How do golf courses decide on mowing patterns? It’s complicated

Stripes or solids?

A query you may pose whereas enjoying pool is akin to at least one that superintendents ask themselves when considering fairway mowing patterns. The two commonest choices are stripes and 50/50. The former requires crisscross mow strains to create a verdant checkerboard. The latter includes a 50/50 cut up, with one half of the green mown towards the tee and the opposite half mown towards the inexperienced.

The selection usually hinges on aesthetic desire.

But there are different concerns, prime amongst them time, labor and gasoline prices.

Turf-care is a scientific commerce, infused with its share of people knowledge. Industry consensus has lengthy held that fifty/50 is the extra environment friendly method to go. But that’s based mostly on anecdotal proof.

Is it correct?

Recently, the USGA Green Section took a better look by means of a data-driven examine. What have been the outcomes? Are there any necessary implications for golfers? Lessons for these of us mowing lawns at residence?

Here’s an summary.

The examine

To perform the examine, the Green Section wanted a very good take a look at case. It discovered one at Contra Costa Country Club, in Pleasant Hill, Calif., the place golf is performed year-round, and mowing patterns shift with the seasons. From roughly April to October — the prime rising interval for cool-season grasses within the space — the membership goes with a striped mowing sample. Come winter, although, when turf development slows and the grass is extra prone to put on and tear, the upkeep crew switches to 50/50 as a result of it requires much less turning, particularly sharp turns, which may impart extra stress. Same property. Same employees. Same tools. A great place, briefly, to attract comparisons.

You can learn extra in regards to the methodology here. But the gist is that this: With GPS loggers — the identical units that many courses use to trace golfer motion and monitor tempo of play — hooked up to mowers, the upkeep employees went about its enterprise, and the USGA Green Section collected readings. The data-gathering passed off in two periods, in September 2021, after which once more in March 2022.

The findings

Industry folks knowledge had it proper: The information confirmed that fifty/50 is quicker. Mowing in a 50/50 sample, operators took a median of 16 minutes per acre, in comparison with 18.5 minutes per acre for the striped sample. Put one other approach, 50/50 turned out to be roughly 13.5 p.c quicker per acre per operator on common.

At Contra Costa CC, which has 28.5 acres of fairways, it took 7.5 employees hours within the 50/50 sample, and 9.9 employees hours within the striped sample. Of course, not all properties are the identical. As acknowledged within the examine, variables similar to contouring, distance between holes and upkeep staffing, might affect outcomes. But on the entire, the examine concluded, “courses with more fairway area would save more time” with the 50/50 strategy.

Do golfers have a desire?

The examine didn’t discover that query. But based on George Waters, supervisor of USGA Green Section Education, social-media suggestions on the examine means that it’s a polarizing subject.

“People appear to have very strong opinions on both sides,” Waters says.

Do mowing patterns have any actual impact on play?

For the Masters, Augusta National has been identified to mow everything of its fairways towards the tee, partially as a result of the stable look is fairly but additionally, it’s been stated, to make the course play longer. The concept being that mowing grass in opposition to the path of play scale back roll. But that final half is folks knowledge that does seem to carry up underneath scrutiny.

Though the USGA has not accomplished exhaustive analysis on the subject, it has carried out research and there’s no proof to recommend that mowing patterns have any noticeable impression on bounce or rollout normally. Any distinction lies largely in golfer notion, which itself appears doubtlessly significant (that is simply us speaking right here, not the USGA). We know the way golfers are. If you suppose we’re getting much less roll out, we would alter our swings accordingly. This dang sport has a approach of getting in our heads.

Do mowing patterns matter at residence?

They can, based on David Phipps, northwest regional consultant for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Phipps recommends that you just range your mowing path each time you chop your grass, or not less than, that you just alternate between two instructions.

That’s not as a result of reducing the grass each which approach is more healthy for the plant. The motive is to combine it up is that it helps you keep away from getting wheel ruts in your garden. “It can also create a nice plaid look,” Phipps says, just like the crisscross patterns you see on stadium infields and, ahem, some fairways, too.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Contributor

A golf, meals and journey author, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes throughout all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He can also be the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.