I am not a low mow guy either, in fact I am feeling bad that I just set up my 54 inch deck to ride in the #4 slot. Mostly I'm all the way up or #5 if the wife complains too much about the jungle.
Just for clarity before the decks mods I had to force the selector to 2 and that was with the deck wheels already adjusted out of the way. And it was impossible to get to #1.
We have a 3 acres or so for short game practice in this one area and have always kept it close cut...a fairway cut. The ball sits on top of the grass.
Cliff, I'm on my 5th mowing season with my 2544. I do love the machine. IMO, for mowing service in the same price range, I'd go with a with a Z-Force ZTR over a 2550. A fully fab'd plate steel deck, no plastic hoods and exhaust heat related issues. Easier to get at the mechanicals, etc.. obviously if you need to push and pull attachments, you'll need a 2500, but for mowing, you might wanna consider a Z-Force.