Mowing & Manicuring

Published February 24, 2004

In our efforts to provide the membership with the highest quality playing surfaces, mowing and grooming the turf is by far the most labor-intensive procedure performed. Although our goal is to avoid membership play while accomplishing these tasks, some membership interaction is unavoidable.

Typically we start our mowing on the first hole in order to stay ahead of play. Once the employees encounter golfers they are instructed to advance and work backwards to minimize interaction with the members. Of course, this works good in theory but because of time restraints, poor weather and a busy golf schedule, some golfer interaction is unavoidable.

Each employee is also instructed to either idle down their mower and stop mowing when in the near vicinity of a golfer or they are to move to a new area to mow. Some mowing equipment is fairly noisy and in spite of their best efforts sometimes employees are not always aware of a golfer's presence so please do your best to attract their attention. The employees at Lake View take great pride in their work and an occasional friendly greeting from a member adds to their day.

Mowing Greens
Toro 3100 Greens Master Greens Mower
Greens are mowed seven days per week. This frequency aids in turf density and promotes more consistency from day to day. Mowing heights are set at .090 thousandths of an inch and are NOT changed at any time between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It takes one person about 4 hrs to single mow 19 greens including "mower prep". To improve ball roll distance (green speed), the greens will be double mowed to increase cut quality. If needed turf rollers will be used to increase smoothness.

Rolling Greens
Salsco "Greens Roller"
The key to good ball roll on putting greens is a smooth surface. By rolling the greens a few times a week we are able to temporarily remove imperfections in the surface caused by foot traffic. By increasing smoothness we able to increase ball roll distance. Rolling greens too often does have a negative effect on turf quality and therefore we are limited to rolling the greens as needed. Generally, three times a week is normal frequency.

Mowing Fairways
Toro 5200 Reelmaster Fairway Mower
Fairways are mowed an average four to five days per week. During the lush spring growing season this can be as high as six days a week. Frequent mowing improves turf density, removes the dew and improves cut quality. Dew removal is important as it reduces "leaf wetness duration" and significantly lessens the chances of disease development. Fairways are maintained at .450 thousandths of an inch throughout the season. It takes three people approximately five hours to mow 18 fairways including "mower prep".

Mowing Rough
Lastec Articulator Rough Mower
Mowing rough is a never ending process. With two mowers it is challenging to get all the rough mowed in two days. Rough height is maintained at 2 inches throughout the season. With only two mowers in our arsenal for mowing rough, it is often challenging to maintain consistency during the spring growth surge.

Mowing Surrounds

Toro Groundsmaster 3500-D Surrounds Mower, John Deere 2135A Trim Mower
Mowing green and tees sourrounds is performed three times a week. Height is set at 2 inches.

Typical Mowing and Grooming Schedule

The schedule below is a guideline only! As weather and the golf schedule greatly influence our ability to complete these tasks.

MON	TUES	WED	THUR	FRI	SAT	SUN
Course Setup	Course Setup	Course Setup	Course Setup	Course Setup	Course Setup	Course Setup
Mow Greens & Tees	Mow Greens	2X Mow Greens & Tees	Mow Greens	Mow Greens & Tees	2X Mow Greens	2X Mow Greens
Mow Rough	Mow Rough	Mow Rough	Mow Rough	Mow Rough	Mow Rough around fairways	Mow Rough around fairways
Mow Fairways & Approaches	Repair Divots	Mow Fairways & Approaches	Repair Divots	Mow Fairways & Approaches	Mow Fairways & Approaches	Whip Fairways
Mow Club Lawns	Rake Bunkers	Rake Bunkers	Mow Club Lawns	Rake Bunkers	Rake Bunkers	Touch up bunkers
Mow Green & Tee Banks	Trim Mow	Mow Green & Tee Banks	Trim Mow	Mow Green & Tee Banks	*	*
Fertilize	Fertilize	Roll Greens	*	Roll Greens	Roll Greens	roll Greens

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