Going vertical

Yesterday was the first of many vertical mowings to be done to the putting surfaces over the summer. The verti-cutting is a necessary practice to help maintain the high level of playability everyone has come to expect.

The process does two major things, removes thatch and controls grain. Thatch is the dead plant material that accumulates over time and if left unchecked will cause the surface to become puffy. Eventually this puffy nature leads to severe adverse agronomic impacts. Grain is caused by the plant laying over in a particular direction. To control this, the vertical mower makes a pass across the green and then reverses it's course along the same pass. This down and back on the same line pattern ensures that whatever grain is present is attacked and controlled. 

All of the dead plant material that is extracted out if the putting surfaces is cleaned off, the greens are mowed, and then sanded. Although the putting surfaces look as if they've been beat up a bit afterward, they still roll very true. In a few days the lines will disappear and hardly anyone will know otherwise.