Golf Course Greens

[Mark Page]

Does any one know how they do such a perfect job of mowing greens? NO sign of track marks and perfectly even. Reel mowers?

 

[brain55]

Yep, precision reel mowers, the height of cut is set with a micrometer to .001".

Brian

 

[jenkinsph]

Should add that I think they cut them every morning too.

 

[gwdixon]

Get out early (sunrise) to a golf course and you can see them at work first hand. The mowers have a roller on the rear, like a flail mower, to smooth out the green. Additionally, very wide turf tires make for no indentations.

They do cut the greens every morning in my experience. That helps take the dew off of the greens for us early birds.

 

[Rustywreck]

a lot of it also has to do with what is below the grass, and the type of grass itself (bentgrass)

 

[Rhinorider]

The reels on the mowers are special also. Most are I believe 9 blades.

 

[brain55]

The reels on the mowers are special also. Most are I believe 9 blades.

Or 11 blades

 

[Kioti Tom]

Hmmm, Golf course greens, Make for a delicious salad.:laughing:

Yep, here in Beaver County, PA we have quite a few golf courses. I can drive past most any one early in the morning and see them
out cutting the greens and fairways with their gang reel mowers. Due to being able to adjust the mowers with some precision, they
can keep the greens looking good and short. The rollers do help keep the tracks from being seen. They also sharpen the blades often
to keep them cutting like they should. I grew up using a push reel mower and when Dad sharpened the blades, it would cut the weeds
that grew tall with their seed heads. Once they started getting dull, it would cut the heads off, but, the stems would laugh at the mower.

 

[Arkaybee]

The golf course greens are cut in the early morn while the dew is on the grass because the reel mowers need the water in the dew to cool the blades--with their many blades turning so fast in light contact with the anvil the heat would build up and the cutting would be compromised by changing the clearance between the cutting blade and the anvil below.

Here, in the regularly, very hot, deep south, the hybrid dwarf bermuda varieties have been found dependable and desirable. They can be cut short and smooth; they get very dense and have to be thinned (verticutter) and top-dressed regularly. Make a beautiful lawn (and home putting green) if you have the mower and can cut it every day or two--they get "furry" fairly quickly.

I haven't had one in a number of years but I find myself wishing for a home putting green occasionally but at my age taking care of it might be too much--but I could always let it grow higher and enjoy be beauty I guess---NOT. Dream over. . .

 

[brain55]

It depends on which school of thought you were taught with. I was taught that the reel and bedknife should never touch. We set ours with .001-.0015" clearance between them, but I know some preach light contact. Some believe in regular backlapping to keep them sharp, while the bigger golf courses will regrind over backlapping. Regardless precision reel mowers require a lot of maintenance, like I said earlier height of cut is set with a micrometer to .001" the better courses have granite slabs they use for checking parallelism and setting attack angle on the bedknife.