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A Not So Tough Grind
March 13, 2009 GolfdomOK, it's not a feud worthy of the Hatfields and the McCoys, but for proponents of the "no contact" method of setting up cutting units and using spin grinding to maintain sharpness is an improvement on the "contact/back lapping" method.
The results, announced by Rugby, England-based-Bernhard and Co., come from the Sports Turf Research Institute after a yearlong investigation into the best method for sharpening mowers.
"Mowing is the single most significant component to producing top turf result, but as an industry the process of sharpening has too often failed to carry the weight it should with major decision makers," says Stephen Bernhard, managing director of Berhard and Co., long a proponent of the non-contact method.
STRI's study involved an area of fine turf comprising mostly bentgrasses and annual meadow grass. Twenty plots were set up with 10 plots each mower treatment.
"A well-serviced mower will have a longer, healthier life and a mower with a sharp cutting unit will produce superior turf," says Mark Ferguson, research officer with STRI. The report, which is titled, "Grinding out the benefits: Examining the cutting edge of mower maintenance," states that using the contact/back lapping method often led to dulling of the blades.
"Blunt blades rip the grass leaf, producing turf with a reduced resistance to stresses such as drought, wear from play and turf disease," according to a release from Bernhard announcing the study results. "Playing conditions deteriorate as ball roll and bounce are affected. And looks also suffer with badly cut turf displaying a white sheen."
The "non-contact" method requires clearance between the reel and bedknife (about the thickness of a sheet of paper). This provides for less wear on the mower blades.
"Improved visual quality and cleanness of cut are key benefits," Ferguson says. This can be seen most clearly when leaf blades are looked at closely."
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