Rough Growing like Crazy!!!

One of the most common suggestions I get is to "Cut the Rough!"  This summer with all the rain and warm temperatures the Bermuda Rough has grown very thick and lush.  I promise, we do cut the rough every week!  To mow all the rough on all 27 holes and the driving range it takes us 2 full days.  We generally try to get the mowing done on Mondays and Tuesdays.  This helps us to avoid the most play and stay out of the way of the golfers.  The only problem with this system is that by the weekend, the grass has been growing for 5 or 6 days and is getting pretty long and tough to play a shot.  Take a look below at some pictures that show what it looks like when we mow the rough:

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These pictures show the difference between the rough when it is just mowed, versus what it looks like after a week since the last mowing.  The ball is resting in the MOWED part of the rough, and the dark green left side is the rough that has yet to be mowed.  It is hard to show in pictures how much we cut off each time, but it is at least a half inch to an inch of grass each week.  We currently are mowing our rough at 1.75 inches, so during the weekend it is probably upwards of 3 inches in some places!  So yes, the rough is very tough right now as it grows so rapidly with the ideal weather conditions.  We try our best to cut as often as possible.  With the amount of golf rounds we see between Thursday and Sunday, it would be very difficult for us to change our mowing schedule while not interfering with daily play.  Once the temperatures cool off in a few weeks we should see a little less growth!

If you look closely at the picture you will see all the large piles of grass clippings left behind after we mow the rough.  This is also a time consuming task to blow all the unsightly piles of clippings.  Mowing and blowing 120 acres of rough each week can be a lot of work!   Believe me, we are as ready to be done mowing it for the year as you are playing out of the thick stuff!