mowing the greens hand vs riding

[John_D._Bernhardt]

I think hand mowing makes for a much better puttting surface as well as looking better. any thoughts and how much more does it cost to maintain this way

[Patrick_Mucci]

John Bernhardt,

I have heard for years that riding mowers were labor and time savers, which equals savings.

I've also heard that the riding mowers can cause compaction, that the turn arounds can stress the greens and damage the edges more than the walking mowers.

I don't know if there is an incremental cost savings, and what it would be, net of all considerations, but, I've always felt as you have that walking mowers produce better conditions.

Seeing as how the greens are the most important feature on a golf course, any incremental cost to maintain them with hand mowing would seem to be money well spent.

But, I've been surprised by some of the clubs that use riding mowers.

Perhaps some superintendents can provide their imput relative to cost and effect.

[John_D._Bernhardt]

Pat I agree with you completly. I am being told it takes 5 men 2 hours each per mowing walking vs 2 men 2 hours each mowing riding plus equipment. I think it is worth it too but would love other opinions

[Jim_Kennedy]

John,
Walk behind mowers in the hands of the unexperienced can cause as much damage on the turn arounds as triplexes. The wrong gait can also cause uneven mowing. They lessen the degree of compaction and can leave a better surface if used properly. (All this from past talks with our super)
Total equipment costs(maintenance, etc.] more than likely wash,i.e., 5 mowers, 5 utility vehicles, 5 trailers and their attendant fuel and maintenance costs vs. two triplexes.

Manpower and how it's used is the costlier issue even if you "borrow" the 3 other workers to put them on walk behinds. There are at least 6 more man hours a day spent mowing greens which equals 42 hrs. per week. This cost in man hours is equal to one full time worker times number of weeks open. Meanwhile something else isn't getting done so you surely will have to add at least one more part or full timer. One worker can mean $20k at minimum per season. This might be practical for more well-heeled clubs but I don't think the practice will be making its way to a "theater" near you anytime soon, at least not in this belt tightening cycle.  

[Mike_Young]

Walking mowers do not offer less compaction.  While the mower itself can weigh less per square inch, the weight of the human behind the mower is more than the dispersion of the weight of a triplex mower.  The new triplex mowers give just as good a cut as walking but not the aesthetic most like.  A good operator can turn a mower where there is no more wear pattern than on a walker.  IMHO the biggest issue to determine which to use is the shape and size of the green and the surrounding complex.  If the complex is designed so as to not allow room for a riding mower in several cutting directions then wear will occur.  The cost of 6 walking mowers vs. 2 riding mowers is very close and maitenance is close.  Labor is the difference and that difference is about 1200 manhours a year including, cutting, loading and unloading of walker, sharpening and washing.  the other item that is often added is the transportation of walking mowers between greens on some courses.  On a development course that can require a carryall and trailer for each.
Mike

[Tyler Kearns]

John,
        I think I remember hearing that walking mowers are better on distinctly contoured greens, namely tiers. Riding mowers have a tendency of scalping the greens at these points, while walking mowers do not because they offer more control to the operator.

Tyler Kearns

[Patrick_Mucci]

Didn't Donald Ross advocate using a mower of no more than 14-18 inches wide ?

[Joe Hancock]

Donald Ross probably also advocated the use of a full shoe on the horse pulling the fairway mower.

Joe

[Mark_Fine]

I played a course a few months ago, Hudson National, that believe it or not, HAND MOWS their FAIRWAYS    

[Michael_Burrows]

another good thing about hand mowers is that they have a bigger roller .. which also helps improve the speed of the green when cutting at low heights. Plus using hand mowers allow you to cut in several different directions (the clock system ) which also helps reduce the grain of the green so grass will not always be in standing up in the same direction.