ON THE GOLF COURSE
            We have received a number of questions from members this spring about the grassing in of the trenches from the new irrigation system, the condition of the east nine cart paths, and the water damage to the creek crossings on the west nine.  The sections below are to let you, the membership, know what is going on and what to expect as the year progresses.

The irrigation lines - Last Spring we installed a new irrigation system on the east 9.  Murphy's Law took full effect and we had one of the wettest Summer and Fall seasons in history.  An item we hear many comments about is what appears to be a lack of progress on getting the trenches filled in and seeded.  Joe and his staff repeatedly filled and seeded the trenches throughout last year but each time their progress was largely washed away by a new rain event.  We have already had a similar experience this Spring.  But if you look you can see that they continue to work.  With some decent weather the trenches should soon be filled and seeded.  Your assistance to watch for seeded areas and avoid them with your carts and feet will help put this job behind us. 

Cart paths - The Board realizes that there are areas where the cart paths are not as smooth as the membership would like them.  The current plan, which is already under way, is to maintain the paths using crushed asphalt until we have the resources to replace the paths with new concrete or asphalt paths. We see the crushed asphalt as a temporary fix.  As an example, this is what we have done on the west side of #1 at the second ditch.  The rough spots have been more of a problem because of the weather and the amount of time we have been forced to be 'cart paths only.'  As we are able to leave the paths it is likely you will not notice the rough spots, both because we hope to have them improved and because you won't be forced to drive over them. The end result will be smoother, nicer cart paths until the larger project to replace the paths is complete.  With respect to all of the rough spots, please use common sense and slow down when you come to these spots.  The repairs will be more effective with this type of use.

 West nine crossings -  When we built the west 9, to keep the project within budget, we installed concrete culverts covered by a concrete cart path for our creek crossings.  There are nine of these crossings on the west 9 -- 3 by #10 green, 3 on #3, 1 on #7, 1 on #8 and 1 on #9.  These crossings performed well with some minor washouts through 2007.  With the much discussed excess rains of 2008, these crossings began to present some significant problems.  Some of the crossings had their supporting earth washed out from under the concrete paths and the downstream side of each one of these crossings began to suffer from serious erosion of the banks in most cases on both sides of the creek.  It became apparent that by placing culverts in the creek bed, we had in effect "dammed" the creek in times of high water.  The resulting water pressure on the downstream side coupled with the erosion and creeks leaving their banks resulted in major silt deposits on the golf course.  We have seen this again this Spring and on March 26 had to remove some concrete and replace it with rock and limestone on 2 of the crossings.  These crossings will most likely remain in this condition for the balance of the year.
            The Greens Committee along with rest of the Board and the Superintendent have begun to review the options for improving/replacing the crossings on the west 9.  This may involve building bridges as well as removing the culverts from the creek beds.  Because this is likely to be an expensive project it will probably not be done all at once, but rather over time.  Again, a detailed plan has not been formulated but we will do our best to keep the membership informed of any decisions that are made.  We will attempt to find a solution that will be fiscally manageable and does not encroach on your ability to play the golf course.  Please direct any questions to the Greens Committee (Mike Lathrop, Dave Button, Cory Drees).

Simpson Spring Invitational Rescheduled
            The Simpson Spring Invitational has been rescheduled for Tuesday April 14th with at 10 AM shotgun start.  Please plan your plan accordingly.

April Friday Fun Night
            The Social Committee is sponsoring one Friday Fun Night a month during the months without Couples 2-Balls. The first “FUN NIGHT” will be Friday April 17th at 6 pm so come on out and join the fun.  For new members, this will be a great time to meet other members of your club.  There typically will be complementary appetizers and there may be some scheduled games or activities.  These events will be hosted by couples like 2-Balls.  If you would like to serve as a fun night host contact the Social Committee.  

Saturday Lunch Hours Extended
            The kitchen will now stay open and extra hour for lunch on Saturdays.  It will open at 11:00 am and will now close at 3:00 pm.  This will be especially helpful during the spring and fall seasons when many golfers get a later start because of cold early morning temperatures.  The club is also open for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 – 2.  Come on out and support your club.

Volunteer for the Principal Charity Classic
            The Indianola Country Club has provided volunteers to marshal on hole #5 a lovely 185 yard par 3 for a number of years.  Steve Saylor and John Friest are again sharing the hole captains duties for the tournament.  We accommodate schedules the best we can.  Most volunteers will work two to four shifts which can be from 4 to six hours.  The shifts will be Wednesday (5/27) through Sunday (5/31) of tournament week. If we get enough volunteers they will work less of course.  If you would like to be a marshall you should contact John (681-1403) or Steve (321-2395) or get on www.principalcharityclassic.com and register online. Just note that you would like to be a hole 5 marshal with ICC.  Once again it costs $75 to volunteer.  The volunteer package (a $300 value) consists of one golf shirt, one wind/rain shirt, cap or visor, volunteer badge which gets volunteer free admission anytime, five one day passes to give out to friends/family, meal vouchers for work days, free parking, and entrance to the volunteer party which has many giveaways.  Contact John or Steve if you have questions.

Newsletter to Go Paperless
            Starting July 1, 2009 every member who has internet access will receive the monthly newsletter by email.  Unless you specifically request a paper copy, when the newsletter is posted on-line you will receive an email with the newsletter attached and a link to the newsletter on the website.  This will both save us money for printing and postage and save paper resources.  If you would like to continue to receive a paper newsletter let Jason know. 

New Members Needed
            We still need at least 20 new members this spring to have a good year.  Please let Jason know if you are aware of any potential new members and he will contact them with information about the club and our membership special.  Remember that you can get $150 off your dues next winter for each new member you recruit that remains a member through the winter. Thanks for your help.

Membership Changes
We have received resignations from Todd Isley and Pat Olsen.  Stan Taylor has dropped his golf membership but remains as a social member. Welcome new golf members Matthew & Laurie Uitermarkt, Carl & Shyneeta Rush, Keith & Misty Soldwisch, Stephanie Scott, and Russell Vanderpool. We now have 309 golf and 18 social memberships. We had 318 golf memberships at this time last year

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