Eliminating the first cut around fairways

[Rob Marshall]

Our Super would like to eliminate the first cut around our fairways. I guess there was a recent USGA article about this. We could eliminate a piece of equipment and use the labor savings on other areas of the course. Is this really a growing trend? I can’t think of many courses in my area that don’t have a first cut of rough. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Jon Wiggett]

Rob,


does this mean getting rid of one cut but still having some mown rough? If so then why not as long as the height difference between the fairway and this cut is not to great.

[BHoover]

My course has been doing this recently. But to be honest, they haven’t been cutting tees or fairways either.

[Ian Mackenzie]

It's definitely a "tweak trend" (footnote credit to Terry Lavin...;-) in the US.
Sometimes referred to as a "step cut" I have heard.


Not always as easy as you might think to simply remove it.
It may not be the same grass type.


Depending on how you do it your results may vary from widening FWs to narrowing them.
The reasons I have head to do this (and our club did do it) are:


1. Less visual distraction...cleaner look
2. Less maintenance with one less grass height
3. "First cuts" were created for some sort of visual appeal in the 60's or 70's and are now considered...ah...superfluous...?


I have an old USGA article that gives much more detail.
PM me.

[Tom_Doak]

For a while, Chicago Golf was going straight from fairway to knee-high primary rough.  It does make you think about playing close to the margins . . . just like mowing short grass right into bunkers does. 


But it's also hard to maintain a course that way.  If you mow fairways in all different directions, you need someplace to turn around when mowing crosswise or diagonally; and if you have to turn inside the edges of the fairways, you can really wear them out!  So, most clubs go to having one cut of mowed rough between the fairway and the native.


Many clubs have two or three intermediate cuts, because they watch TV and hear everyone talk about fairness.  Having two or three cuts is a waste of resources to try and make golf more fair.

[Scott Senior]

The Ridgewood Country Club (Paramus, NJ) eliminate the first cut 2 years ago. Did it in conjunction with restoration bunker project/golf course master plan. Had some member push back but it keeps with the restoration. Greens and Grounds has confirmed easier maintenance practices and savings in labor costs.

[Rob Marshall]

Rob,


does this mean getting rid of one cut but still having some mown rough? If so then why not as long as the height difference between the fairway and this cut is not to great.

Jon,
We would have one cut of primary rough at about 2”. What we would be losing is the transitional cut between the fairway and primary rough. We are a traditional parkland course in upstate NY. We have a few areas of fescue that generally are not in play.

[Matt_Cohn]

Shinnecock had this during the US open, too, right?

[Anthony_Nysse]

Shinnecock had this during the US open, too, right?

Sort of. The transition from fwy to rough was trimmed at an angle, just so you didn’t have a vertical wall of rough next to the fwy edge.

[Tom_Doak]

Shinnecock had this during the US open, too, right?

Sort of. The transition from fwy to rough was trimmed at an angle, just so you didn’t have a vertical wall of rough next to the fwy edge.

I remember reading an article in one of the vintage USGA Green Section bulletins that back in the day, Oakmont used to mow collars that way ... the greensmower guys were trained to lift the mower up gradually as they finished a pass so that the "collar" would be beveled from green height up to rough height.  I'd love to see somebody try that today 

[John Emerson]

This is another reason major championship and television has hurt many golf courses.  It’s just another labor cost that is unnecessary.  Add painting the cup white to that list also!!!! 🤬🤬🤬.  Cups were originally painted white so that the tv could pick it up and show it. Otherwise it looked as putts were rolling to oblivion.  Remember how bad the pictures used to be before our modern oled TVs?? 

[Bill Brightly]

The Ridgewood Country Club (Paramus, NJ) eliminate the first cut 2 years ago. Did it in conjunction with restoration bunker project/golf course master plan. Had some member push back but it keeps with the restoration. Greens and Grounds has confirmed easier maintenance practices and savings in labor costs.

Scott, how is it to play? Does your weak fade now reach the primary rough where is used to be saved by the first cut? Seriously, I wonder if more balls are reaching the rough without the first cut, or does the extra few feet of fairway seem to help?


I believe that Ridgewood utilizes and "up and back" fairway cutting pattern, so the equipment does not turn in the rough.


Plainfield has also eliminated the first cut. It certainly presents a cleaner, simpler look.

[Adam Lawrence]

I'm generally all in favour of reducing the number of heights of cut, because by doing so you reduce the visibility of the hand of man and allow the eye to focus, not on the mowing lines, but on the (hopefully) beautiful landscape. Same reason I dislike striping of fairways (and, God help us, sometimes of roughs).


I've been advocating for heathland courses to basically abandon maintained rough. Heather is the right rough for these courses, and the ideal would be fairway cut all the way to the heather.


I remember seeing, I think, five different heights of cut in about a five yard space at Haesley Nine Bridges in Korea. It was just awful.

[Sean_A]

Adam

That is basically what they did at Pinehurst...fairway transitions to sand...no rough.  I think its brilliant, but a lot of people don't like it because there is no barrier to "save" a slightly off shot.  The concept could easily apply to heathland courses if the fairways are wide enough and also (a big if) if there is heather on each hole.  A few things against the concept is getting more heather on courses which would mean tree clearance, but also that heather would need to be taken care of extremely well to make it all playable.  I also think many bunkers would need a re-think as to their angle.  These days, I think clubs can get away with letting the heather get a bit out of control because of rough barriers.  I would like to see it happen, but man, getting the idea up and running, then maintaining it isn't labour free.  The one positive aspect is the work will make courses look more natural if it is done well and straight lines are avoided. Not a heathland, but like Pinehurst did with sand, Pine Needles did with sand and needles...its brilliant.

Ciao

[Adam Lawrence]

Adam

That is basically what they did at Pinehurst...fairway transitions to sand...no rough.  I think its brilliant, but a lot of people don't like it because there is no barrier to "save" a slightly off shot. 

I've always figured that you'd get extra fairway where there was previously semi rough so that was a fair trade off for the loss of barrier.

[Matt Wharton]

Following the completion of our renovation/restoration in 2008 I implemented an intermediate cut at Carolina Golf Club (note: fairways and primary rough are all bermudgrass).  The intermediate height of cut (HOC) was initially 1.25 inches and our primary rough was maintained at 2 inches and we would typically top out at 2.25 inches as the summer season came to a close.  Fairways were maintained at 0.475 inches to begin the season and were raised to 0.525 or 0.550 by the conclusion of the growing season.  The intermediate was mowed 3 times weekly and we always struggled with fairway definition and lost balls in the rough were commonplace late in the season.


Prior to hosting the 2014 N.C. Amateur the Intermediate was removed.  This permitted us to top our rough HOC at 2 inches at the end of the season and our fairways became more defined without the intermediate in place.  Fairway widths remained the same, we only stopped mowing the intermediate and incorporated into primary rough.  Yes, there was a cost savings (labor and fuel) associated with this move.


This year (in two weeks actually) we will co-host the USGA Mid-Am.  We still do not have an intermediate, some fairways have been slightly narrowed on one side or the other and our HOC on primary rough is currently 2.25 inches (Request by USGA).  It's been warm and humid in Charlotte this summer and the rough is dense, thick, and will swallow your golf ball.  Putting the ball in the fairway will be the key to shooting a low score at Carolina and playing from the rough will certainly challenge a player's skill and ability.  And yes, if you drive it too close to the edge of the fairway a vertical wall of rough is there to greet you.


Cheers,

[Tyler Kearns]

An intermediate cut might be useful if you maintain very long rough, but at most clubs it fights against the appearance of a nicely defined fairway because the transition between each cut is relatively small.  We mow our fairways at 0.5" and the rough is maintained at 2" or 2.25".  Additionally, it requires another machine set at the intermediate cut height which in my opinion, are resources better used elsewhere on a golf course.


The argument of fairness, which seems to be, a ball missing the fairway by a foot shouldn't end up in long rough, is a slippery slope.  Logically, golfers will argue a ball missing the intermediate cut by a foot shouldn't end up in the long rough etc, etc., until all you've done is lower the height of rough throughout the course and you are back to 2 heights of cut! 



Tyler 

[Tom Bacsanyi]

To me the first cut is completely unnecessary if the fairways are sufficiently wide.  However in this era of 20-30 yard fairways the first cut is a necessary evil on sloped holes and thus the whole course.  Narrow pitched fairways almost always result in collared lies on the low side.That being said it is a maintenance hassle.  You either have to have a dedicated machine or be constantly adjusting heights on a regular rough unit.

[Scott Senior]

Further detail: we surveyed Top 35 classic courses who were not holding majors...only 2 had step cut.


The savings have been $30,000 a year (not including labor) in chemical and fertilizer as the step cut was on tee and fairway program. it is now on rough program.


And yes we do use a up and back mowing pattern.