Stripes on a golf course are nothing new. Sunlight reflecting off grass blades has always been around. But the way grass is mowed and/or rolled to accentuate the stripe effect has certainly improved through the years.
If you’re uncertain what I’m talking about, it’s the alternating lines of light and dark green. The light colored stripe is grass growing or mowed in a direction away from you, and the dark colored stripe is grass growing or mowed in a direction towards you.
There was a period in my career where I thought stripes looked too artificial and their place on a golf course was best relegated to small areas like tees and greens. I have long been a fan of the look achieved on most classic links courses where fairways are mowed in what is widely referred to as half-and-half fashion leaving a crisp color change on the center line. This is how we mow fairways at Idle Hour, depicted below.
But recently the tandem of Francisco Munoz and Israel Perusquia have taken the more than eighty acres of rough plus the practice range landing field and transformed it into an oasis of light and dark green.
Part of our new equipment lease were new mowers for the rough, each with its own tractor and as the two operators became more comfortable with the machines, they started to become artists. Francisco was the first to begin striping the rough on the holes he maintains and as a team we decided to let it marinate before making a final decision.
After about ten days it was apparent the striped rough looked more appealing than the previous method employed and we asked Israel to begin mowing stripes. Now a few weeks later both have really mastered the technique and the rough really stands out.
Remember what I said earlier about stripes on a golf course being better suited for small spaces like tees and greens? After changing the mowing pattern in the rough, I can see the transformation it has made on all of Idle Hour. They really fit the golf course, and more importantly the stripe show works here because it is a quintessential part of Lexington, as evidenced by the countless acres on horse farms mowed in similar fashion. :)
Thanks for reading, and happy golfing!