[MClutterbuck]

For the life of me I cannot understand why superintendents still mow with stripes.  Is the biggest waste of time, labor, and fuel.  Remember, there isn’t any straight lines in nature so mowing stripes makes it look very fake/artificial. The half and half, or the top to bottom alternating contour stripes is the superior way to mow fairways.

John, why do you believe the stripes wastes more fuel than half and half? It does not. Both cover the entire fairway once, and depends on the shape of the fw half and half might even require more distance (for example when the fairway narrows and then widens again, you need to stop cutting and return back up, or stop and travel to new area of cut).

[MClutterbuck]

I think the first picture looks wider because it is cropped. I don't have a strong opinion, but I do like the look of the striping.

I have now cropped them to similar width.

[MClutterbuck]

Beginning of season for us. The architect has insisted we try the more classic half and half or light dark cut, that in his views fit better with the philosophy of the design.


I personally prefer the no pattern look, but that would require more resources (more mowers working in one direction only) or more time, and it would not be an environmentally sound practice.


This is the first attempt below, not at all perfect, but good enough to showcase what I see as the shortfall of this look. It appears to make the fairway less wide. Only the left part of the fairway appears to be fairway, with the right side appearing to be rough.





Below the cut last year, which looks wider.




When I talk to golfers, there is a 90/10 proportion in favor of the diagonal cut. 

Unfortunately we will have a mowing pattern, absent spending a lot more money, so what do people here think about how it affects perceived width and the design?

What a gorgeous looking setting.  What course is this?  Love to play it early in the season with the snow capped mountains.  BTW I like the half and half for it gives me the centerline so I can "attack" the course .

It is El Desafio in Argentine Patagonia. If you like the snow capped mountain setting you should check out this Golf Digest photo essay by Dom Furore that includes a photo of this same hole:


https://www.golfdigest.com/story/good-things-in-high-places-golf-in-the-andes


 

[John Emerson]

For the life of me I cannot understand why superintendents still mow with stripes.  Is the biggest waste of time, labor, and fuel.  Remember, there isn’t any straight lines in nature so mowing stripes makes it look very fake/artificial. The half and half, or the top to bottom alternating contour stripes is the superior way to mow fairways.

John, why do you believe the stripes wastes more fuel than half and half? It does not. Both cover the entire fairway once, and depends on the shape of the fw half and half might even require more distance (for example when the fairway narrows and then widens again, you need to stop cutting and return back up, or stop and travel to new area of cut).

I have worked at 6 courses in my career and I have personally timed stripes vs half and half at each one. Each course being significantly different in fwy design. Not one single time was it ever a close race. A couple cases there was 2+ hours difference. Add that up over a season and that’s huge savings.  I have never met a superintendent that thinks mowing stripes requires the same amount of time as half and half.  It’s less turning, less picking up of reels, less everything.

[Jon Wiggett]

John is correct. Mowing in stripes takes a fair bit longer as it in tails a lot more turning. On my 9 holer it is a difference of about 4.5 hours for half and half verses 5.5 hours for striping though if you stripe in the longest direction it is about half an hour difference. I have always preferred the traditional half/half but it really depends on what effect you are looking for.


This year due to the drought it became almost impossible to see difference between the semi rough and fairway when mowing so I switched to striping. As I was only cutting every fourth day as apposed to every second it did not hit my budget either time or moneywise.


What I did notice to my surprise is how much better the contours where accentuated by the stripping as apposed to half/half and I think this is also noticeable on the two photos posted.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I'm not a superintendent, but I'm not sure you guys are using the word "stripes" to mean the same thing.

It seems to me that if you go down tee-to-green and then green-to-tee, that would take the same number of passes regardless of whether you alternate rows or go T2G in the right half and G2T in the left half.

Alternating is one form of stripes, and it seems to me that it would take just as long as "half and half."

If you're talking about stripes being diagonal or cross-hatching, then obviously the increased turning and so on would take longer.

[John Emerson]

I'm not a superintendent, but I'm not sure you guys are using the word "stripes" to mean the same thing.

It seems to me that if you go down tee-to-green and then green-to-tee, that would take the same number of passes regardless of whether you alternate rows or go T2G in the right half and G2T in the left half.

Alternating is one form of stripes, and it seems to me that it would take just as long as "half and half."

If you're talking about stripes being diagonal or cross-hatching, then obviously the increased turning and so on would take longer.

I think you’re partially correct...mowing stripes tee to green is definitely quicker than angled stripes, but half and half is the absolute fastest way to mow fairways.  Tee to green stripes still takes a little longer because you have to make a “3-point turn” on every pass, where half and half this only happens the first few passes.  Hell when mowing half and half,sometimes you don’t even need to pick up the reels when turning because it’s so gradual and drawn out.

[Tom Bacsanyi]

I'm not a superintendent, but I'm not sure you guys are using the word "stripes" to mean the same thing.

It seems to me that if you go down tee-to-green and then green-to-tee, that would take the same number of passes regardless of whether you alternate rows or go T2G in the right half and G2T in the left half.

Alternating is one form of stripes, and it seems to me that it would take just as long as "half and half."

If you're talking about stripes being diagonal or cross-hatching, then obviously the increased turning and so on would take longer.

I think you’re partially correct...mowing stripes tee to green is definitely quicker than angled stripes, but half and half is the absolute fastest way to mow fairways.  Tee to green stripes still takes a little longer because you have to make a “3-point turn” on every pass, where half and half this only happens the first few passes.  Hell when mowing half and half,sometimes you don’t even need to pick up the reels when turning because it’s so gradual and drawn out.

Nope. Once you're a few passes into the half and half the travel time from the end of one pass to the start of the next pass the opposite direction is slower than a 3 pt. turn.  And you never just circle the fairway over and over, as the more the mower is turning the crappier the cut.  You still do a single cleanup pass.  The other piece is that most fairways are not perfectly symmetrical, so you usually end up with several passes that need to be mowed the same direction on one side or the other.  Lots of backtracking without mowing.  12-6 stripes or stripes following the dogleg is the absolute fastest, although not by that much over half and half.  I hate the 12-6 stripe look and I especially hate dogleg following stripes as well, so half and half is the best compromise in my opinion.

[Joe Hancock]

Just vary the mowing pattern in numerous ways as to not have a discernable mowing pattern. Any attempt to acheive a certain look is a pattern. Any pattern repeated will just accentuate itself.


I find it interesting that the architect wants to go halvsies to look classic while the fairway edges move in and out in a modern way.

[Craig Sweet]

We mow diagonal and vary the length and direction of the angle...In other words short angles one day, longer angles another day..left to right one day, right to left the next...nothing "burned in".


We also notice a slight rippling or "washboarding" if we mow too much in one direction. This can be especially true of our clean up pass that changes weekly.


In old course photo's the fairway edges are straighter than they are today.  A few years ago a general manager decided with needed "more motion, more wavy" fairway edges....a super pain in the ass for two strip mowing....

[MClutterbuck]

John and Jon,


We are not seeing that time differential. Significant up slopes might be the difference.


M

[Jon Wiggett]

Then you will be the first place that I have heard to mow either way with no difference but who knows. How many machines do you have cutting?

[Anthony_Nysse]

Just vary the mowing pattern in numerous ways as to not have a discernable mowing pattern. Any attempt to acheive a certain look is a pattern. Any pattern repeated will just accentuate itself.


I find it interesting that the architect wants to go halvsies to look classic while the fairway edges move in and out in a modern way.

Win and win.


1st. The turf will be better off by varying the directions mowed.


2nd. WAY TOO many courses mowing the 50/50 look and it doesn't fit. More often than not, the course has way too much of a modern look to it and the 50/50 cut looks forced. The fairway widths aren't consistent enough to achieve the look properly.

[Thomas Dai]

Going through this thread again has highlighted to me something Marcos mentioned - how a half-n-half cut appears visually narrower than a cross-cut pattern and therefore should add some uncertainty/deception to the playing lines.
Atb

[John Emerson]

Just vary the mowing pattern in numerous ways as to not have a discernable mowing pattern. Any attempt to acheive a certain look is a pattern. Any pattern repeated will just accentuate itself.


I find it interesting that the architect wants to go halvsies to look classic while the fairway edges move in and out in a modern way.

Win and win.


1st. The turf will be better off by varying the directions mowed.


2nd. WAY TOO many courses mowing the 50/50 look and it doesn't fit. More often than not, the course has way too much of a modern look to it and the 50/50 cut looks forced. The fairway widths aren't consistent enough to achieve the look properly.

1-If groomers or some sort of brushing is/are used this point would be negated.
2-well half and half is the how large gang units would mow the entire course back in the day. It’s how farmers plow and harvest fields... So to say it doesn’t fit doesn’t make any sense.  Its literally the oldest way to mow large areas of grass. 

[Anthony_Nysse]

Just vary the mowing pattern in numerous ways as to not have a discernable mowing pattern. Any attempt to acheive a certain look is a pattern. Any pattern repeated will just accentuate itself.


I find it interesting that the architect wants to go halvsies to look classic while the fairway edges move in and out in a modern way.

Win and win.


1st. The turf will be better off by varying the directions mowed.


2nd. WAY TOO many courses mowing the 50/50 look and it doesn't fit. More often than not, the course has way too much of a modern look to it and the 50/50 cut looks forced. The fairway widths aren't consistent enough to achieve the look properly.

1-If groomers or some sort of brushing is/are used this point would be negated.
2-well half and half is the how large gang units would mow the entire course back in the day. It’s how farmers plow and harvest fields... So to say it doesn’t fit doesn’t make any sense.  Its literally the oldest way to mow large areas of grass.

Its just not worth the argument.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Thank you to those who let me know why 50/50 took less effort (gas, time, energy) than even non-diagonal stripes. Makes sense now why those would be a bit different.

[Craig Sweet]

As for saving fuel costs....If it takes you 4 hours to mow diagonal and 4 hours to mow 50/50, or what some call two stripe, your fuel use will be the same.  The savings comes from shortening your mow time. And, I have found, regardless of how we mow, there might not be a difference in mow time due to lots of variables...often related to golfers, weather conditions, mechanical issues, etc etc....

[MClutterbuck]

Just vary the mowing pattern in numerous ways as to not have a discernable mowing pattern. Any attempt to acheive a certain look is a pattern. Any pattern repeated will just accentuate itself.


I find it interesting that the architect wants to go halvsies to look classic while the fairway edges move in and out in a modern way.

Win and win.


1st. The turf will be better off by varying the directions mowed.


2nd. WAY TOO many courses mowing the 50/50 look and it doesn't fit. More often than not, the course has way too much of a modern look to it and the 50/50 cut looks forced. The fairway widths aren't consistent enough to achieve the look properly.

Joe/Anthony,


Upon reviewing photos with architect, I think we both agree with your impressions. The fact the course has natural slopes and features that impact fairway lines makes the 50/50 cut less desirable. The width issue is also a factor, with one side of the fairway looking similar to the rough which is the same grass. I think we are going back to diagonal stripes, changing direction every other cut. Maybe for a special week we can cut tee to green only and show no patterns, which I think is the preferred look.


Thanks to all.

[Duncan Cheslett]

I had a couple of beers last night with old Bob, a long standing member at Cavendish who for the last 15 years has mown the fairways two days a week as a volunteer. He has saved the club tens of thousands of pounds over the years.


I asked Bob how he was getting on with our new Course Manager (Super) who was appointed earlier this year. While overall supportive, he expressed disillusionment that he was no longer allowed to mow his distinctive checker-board patterns and was expected to mow half and half instead.

"I just don't get any satisfaction from it" said Bob. "I love the feeling of looking back at a fairway I've cut with a criss-cross pattern - it takes real skill.  This half and half business is so easy a trained chimp could do it!"



Bob expressed his intention to "retire" at the end of the season - largely for this reason.


Personally, I don't really have a preference. The Super's reasoning apparently is that half and half is more in keeping with how the course would have been in MacKenzie's day.

I feel sorry for Bob, though.

[Ross Miller]

I agree with several here on a multitude of fronts:

• Tony N. - set fairway width, instead of 80s/90s architecture of meandering fairway edges makes Classic Cut much easier.
• Matt W. - Classic cut melds with Classical architecture, hands down.
• Joe H. - Agree with the aethstetics in regards to mitigating grain of the turf on fairways. less distinguishable the better in regards to patterns --- its about the conditioning to me, not the patterns.

Just my 2 cents, for what it is worth.


Regards,


Ross Miller
Golf Course Superintendent
Country Club of Detroit

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