getting to the root of quality-of-cut

This photo of blades of grass taken with a 140-power zoom lens shows just how close Jacobsen is looking at quality-of-cut.

For a long time, turf professionals have been trying to identify “quality-of-cut.” Some superintendents define it as color of stripe, while others might say it’s consistency from reel to reel.

Even the way quality-of-cut has traditionally been evaluated is fairly arbitrary. A superintendent may simply use his eyes from several feet away to arrive at an estimate of the quality of the turf after a cut. In more recent times, turf professionals have used tools such as turf prisms to more accurately measure quality-of-cut. Because quality-of-cut is inherently a combination of multiple factors, superintendents must take a closer look to truly define and evaluate quality-of-cut. At Jacobsen, we believe there are three factors to consider:

No. 1 — Quality of reels.

Highly-engineered reels like Jacobsen's are critical to consistency, reliability and repeatability on the turf. Over the years, superintendents, turf technicians, agronomists and other turf professionals have agreed that due to their design and the manufacturing process, Jacobsen® reels consistently provide the best quality-of-cut in the industry.

No. 2 — Health of turf.

Ongoing independent studies at Cornell University prove that using Jacobsen walking greens mowers leads to lower levels of turf disease than with competitive products. For this reason, Jacobsen continues to examine how our equipment impacts your turf by continually studying cause and effect relative to turf conditions in the field.

No. 3 — Adaptability of mowers.

Jacobsen products offer the ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions with versatile mowers. The all-electric E-Walk™ stands out among walking greens mowers because frequency-of-clip is independent of walk speed. Because the speed of the reel can be set independently of the speed of the traction drum, a unique phenomenon is produced. As walk speed slows, the number of clips per inch increases. The result is a smoother finish and faster green without stressing the plant.

Research leads to better products

Jacobsen executive vice president of engineering and product development Ryan Weeks says the Cornell University study validates that when it comes to the quality and health of fine turf, it’s the performance of the equipment that matters.

Weeks explains, “Long-term turf grass research will ultimately help us deliver even better products that reduce the incidence of disease and fungal infestation, providing superior results. The above photo shows the challenges facing the industry. Even though Jacobsen leads the industry in turf maintenance innovations that provide superior conditions, we will continue to forge ahead using new and emerging technologies to advance the performance of courses, players and the game. Look for more research on quality-of-cut in future issues of Your Course.”