Grain = Inconsistent
And there is absolutely no way to control grain or manage a green with grain to be consistent and roll true. Grain occurs in a very organic and random nature. There is no way to manage it, there is no way to design for it and there is no way to learn how to golf it. Grain can change directions dozens of times between the ball and the hole in a shot and those same directions can even change themselves throughout the course of a single growing day. Golfing on grainy greens introduces a lot of luck into the putting game.
The phrases "managing grain" or "promoting grain" seem absurd to me and go against anything I was trained or mentored to do in my entire career. Even as a golfer I expect to putt on grain when I go to the local muni or a course that I know has a next to nothing budget. If Im playing at a top notch facility I expect to see my ball to roll where I aimed it and without a bounce. The first thing I look for when playing at different facilities is leaf blades laying over one another on the putting green.
Every facility has different budgets and different expectations. I honestly dont see a place for grain at a facility that expects "championship conditions". And I know some may scoff at the term "championship conditions" but it is a valid term and it does exist. Because theres nothing "championship" about greens that are inconsistent and bumpy. Those greens are an embarrassment.
I am under the impression that blade length has a pro rata correlation to root length...am I wrong?
Do any superintendents care to weigh in?
Thats the basic rule of thumb for any plant life, but in its natural state. Theres nothing natural at all about maintaining grass on greens. All grass and plants alike want to grow high enough to produce seed so that it can regenerate. That doesnt happen when grass is getting cut everyday at the height its getting cut at, except for poa. And even with poa the super is constantly preventing it seeding with chemicals.
My philosophy about the HOC is on the aggressive side. I do mow greens down at .90 and .80. I can do it, be comfortable with it and sleep well at night. HOC is directly correlated to the plants physiology. The grass needs enough root mass to support the stresses that it endures. And it doesnt occur magically. The grass plant produces naturally occurring hormones that promote and control root development in relation to grass development.
Gibberelins
Auxins
Cytokinens
The plant naturally produce these hormones, and they produce them in a certain ratio. A certain amount of Gibbs occur in the leaf blades, a certain amount of Auxins are around the crown and a certain amount of Cytos are around the roots. The cytos and gibbs translocate back and forth from the blades to the roots with the auxins acting as the liason in the middle (the crown) directing traffic between the two.
The super is completely throwing off that required ratio by cutting the greens everyday at a low HOC. And while that ratio is being cut off the green is under stress using up its carbohydrate reserves and thats when the roots start to become shallower. The plant is going into self preservation mode.
The reason I feel comfortable mowing greens so low is because every spray has organic fertilizers in it. Seaweed / Kelp extract, Humic Acids etc. These set up the foundation for reincorporating the naturally occurring substances (Ctyos, Auxins, Gibbs) found in the plant that is being lost due to growing grass in its unnatural state.