Golf Rough Mowing

There will typically be a transition of sward heights from the fairway to the deep rough. These areas will be maintained to keep the grass under control and to act as a punishment for a wayward golf shot.

The height of cut will vary quite significantly, with semi-rough areas typically being cut at heights from 25mm to 75mm, whilst golf course rough areas might be cut at heights from 75mm to 175mm, but there can be quite a variance in practice. The actual heights of cut used will often be stated in a golf course policy document.

If scrub, such as gorse, starts to encroach or become established in any area of the semi-rough or rough then action may need to be taken to control it unless it is deemed acceptable to allow for reshaping of a rough by utilising scrub encroachment.

The rough is certainly an area which can be considered for managing as a more semi-natural area. The aim might be to encourage more flora and fauna into the golf course. The potential to improve large areas of a golf course into wildlife habitats is considerable and would significantly enhance the environmental value of a golf course.

The rough might be divided into two-categories: standard rough and deep rough, the latter being what might be considered the wildlife zone. The standard rough might therefore be mown from monthly to every three months, or less.

Maintaining semi-rough areas as an intermediary between the fairway and rough will aid golfers who slightly mishit a shot, yet without causing undue punishment for a follow-on shot. Having golf roughs which have a focus more on wildlife encouragement rather than of being any assistance to a golfer may, overtime, help to channel a golfer’s concentration into improving their game.

The type of mower used to maintain the different categories of rough will depend on the height of cut used, the evenness of the surface and the frequency of cut. Cylinder or rotary mowers might be used for the semi-rough, although fine cut flail mowers might also be used, it really does depend on requirements and availability of machines. Deeper roughs, which might only be mown once or twice a year, may need either a double cut to disperse arisings where they are present in significant quantities, or a localised raking up of arisings. Flail or reciprocating knife mowers will typically be used for deep rough, with maybe hand scything of difficult to access areas, or where grass is being cut amongst saplings or young trees.

The frequency of mowing for a semi-rough might be weekly or fortnightly during the main growing period, reducing to monthly outside of main growth periods. One particular aim of routine mowing of the semi-rough is to ensure adequate sward definition is maintained, with a typical width being that of a 5-gang cylinder mower of about 3.5m, or multi-deck rotary mower of variable width. Where two adjacent fairways have a relatively small area which separates them, then the entire area may typically be mown and maintained as semi-rough rather than having a small part of it maintained as rough.

A thinner, but not too thin a, sward than that on the fairway will be produced for the semi-rough, primarily due to the higher height of cut which will encourage a more open sward. This will also help golfers retrieve balls from the area that much quicker than if too dense a sward was present.

Where heather, Calluna vulgaris in particular, forms part of the rough then an autumn prune with a rotary mower can also be beneficial to prevent the heather from becoming too long and straggly.