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Height of Cut
The height of cut is the height at which the turfgrass is regularly mowed.
The height of cut influences the speed of the game, as well as the maintenance
requirements of the turf. Short grass creates a fast paced course, a trend
that has taken over the country and has made the job of golf course superintendents
increasingly more difficult. Root system is directly proportional to height
of cut, thus a short height of cut equates to a weak root system that,
generally, requires more water, pesticides, and fertilizers, in order
to be maintained. Additional care such as aeration
and topdressing are often viewed as requirements for a short height
of cut. The added input short grass needs results in an increase of spending
on turf care products, and an increase in physical labor.
In this study, height of cut on the greens for public, semi-private, and
private courses is examined. The focus is primarily on the greens because
they are where the majority of the game of golf is actually played, where
the grass is the shortest, and the part of the course that is expected
to be the best maintained.
The average height of cut on the greens is shortest for private courses,
and increases in length from private, to semi-private, to public courses.
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The public courses were found to cultivate the highest height of cut (1/4 in), the semi-private slightly shorter (1/8 in), and private courses mowed their greens the shortest (2/16 in). The results from height of cut on the greens imply that the demand and pressures for short, fast greens are greatest at private clubs. The results indicate that private clubs should be applying more water, and more pesticides in order to maintain a shorter height of cut, and on average, they are. Thus, based off these findings, I recommend courses increase the height of cut on the greens in order to decrease the amount of water applied, and money spent on pesticides.