Definition and mowing patterns

There are many factors that affect turf quality on a golf course. Some are under the control of the turf manager’s, but many are not. When we do things we can control we do it for the health of the plant, for the playability of the golf course or things that accomplish both. One such tactic we are going to focus on this year that accomplishes both is the definition and crispness of our mowing lines.

When someone describes the definition of a golf course they are referring to the way different surfaces stand apart from one another. For example, when looking at a green, definition would be how one can tell the difference between where the green edge ends and the collar starts. Similarly, one would then see where the collar ends and the green surround rough starts. These lines are usually created in two ways. First is the height of cut of the turf grass. Back to the example of the green, the putting surface is mowed much shorter than the collar. This difference in height creates a visual difference. The second way to create the line of definition is with different turf grass species. Using the same example, collars are often a different species of turf than the rough surrounding them. The color, texture, and growing pattern of different species create a visual difference in surfaces.

This picture shows the fairway, step-cut and rough.
The step-cut is dew-covered and very light colored, while
the rough is darker and furthest to the right.

At Bretton Woods, one of the ways we want to improve this year is by increasing the definition between fairway, step-cut, and rough. The fairway and step-cut are both Bermuda grass, while the rough is a mix of ryegrass and tall fescue. We have created definition through different grass species on the surfaces. We also mow each of these at a different height of cut. But to make it more defined and more aesthetically pleasing, this year we are working on making the lines that separate each surface crisper. When we applied Roundup to kill weeds in the dormant Bermuda grass we sprayed into the step-cut as well. The line between what was sprayed and the rough outside of that is the edge of step-cut to rough. By removing the weeds we have created a mono-stand of Bermuda grass, and the visual difference between Bermuda grass and ryegrass will create the definition.

The line between the fairway and step-cut is a little trickier. Because both surfaces are Bermuda grass, the definition is created by the difference in height of cut. The fairway is mowed shorter than the step-cut. This year, to improve the step-cut we are marking the exact width that the mower can cut and making each hole the same. Increasing the uniformity and consistency on the entire hole as well as the entire course will define the edge between the step-cut and fairway even more. To do this, we measured a piece of wood to the cutting width of the mower, attached another piece of wood to work as a handle, then walked each hole and marked a line with paint every fifteen paces. This line acts as a guide for the step-cut mower as well as the fairway mower.

This shows a clear difference between
the rough and the step-cut and painted lines.

An added bonus of making the step-cut more consistent throughout the course is the reduction of turf that is considered step-cut. In some areas the width was two or three times as wide as the mower. The machine we use for the step-cut is not one of the faster machines so turning around several extra times is inefficient. Now, by adjusting to a consistent one mower width, we can save time each time we mow.

This may seem like a small change or even a change that will go unnoticed; however, this particular adjustment will make a visual impact for the course and we can also improve the efficiency of mowing the step-cut. Cleaning unwanted species of turf out of the step-cut and improving playability and aesthetics also makes this a good change.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org