Renovations underway at Concordia Golf & Wellness

There are major renovations underway at the Concordia Golf & Wellness facility, informally known as 'the golf course'.

A new sprinkler system is being put in, as well as a different kind of grass. And there will soon be something a Concordia golf course has never had: a par-five hole.
The seed of the project began when the Kueker family purchased the property in 2016. Owning a golf course was not something they had ever considered.
"It wasn't really something we were looking to do," said Ryan Kueker, an optometrist in Wamego. "We were approached about possibly purchasing the property. The owner wanted to sell it, but he also wanted to keep it a golf course. We grew up on the course, played a lot of golf on it."
For the Kuekers, it was a family decision. Brothers Ryan, Matt, Richard, and their spouses, and also their father Richard and his wife discussed the possibility and decided to buy it. "We thought we could do it, and also keep it a golf course, as well," Ryan said. "We wanted Concordia to have a golf course."
Trampis Nickel is the general manager of the Wamego County Club, and a friend of Ryan's.
"They asked me to come up here and take a look at the course," Nickel said. "I thought it had real potential. It had been maintained over the years; it was very playable. The greens needed work."
In 1968, grass greens were put in to replace the old sand greens. Other than that, the current work being done is the first major renovation of the facility in 42 years.
"The first thing we did was put in a Decoder control irrigation system," Nickel said.
Decoders have long been a staple of the top golf courses in the nation. They are electronic devices that are connected to a wire path from an irrigation controller. Decoders operate irrigation valve solenoids by receiving both signal and power from the same wire path.
The automated system replaces the old manual sprinkler system. "You used to have to manually turn on the sprinkler system," Nickel said. "Now it will be automated. We can pre-set times and do something like watering the greens at night."
Nick Jackson and Republican Valley Landscaping did the bulk of the work.
"Nick did a fantastic job putting this in," Nickel said. "He really impressed me."
Next on the renovation list is replacing all the buffalo grass with zoysia. Zoysia grass is a genus of creeping grasses widespread across much of Asia and Australia, as well as various islands in the Pacific. It is known for its ability to stand up to heat, drought, heavy foot traffic, and a variety of other challenges. It is considered one of the best disease-resistant grasses there is. Grubs and insects usually leave it alone, so it doesn't need to be sprayed.
"It's very durable," Nickel said. "It requires a little more water, but it's easier to maintain. It's also a lot better playing surface. It almost forms a carpet and is considered the premium 'lie' (how your ball sits on the grass) in golf. Many of the top courses in the country have zoysia."
After purchasing a small piece of land from the city, Nickel said that work has now begun on the new par 5 hole. "We're building a new tee on number six, and that will allow us to convert that hole into a par five. They've never had one of those here."
Nickel said they hope to complete all the renovations in about 70-90 days. "Everyone can still play on the course. When we put the grass in we'll ask the golfers to drive their carts on either side of the fairways, in the rough, until the new grass is seeded and rooted."
The Kuekers hope the renovations will not just improve the golf course, but also attract more players to the facility. "Hopefully this will help us get new members and get people excited about this golf course," Ryan said.