Steve,
here in Scotland we cut the course by hand I now I hold to many of the old 19th Century practices, but think Jon you have gone a little further back in time, in fact a hell of a long way back and perhaps a practice utilised by those lovers of blue woad south of the border.
A good Scotsman never cuts anything, there is much value in the ‘Hole’ (& whole), so if you knew your history you would have said sheep. While they keep the grass short, the added advantage is that they manure the ground as they do so. See a canny investment, not forgetting that the additional extra is that sheep convert to haggis. Now that is Scottish investment, first he does not have to do it himself and comes away with three useful and profitable investments – so perhaps now many will see why golf in a walking and thinking game.
Cut it by hand, that’s an English pastime, not Scottish as we are too busy playing golf in our spare time thank to using a little of our grey cells.
Tom D - see 'Land fit for purpose', just look for the sheep as it may give you a starting point, I'll leaves others to discuss the manure as it come so well out of their posts.
Melvyn