Golf course consistency, turf health and play are top concerns for every superintendent. We asked Chris Fox, product manager at Jacobsen, to share some practical hints about adjustable Frequency of Clip greens mowers and how they can make your job easier.
What is Frequency of Clip (FOC)?
Frequency of Clip measures how far the cutting unit moves over the turf between one reel passing over the bed knife (making a cut) and the next reel passing over the bed knife (making another cut). A smaller number means you are cutting more grass, so an FOC of .100 inches means you are cutting 10 times in one inch, and an FOC of .170 inches means you are cutting six times in one inch, almost double-cutting the grass. There are three basic inputs that affect FOC: mow speed, rpms of the reel and the number of blades on the reel.
How can superintendents adjust FOC to influence green conditions?
A superintendent can do two things with FOC technology. He can use it to influence green speed and improve the health of the turf.
For example, if you mow at .120 height of cut and you take FOC down from .150 to .100, players will notice a faster green. You are cutting more often, so you leave fewer stragglers––which makes for a smoother ball roll.
Or, if you wanted to maintain your Stimpmeter reading, you might raise the height of cut from .120 to .135 and lower your FOC. Players will notice healthier greens, especially under stressful conditions.
What kind of settings should superintendents expect to use on FOC adjustable greens mowers?
We don’t have a specific number that we recommend. A superintendent who introduces the newer technology may start by setting FOC similar to the height of cut. The superintendent can then adjust the HOC and FOC until they find the best combination for their course.
Some superintendents run the same FOC settings most of the year. When they have a member-guest or a tournament coming up, they’ll lower the FOC to make the greens a little faster and create premium conditions.
It’s an important tool to work into your agronomic practices, with adjustments made based on the health of the turf and green speed. What’s their height of cut at certain times of the year? How many times a week are they rolling? All these things play a role in determining the correct FOC settings for your course.
What other advantages are there for course management?
Part of the advantage of riding greens mowers with programmable FOC and all-electric drives is the ability to link mow speed with reel speed. If you think about a course with traditional hydraulic machines and two different operators, there will be variability from hole to hole and operator to operator. When you have the ability to select the same FOC for all greens mowers, you get more consistent greens across the course because you remove the variability of the operator.