Summer Hours & Services
Dear Spring Run Members,
I would like to clarify what services will be provided during Summer Hours in Spring Run, as there has been some confusion.
In recent years, we have provided happy hour pricing each afternoon from 3:30 – 6 PM, except on Wednesdays when the Clubhouse is closed. This will continue throughout the summer, unless we determine there is not enough support to justify continuing it.
In the Board Meeting May 28, I was asked if delivery was going away now that the Clubhouse is partially reopened. I replied that the delivery concept was not going away, but some took that to mean it would continue with the same previously available schedule. I had mentioned we were in Summer Hours, but did not spell out what that meant in my answer. Delivery will be available during lunch every day but Wednesdays, but dinners only on Friday nights when we are open for regular dinner. Given the lack of business we have seen to date in the Clubhouse, we feel it is more responsible to reopen according to summer demand instead of opening up everything and increasing labor for services not utilized.
Please feel free to reply back with your thoughts on what you would like to see this summer. If we have sufficient requests, we will accommodate them. Keep in mind we will continue to plan the outdoor tailgate type parties in the clubhouse parking lot and under the porte cochere with great food, cold drinks, excellent entertainment, and Spring Run hospitality and camaraderie.
Happy Summer!
Mike
New Assistant Superintendent – Jay Haft
Dear Spring Run Members,
Please help me in welcoming our new Assistant Superintendent at Spring Run Golf Club, James “Jay” Haft. Jay is from Cincinnati, Ohio born and raised. He received a B.B.A from the University of Cincinnati majoring in Marketing with a Minor in Management. He later received his Turfgrass certificate from Cincinnati State. Jay comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and background in both turf grass and landscaping. He has worked for some very prestigious clubs in the area, such as Royal Poinciana and Hole-in-the Wall golf clubs, and came with glowing recommendations from both courses. He has also work for Panther Run Golf Club in Ave Maria and did an internship at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Tampa. Along with his plentiful golf course experience, for the last couple years Jay has worked for some landscaping companies in the area, and has gained a wealth of knowledge on that side of the industry. I am positive he will be a great addition to our team and family here at Spring Run Golf Club. Please make him feel welcome if you happen to see him on the golf course or in the community. As always, thank you for all your support as we continue to keep Spring Run Golf Club “the Best Bundled Golf Community in Southwest Florida.
COVID-19 Protocol
Spring Run Members,
I wanted to bring you up-to-date on Spring Run’s continued efforts to help aid in keeping everyone safe and help reduce the spread of germs.
The product we are using to disinfect is Bioesque, effective against the emerging viruses. Bioesque requires no rinsing and can be used in occupied spaces. See the Kill times below. This product has the fastest kill time we have been able to find on the market.
We are using this product to disinfect the following in our Clubhouse:
1. Building door entries
2. Restroom door entries
3. Restroom sinks & counters
4. Door handles
5. Light switches
6. Fitness Equipment
As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping our members and staff safe and informed regarding the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak, here are the latest preventative measures from state and federal health officials:
Preventive Measures:
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid contact with people in poor health.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
COVID-19
Dear Spring Run Member,
I wanted to let our members know what the Club is doing to be proactive in preventing a potential spread of coronavirus in Spring Run. Fortunately, there are no known cases in the Community, and only 19 reported in Florida to date, but there are many residents voicing concerns about the unknown. Members travel abroad, or up North, and can possibly return to spread this disease without even knowing it. To that end, here are some proactive measures we are taking:
- Installed Purell hand sanitizers around the clubhouse. Please use them!
- Purchased a Botanical Disinfectant Solution called Bioesque for our day porter to wipe down handles and surfaces on a daily basis
- Scheduled a complete top to bottom disinfection routine twice a week through our facilities cleaning service.
- Informed employees who are feeling sick to stay home and go to the doctor. We cover them with paid time off so they don’t feel they have to come in when they are ill
- Encourage anyone travelling abroad or coming back from a cruise to self-quarantine themselves until they can get tested.
Mark Oroyan is the point person in charge of Coronavirus Prevention plans and communication, and you can expect more detailed information and helpful tips from him later this afternoon. We are monitoring Lee County Health Dept and the CDC website for up to date information on any new cases, and will stay in touch with you as new information arises. We will be prepared to discontinue large gatherings and alter services in the event it is necessary.
All flu viruses are concerning, as influenza A can disrupt the workplace and harm an older population. Hopefully you got your flu shot this season. The coronavirus is so concerning, though, since there is so much we don’t know about it, and there is no vaccine or cure yet. Therefore, we will be vigilant and proactive to protect our members and employees throughout the course of this event.
Thank you
Mike
Michael G. Zigler, CCM, CAM
General Manager
Spring Run Golf Club Community Assoc.
Top Dressing Sand on Greens
I would like to take a moment of your time to explain the importance of top-dressing the golf course and our program that helps keep us in excellent condition. Top-dressing is a very important practice on the greens for several reasons. The first is that it helps smooth out the greens and keeps them firm. This in turn allows us to maintain faster green speeds and a more true roll. The second benefit is that it helps maintain our soil structure. As we fertilize and do all our various cultural practices on the greens, it can lead to a build-up of organic matter which can create problems with water infiltration, nutrition deficiencies, and overall poor-quality turf. The top-dressing sand is coarser than the organic matter and thus allows us to create pore space in the soil, allowing water and nutrients to move more effectively through the soil profile. So, as you can see the top-dressing sand is a vital tool in our management program to maintain a quality putting surface on the greens.
We do our very best to alternate when we top-dress. We avoid always top-dressing on the same days so we don’t constantly affect the same groups. Our program throughout season is to top-dress every other week. So, if we top-dress on a Thursday one week, the next time we top-dress may be on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Then two weeks later we will top-dress on whatever day we have not top-dressed so that no group is getting affected more than another group. We do our best to adhere to this program, but sometimes tournament schedules prevent us from being able to avoid the disruption. We ask that you are patient and understanding with us as sometimes we are unable to stay on the alternating days. However, we will strive to do our best to maintain this program. My staff and I are looking forward to another great season here at Spring Run Golf Club and hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Sincerely
Benjamin S. Hanshew
Spring Run Golf Club
Superintendent
Wet Areas on Golf Course
Dear Spring Run Member,
It has been brought to my attention that there are some concerns with some wet areas in some of the fairways and approaches. I can assure you that we are aware of them and that we are trying to make adjustments to our irrigation system to help fix these areas. I would like to take this opportunity though to explain what is happening with these areas as there are a number of reasons behind these wet spots.
First the soil structures in these areas are much different than the surrounding soil. The soil is very high in organic matter and because of this, it is much more likely to hold water and create these wet areas. The problem for us is that the surrounding areas are being watered by the same irrigation heads and if we make to severe of adjustments to these heads, the surrounding turf will burn up and brown out. We are making adjustments daily to our irrigation system so we water adequately for all turf and reduce the wet areas. Soil structures are constantly changing, though, with everything we do to manage the golf course. Because of this, areas that have not been wet or problematic in the past may become problems in the future. We try to identify these areas as fast as possible and make adjustments to remedy the problems and sometimes the adjustments and fixes are not always easy to come by. Another factor that leads to these wet areas is that in some areas area we have 5 or 6 heads hitting these areas which applies way too much water. Typically, you only have 3 to 4 heads watering the same area. With the extra 2 heads it is adding more water than we want. We are trying to identify these areas as quickly as we can and make adjustments accordingly. In the short term we are trying to make irrigation adjustments as best we can to eliminate these wet areas. The long-term fix will require aggressive summer aerifications and top dressing for some areas. For other areas we will have to remove sod add drainage and replace soil. There will also have to be some irrigation movement to fix spacing issues. All of these fixes are very time consuming and costly. I want to assure everyone though that we are constantly watching for these areas and that when we see them, we try to make adjustments as fast as possible to remedy the issue. If you see a wet spot that we may have missed, please bring it my attention or one of my supervisors. Thank you for your understanding and patience while we try to fix these issues as we continue to strive to make Spring Run Golf Club the Best Bundled Golf Community in Southwest Florida.
Sincerely,
Benjamin S. Hanshew
Spring Run Golf Club
Superintendent
Natural Gas
Dear Members,
Many of you have likely seen the utility flags in the ground at the front entrance indicating the pending installation of a natural gas (NG) pipeline into Spring Run, as evidenced by all the questions I have received about it. This pipeline is strictly a commercial line that is being run from Coconut Rd up to the clubhouse to replace liquid propane (LP) as the fuel for our cooking equipment. It is not intended to supply natural gas to the rest of the community.
We have asked TECO to run this line run down Coconut Rd since 2012. Shadow Wood did get it first and they assessed the owners who chose to switch to gas for the more than $1M cost of the installation and hook-up fees. If we had decided to have this utility brought in to the community, there would have had to have been a lot of community involvement and communication. As it stands, we are several months behind their original target date, and we still do not have a conversion date. That said, once TECO sets a date for hookup, they will have contractors come in overnight to change out all the kitchen equipment from propane to natural gas. The conversion consists of replacing burners and pilot orifices and gas regulators inside each piece of equipment to handle the pressure differences between the fuels. This is all being done at no charge to the club. On the positive side, we expect to save $10,000 in kitchen fuel each year compared to LP!
If you have further questions, feel free to reply below
Mike
Summit’s New Phone System
Summit Broadband has implemented a major upgrade to its Contact Center phone system, powered by state-of-the-art, best-in-breed technology. Among the new enhancements that are now in place are Estimated Wait Time and Place In Queue. Also, if you are calling from a number associated with your account, your account-specific information is presented to the agent to help them assist you as quickly as possible. More features will be added in the future, such as the ability to be called back instead of waiting when hold times exceed five minutes. Many more self-service and customer experience enhancements are planned in the upcoming months. We appreciate your continued support and invite feedback as we continue this roll-out. If there are features you feel we need to investigate adding on, please let us know so we can get them on our future roadmap.
Summer Projects Update
Dear Spring Run Member,
As season draws near, I want to give a few updates on everything that has happened this past summer. There have been a lot of nice upgrades and additions to our golf course that have improved our club both aesthetically and operationally. We started off this summer, in June, with the addition of the timber walls along #1 and all then beautiful landscaping that coincided. These additions have drastically improved the aesthetic value of hole #1. We also continued the removal of the coquina paths and additions of concrete paths on holes #10 and #16 and installed some curbing and drains to help reduce the erosion issues in a few areas.
#16 Curbing and Drain Install by Tees
Finally, the addition of the Spring Run Clock at the Driving range and the shrinking of the cart path on hole #15 completed our major summer projects. Overall, everything went great this summer and all the projects came out looking phenomenal and hope that they will enhance and increase your enjoyment of Spring Run Golf Club all season long and for many seasons to come.
Sincerely,
Benjamin S. Hanshew
Superintendent
