My favorite fairway mowing pattern

[rchesnut]

I showed up at my favorite course recently to play and was startled by the different look of the fairways.  It was a new mowing pattern...rather than a back and forth striping, one solid half of the fairway was mown in one direction and the other mown in the opposite direction.  The resulting look -- half the fairway with a light color and the other half darker, was confusing to me, it made it harder to distinguish the fairway from the rough.  According to the sup, this practice is a "classic look".  He also said that it reduces wear and tear on fairway mowers by reducing the number of times that the machine reels needed to be raised and lowered, and because less turning was required, the fairways could actually be mowed faster.  I'm not wild about the look, though...

Is there a "classic" mowing pattern for fairways?  And do others like the pattern I've described and agree with its benefits?

Rob

[TX Golf]

Rob,

This topic of the up and back fairway cut was discussed a few weeks ago. Here it is if you are interested.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,23765.0.html

Here is another,

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36045.0.html

Robert

[Dan Herrmann]

Rob - I like the classic pattern you describe.  The only similar pattern is no pattern at all - I've only seen this at Augusta and Aronimink.

[Adam Clayman]

The Classic look as described above is used at many places these days. Courses that have a keener insight into some of the finer points use this pattern.

The psychotic nature of the diamond pattern is playing into the weak minds of the consumer, imo.

The benefits other than those espoused by the super above include placing a premium on placement depending on the next shot at hand. This classic pattern assists balls running on firm surfaces when the blades are mowed away from the teeing ground and hinders rollout on the other side.

One aspect that many do not pick up on, the demarcation line is the center of the fairway, so on holes where there's partial blindness an aware golfer can trust that an equal amount of fairway exists on the other side of the line.

[Jed Peters]

Rob, this post begs the question--what's your favorite course to play? CPC?

[rchesnut]

Pasatiempo.  If I got out to CPC more often, though, it could test my loyalty.   

[David Stamm]

Pasatiempo.  If I got out to CPC more often, though, it could test my loyalty.   

A very tough choice indeed. Why not both?

[Brock Peyer]

Hawks Ridge in GA mows the same way.

I am not part of Red Sox nation but I like the patterns in Fenway best, maybe clubs should start mowing their logo into landing areas.

[Ian Larson]

tacky

[TX Golf]

Sounds like Cowboys club!!!

[JSPayne]

If this mowing pattern was indeed noticed at Pasatiempo......may have something to do with the new super. 

I'll personally attest to his abilities as a fellow "grass grower" and his friendship with more than one member of this site should speak to his appreciation for "classical" looks that help to accentuate the architecture.

I hope this is only the beginning of more wonderful trends in the world of GC maintenance.

[Mark Chaplin]

Deal uses this one up one down mowing pattern, totally inoffensive and easy on the eye. Google maps give an idea of it but the pictures were taken in a dry year so there's a good view of a hard and fast links course