Torsiello's Turf Talk – Managing the Rough

By: John Torsiello

One of the major trends in the care of golf courses is the move toward creating more natural, or native, areas off fairways. It just makes sense from a turf-management standpoint. Naturalizing rough areas means less expense in terms of maintenance as areas off the fairways have to be mowed much less frequently, if at all. It also means less application of water, fertilizer and pesticide, which again helps reduce the bottom line.

Example of Multiple Cuts of Maintained & Unmaintained Rough

Tim Morgahan, founder of Aspire Golf Consulting in New Jersey, observed, "The pros are that native (or naturalized) rough areas are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, easier to maintain and are good for wildlife. The cons are that they are a pain in the ass when you hit your $5 Pro V into them and cannot find it due to density." But the damage to the paying customer's wallet does not seem to deter superintendents from naturalizing rough areas.

"Converting mowed, irrigated rough areas to native grasses can reduce water, fertilizer, and pesticide inputs and may reduce mowing," says Dr. Anthony Koski, extension turfgrass specialist with the Colorado State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

"However, it is important to understand that native areas will not be maintenance-free. In fact, if they are neglected they can quickly become weedy and unsightly." He says older areas must also be maintained to prevent the invasion of shrubs, brambles and trees. Grass species - especially if a mix of grasses is seeded - will change over time. "The species of weeds, and you will have weeds to deal with, will change over time, as well."

Major advances in breeding of turf-type tall fescues since the early 1980s have encouraged more use of tall fescue as primary or secondary rough. In traditional cool-season grass-growing climates and the transition zone of the U.S., interest in less maintenance has driven the use of tall fescue. Tall fescue is used now in areas where there are limits placed on annual fertility and chemical applications. The turf quality in high-performing NTEP-rated tall fescues is excellent, mimicking a wide-bladed bluegrass. They can be cut at 1.5 inches or higher, up to natural, non-mowed plant heights.

Another group of species that has garnered more interest in golf rough use is fine fescues. These species consist of hard, sheeps, creeping red and chewings fescues. The hard, chewings and sheeps fescues have been used more as "no-mow" grasses in far roughs and out-of-bounds areas. They can grow to 8 to 18 inches high and cascade over themselves if left in a natural state.

Fine fescues have an interesting ornamental look. In warm-season grass areas in the lower transition zone and further south in the U.S., weeping lovegrass performs similarly as the fine fescue no-mow grasses above. These all have the potential to be left alone with literally no maintenance when established, except for occasional weed control and spot seeding for fill in.

A similar scenario occurs regarding mowing height adjustments for roughs further south, where bermudagrass is the prevailing fairway turf. The roughs are also defined as primary and secondary by height of cut. So, the cut gets higher the further away from the fairway.

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Torsiello's Turf Talk - Managing the Rough