middle of everything, we had to bring out the drill to reattach the door. I have never understood why things always seems to break when you least expect it. Over the years, I have come to expect it. It keeps us on our toes. We know how to have fun. What’s your preferred method of food service? Plated meals or buffet line?

Tarps are Crowned King

Our Green Thumb

If you want to see Jason and Ron dance around like giddy school girls, then you need to come out and watch them when they uncover the tarps that help to grow in the seed. Last week, we had reseeded number three tee box. The cool temperatures this spring were making it hard to grow the tee box in from last year’s drought. After just one week, the tee box had filled in with nice thick grass. What? Can you believe it? Here’s another side by side shot of this amazing transformation! The grass had gotten so tall in that short amount of time, that it was starting to get some disease. Before, the disease could officially set in, the tarps needed to be removed. See those little cobwebs in among the grass? That is Pythium which isn’t good for grass. As in, it kills it. Pythium sets in when ground temperatures get too hot and the soil is too moist. Once the tarps were removed, we could see just how tall the grass was in comparison. What a difference a week can make in growth! Before we could mow the grass to our standard tee box height, we needed to cut it to rough height first, so the grass didn’t go into too much shock. Kind of like a girl at the hair salon. When she goes in to ask for a trim and the stylist cuts off eight inches of hair. The girl walks out in tears. Yeah. That’s what grass does when you cut it too short. It starts crying and doesn’t grow or cooperate. Ron was a grass cutting machine. He will leave this tee box at rough height for about a week to let it acclimate before cutting it to the normal tee box height. That tarped spot on the front of the green on number three filled in nicely, too. Here’s the before shot. Here she is only one week later. Yep. Looks like the trees had a big week enjoying the warmer temperatures, too. How about you? Are you having any luck growing grass this spring? It sure has given us a bunch of crazy weather, huh?

Planting Flowers

Our Green Thumb

For those readers who have been waiting with baited breath for a Toad Valley post, I apologize for not posting last week. My sweet mother-in-law passed away from this earth, so I took the week to reflect and support my husband and his family. Since she was a lover of flowers, I thought I’d share all the flowers we have been planting around the golf course in her memory. The first chore of planting flowers is always cleaning up from the winter. We have to till the ground and prepare all the pots for planting. Many of our pots get stored away for the winter. For some reason, empty flower pots attract cigarette butts. Niko and Theresa got busy positioning all the flower pots around the clubhouse and up at the miniature golf course. Theresa added some potting soil and fertilizer to the pots before planting them. We filled all the pots that are in the shade with impatiens. They do well in shady areas and have lots of beautiful color! Once the pots were filled up with fresh compost and fertilizer, Theresa got to planting. She planted and planted and planted over several days. She also planted the pots that are along the deck of the conference center as well as the big sign at the front of the clubhouse. We decided to go with red for this year. Lots of bright primary colors caught our eye. Her favorite thing to plant is the golf bags. Last year, Theresa and I were on a plane together on the way to a golf convention in Las Vegas. We were turning pages in a magazine when we ran across this picture of flowers planted in old golf shoes. That got our brains turning. We had many old golf bags hanging around the clubhouse. They seemed like they’d be the perfect planter! She spray painted the bag bright blue and painted the pull cart green to complete the look. We also have many beds around the clubhouse that needed planting. Our flower of choice is wave petunias. They are incredibly hardy and spread well. We plant about 20 flats of these wave petunias, so they should be really pretty once they get filled in. Here is a shot of one of the planters that we planted at the miniature golf course. You can see from this picture that we were about ready to get a nice downpour of rain. It seemed like we had just gotten all the flowers planted in the ground when the skies opened up and poured rain. It was the perfect ending to a flower planting day! How about you? What’s your favorite flower?

Flower Bed Prepping

Project List

Spring has gotten started a little late this year. I can remember several years in the past where we have planted flowers long before May 15th. It seems like when the spring was ready to be here, our to do list quadrupled in size. To keep things moving along, we got to work prepping the beds with our tiller. Our goal was to have all the flowers in the ground before the weekend. We have about 20 flats of flowers that get planted every year around the clubhouse and on the golf course. The miniature golf and the clubhouse area receive the most amount of annual flowers. The tiller goes at a speed of -1 mile per hour, so it is best if it is transported in a utility vehicle. Jake and Niko loaded it up into the cart to get started tilling up the bed around the front sign. Then, they had to pose for their muscle shot. Once the front bed was tilled, they went to work tilling up the other beds around the clubhouse. Jake knocked over one of the boulders. Luckily, Niko jumped right in to assist. It’s nice having young boys who play rugby work at the golf course. Work can serve two purposes. A job. A workout for the rugby team. I’m so glad we were able to help these young men out. Shortly after this photo, Jake pulled too hard on the string and the tiller would no longer work. Suddenly, work wasn’t as fun. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Equipment works and protests. It always teaches us who is really in charge. How about you? Have you gotten all your flowers planted?

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