History of the "first cut?"

[Ken Moum]

I was asked an interesting question today.

When did the "first cut" of rough appear on the PGA Tour?

It's my impression that a shortish cut of rough between the fairway and the tall stuff is a very old concept and that it has probably been around since the beginning of the pro tour in America.

I leave it the GCA historians around here to determine whether or not I am correct.

Ken

Any

[TEPaul]

Good question:

I have no idea what the history of the "first cut" is in golf and I'm anxious to see what anyone on here knows about it.

I wonder why it would necessarily have anything to do with the PGA Tour though.

[Phil Benedict]

I bet it's a pretty recent phenomenon and it's a very player friendly one at that.  Much better than fairway for stopping balls that would otherwise end up in the primary rough.  Look at how many of Cabrera's tee shots at Oakmont ended up in a 3-4 foot wide first cut.  

[Ken Moum]

I wonder why it would necessarily have anything to do with the PGA Tour though.

This person who asked is apparently interested ion when showed up on Tour.

His question prompted me to wonder about it in a more global manner.  

I have talked to a former superintendent who works here, and he doesn't remember it being an old concept.

I wonder if it's been around longer on links courses where there was a shortish cut in front of the really tall stuff.

Ken

[Ken Moum]

I bet it's a pretty recent phenomenon and it's a very player friendly one at that.  Much better than fairway for stopping balls that would otherwise end up in the primary rough.  Look at how many of Cabrera's tee shots at Oakmont ended up in a 3-4 foot wide first cut.  

The USGA adopted the "graduated" rough for Winged Foot, but for some reason I think it's been used elsewhere long before that.

Ken

[Phil Benedict]

I agree that some transitional area between fairway and primary rough (ie the first cut) pre-dates the Winged Foot Open. The graduated rough at Winged Foot was more complicated in that it had multiple rough heights based on how far off line the ball was hit.  Pre-Winged Foot there was fairway, first cut and then primary rough.  At Winged Foot the primary rough had varying heights.  The irony is that Phil was missing fairways by so much that he consistently had a pretty clean lie in an area trampled by the gallery.  

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

    I think the step cut started in the mid-late 80's and became alomost universal in the early 90's.  As fairway mowing heights began to get shorter and lightweight mowers became more common the relationship between fairway and rough was more dramatic. The step cut helped with the transition from the .5" or lower fairway to 2.5-3" rough.  By comparison, in 1983 my fairways were mowed at 1-1.25" and the rough at 2.5". No need for the step with this relationship.