Experts Talk Mow Pattern Art

Around 200 groundskeepers attended July’s Missouri University Turfgrass Field Day.

Justin Scott, a graduate of Missouri and groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals, attended.

“I’ve always had an interest in grass, like taking care of my parent’s lawn,” Scott said. “But (playing football in college) gave me a deeper appreciation for what can be done on the professional level. I’d always been interested in creating patterns in the grass.”

Different mowing patterns is one of the more interesting things about groundskeeping, said Marc Linit, the director of the Division of Plant Sciences at Missouri.

“What’s interesting about groundskeepers for ballparks is that in the last few years all the ballparks have gone to very creative mowing patterns, making nice designs on the turf,” Linit said. “It used to be that a nice, green field was enough, and now some stadiums have checkerboard patterns. Others have sun ray patterns. There’s a kind of artistry there, and the groundskeeper can put their own personal touch or signature on the field.”
Scott said the Royals use many different mowing patters, but they are more than just aesthetic.

“We’ll generally start setting the pattern in two or three days before the beginning of the homestand,” Scott said. “We’ll maintain that pattern and keep it to the end of the homestand, then rotate it out. It will improve the turf health if you don’t keep mowing in the same direction all the time, so we’ll try and do a pattern for one homestand and then try and do something different.”
—(Columbia, Mo.) Missourian