A popular summer job for college students is working with the maintenance crew at a golf course. A very physical job that, of course, includes a lot of cutting. Primary mowing is done with a manual mower. The tee boxes and greens are cut in this way. The greens are specifically mowed every morning from six in the morning. It’s a tedious and precise process, but if done correctly it can produce beautiful results for those playing that day. This is a seven step process to aid in the green mowing process.
1. Choosing where to park the trailer and cart- Specialized walk-behind mowers are transported on a trailer attached to a maintenance cart. Choosing where to park is a critical first step so that you can properly unload the mower and be able to easily load it back onto the trailer when you’re done. Also keep in mind not to block any roads and try to avoid parking on grass that looks worn by constant traffic.
2. Unloading the mower and preparing to mow- Be sure to unload the mower gently and not damage the blades. These mowers cost over ten thousand dollars according to my golf course superintendent. Damaging the blades would be a very costly mistake. There are detachable wheels that you need to remove from the mower. Its only purpose is so that one can transport the lawn mower. I’ve seen people try to mow with them still on and they get exactly nowhere. Let alone all the criticism you will receive from your coworkers. Once the mower is unloaded and the wheels are removed, the mower can be started. It involves turning on a switch near the mower and pulling the starter cord. Then you have to turn on the blades and the roller drum on which the mower moves.
This is done by turning two separate levers located near the base of the mower. Mowers have a clutch system where you have to hold down a handle to get the mower to move. This handle also has a safety lever. You should push the safety lever forward and feel the handle return easily to engage the mower. Once the mower is attached, you can move into position. Note that the mower blades should be kept clear of the grass by pushing down on the handle to raise the blades off the grass to avoid cutting something that is not meant to be cut. A good tip is to avoid turning on the blades until you are in a cutting position, but everyone has their own preferences.
3. Choose a pattern- Golf greens are mowed front to back, side to side, left to right, and right to left. Left to right and right to left cuts are angular cuts. Imagine a square where you start at the bottom right and move to the top left. That is known as a right-to-left cut and vice versa for a left-to-right cut. Often the superintendent will tell everyone what the address is for that morning. It is always the reverse of the previous cut. If yesterday the greens were mowed from side to side, then the next day they will be mowed from front to back.
4. Ending cutting position- Once the cutting direction is chosen, one can position oneself properly to start cutting. The best way I have found to start cutting is to start at the edge of the green or the corner, depending on the cut. For example, if a front to back cut is necessary, starting at the edge of the green and creating a straight line is the easiest way to do it. If you are making an angled cut, then starting at a corner of a green and working across is often the best option. Every golf course is different in determining what the cutting direction actually is. At my golf course, we are told to find the 150 yard pole and create a straight line from the pole to the green. With this straight line set up, all cuts can be based on that imaginary line.
5. The movement itself Once the cutting position has been determined, mowing can begin. The first line is critical to getting it right, as all other lines will build on the first. It’s a back and forth process that ultimately boils down to effectively turning the mower around. This can be done in several ways. Most people choose to hold the mower in one hand and let the mower spin around them, thus turning the mower for the next line of cut. I choose to keep both hands on the mower, which is a slower process but one that I feel more comfortable with. It all depends on preference, but the key is to keep the clutch engaged and the mower moving. If one were to release the clutch, the mower would stall and that’s no fun since one would most likely walk right into the mower.
Cutting straight lines is not an easy task. It requires focus all the way. Some people choose to look ahead as if they are driving and choose a point in front of them to focus on while walking completely straight. Another method is to look at the previously mowed line and focus the mower edge on that line while maintaining a slight overlap. Overlapping is another key to getting a great cut. If you lose a piece of grass between cuts it sticks out like a sore thumb and you have to go back and re-cut that line. Overlapping and walking in a straight line with the mower are two of the most important things to consider when mowing.
6. Checking for Grass Buildup in the Bucket- At the front of the mower there is a bucket that collects the cut grass. It is essential to keep an eye on this bucket while mowing. Often one will have to stop at least once while mowing the green to empty this bucket. If it gets too full it will start to pour grass onto the blades which will dull them. Keeping a sharp blade is key to getting as tight a cut as it takes to cut a green.
7. The cleaning pass The last step in mowing a green is to make a cleanup pass after all possible back and forth passes have been completed. The cleanup pass requires following the edge of the collar around the green with the mower. The collar is the strip of grass usually about two feet wide that borders the putting green. It is critical to keep an eye on the edge of the mower and make sure you are not cutting into the collar, which would result in unsightly areas of grass. Two cleaning passes should be performed.
The first following the edge of the neck, then a second where you follow the outer edge of your first cut but in the opposite direction that you made the first cut. For example, if the initial cut was made clockwise, the second cut should be made downwards in a counterclockwise direction. Clean cuts remove grass that was lost at the edges because you had to raise the mower early to avoid cutting the neck so you could properly turn the mower for your next pass. It is the final step in cutting a green. Once this step is complete, you can step back and enjoy your hands-on work.
Mowing the green of a golf course may seem easy, but in reality it involves many steps, none of which can be forgotten. It’s rewarding when it’s complete, as you can admire your straight lines for the rest of the day. It is also a great form of exercise. At my golf course we walk an average of 5 miles each morning just mowing the grass!