Golf Greens Mowing Consistency of Performance

Does every green on a course have to be of the same speed? Variability, within reasonable parameters, adds interest, enjoyment and challenge for a golfer. The greens on a course will typically have varying environmental conditions in which they grow, their own micro-climate, with some being in more shade than others, some will be in wind exposed situations, whilst others will be in cold or frost pockets.

Amended maintenance practices to best meet the needs of the grasses in these situations will help to reduce plant stress and encourage the development of a healthy sward. A good example is that of a shaded green which would have the height of cut raised for its routine mowing. Where the standard height of cut for the greens on the course might be 4.5mm, the shaded green might need a height of cut setting of 6.5mm during the main growing season. This will produce a green that is slower than many others on the course, but with good communication of green speeds to players and assuming sustainable practices are to be applied, rather than just talked about, by a club then this would be an appropriate course of action to take.

It is the quality of surface, i.e. how smooth the sward is and whether a putt stays true to the intended line, rather than the speed is more important for good golf, so going for speed alone should be seen as a potential trap for many greenkeepers.
The R&A, ‘Pace of Play Manual, Section 3: The Golf Course. 6. The Putting Greens. 3.6b Green Speed

Raising the mowing height to an intermediate level between summer and winter heights of cut during the autumn will also aid in the grass plants transition to the dormant period and will help to conserve valuable food reserves within roots and stems, helping greens to better withstand wear and tear over the winter months and also to contribute to recuing susceptibility to disease attacks. Adaptations to mowing practices are essential if genuine, rather than lips service, approaches to integrated pest management, integrated disease management and especially sustainable turf management are to be actively promoted.

Great golf has been played on excellent greens in the past, maintained at ‘traditional heights of cut’, and this will continue. The desire to say how short one can mow a green has become something of a ‘badge of honour’ amongst some greenkeepers, in a similar way to the false statement of ‘the greener the sward the better the green’. It is the overall quality of the sward, fine grasses, even, dense coverage, dry, firm surface along with a competent golfer that makes a great green.