Golf Course Grounds
Greens Verticut 6-1-2009

What is verticut and why do we do it?

The verticut process consists of "mowing" the green using a mower that makes vertical cuts (hence "verti-cut") in the surface of the grass.  Mowing blades are replaced with a series of knives that cut the surface.  The depth of cut is varied between 1/16" and 3/16" deep, depending on conditions.  Following the verticut procedure, the green is then top dressed and made ready for play.

Why is it necessary?  Without verticutting, the bent grass gets laid over and tends to grow more horizontally rather than vertically.  (think of a bad comb-over)  This is what we often think of as "grain".  By verticutting the plants are encouraged to grow vertically, (think of a buzz cut) resulting in a more consistent playing surface.  The process also tends to produce greens that run slightly faster than a grainier green.

But the "playability" factors are really secondary to the main reason to verticut, which is the health of the green.  Reducing horizontal growth also reduces the amount of thatch that builds up on the green.  Having the plants grow more vertically also provides room for additional grass plants to grow, and allows room for nutrients and moisture to reach the plant roots.  Growing a healthy green is a constant battle of "make it thicker; make it thinner; grow it; cut it", and the verticut process is one piece of the equation.

Alex indicates that we typically will verticut 3 or 4 times in the spring, and possibly twice in the fall.

click on pictures for larger versions
The process begins with Kevin on one of our older Toro greens mowers that has been fitted with the verticut blades.  He essentially "mows" the green, but instead of trimming the tops of the grass, knives on the rollers cut a series of lines through the green.	As seen here, the result is that the "runners" in the grass have been cut, causing the grass to grow more vertically instead of horizontally.  This also promotes the growth of additional plants, which makes the green healthier.
Because the verticut process often leaves a fair amount of debris on the surface, primarily thatch, blowers are used to blow off the excess prior to mowing.  This prevents a build up on the rollers of the mower.  Here, Bo and Roger clean up the 17th green.	Next, Kelley mows the verticut green to clean up the surface.
Alex follows with a very light layer of top dress sand.  This helps prevent the green from becoming compacted and is one piece of the process of preventing thatch build up.	Finally, because this was such a light top dress, the sand is simply watered into the surface.  If this had been a heavier top dress, like is done when we core-aerify, the sand would have been brushed in prior to watering. (see our Top Dress page for more information)

If you have any questions about the verticut process please feel free to approach Alex for an explanation.  His belief is that the more our members understand about our agronomy practices the better they will appreciate the challenges faced by he and his staff.