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What is the first cut on a golf course?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 24, 2026

When applied to the rough on a golf course, "first cut" refers to the grass that is immediately alongside the closely mowed fairway, but grown slightly higher than the fairway grass. That rough that adjoins the fairway is the first cut of rough.

Does the first cut count as a fairway hit?

This area is known as the “first cut”. When a golfer hits it in this area, it will be counted as a fairway missed, but usually this area is not much different than the actual fairway. After the first cut, then there will be an area known as rough, or essentially taller grass.

What is a cut on golf?

A cut shot is a type of shot in several sports. In golf, it is a shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves from left to right. Unlike a slice, a cut shot is intentional. Compare: fade. In pool, it is a shot in which the cue ball strikes the object ball off-center, so as to deflect it at an angle.

What is the starting point on a golf course called?

The tee box, also known as the teeing ground, is where the hole begins. This area is flat so that the golfer can get a clean tee shot. Any golf course you go to will have more than one set of tee boxes at each hole.

How do you cut a fairway?

The most common fairway mowing methods are striping, contour mowing, the classic cut, and pushing and pulling. Striping – This is the method practiced by most golf courses. Stripes are often mowed in at least two directions to create a checkerboard pattern. This method creates a striking aesthetic appearance.

45 related questions found

How do they cut the grass on a golf course?

Golf course mowers are reel mowers, not rotary like most lawn mowers used at home. The reel spins and cuts the grass like a tight scissor cut. The cut height is set by adjusting the difference between the front and rear rollers.

How do golf courses get mowed?

Most golf courses do not have the staff or equipment to complete fairway or rough mowing ahead of play. Therefore, there is a high probability that you will see mowers on the golf course while you are playing. Make sure they see you. The mowers are loud and the operators often have ear protection on.

What is the green on the golf course?

Green: The green is where the flagstick and hole are located. When players hit the ball onto the green, they use a putter to roll the ball into the hole. The greens are a particularly delicate area on the golf course.

What is the golden rule of golf?

Play the ball as it lies. Don't move, bend, or break anything growing or fixed, except in fairly taking your stance or swing. Don't press anything down.

What is a green in golf?

Definition of putting green

: a smooth grassy area at the end of a golf fairway containing the hole also : a similar area usually with many holes that is used for practice.

What is the second cut in golf?

Most golf tournaments have just one cut after 36 holes. But a handful have two cuts, a "first cut" after 36 holes and a "second cut" after 54 holes. These can also be called the primary cut and secondary cut.

Is a cut a fade or a draw?

For people who are new to the game, a fade is a shot that moves from left to right (for right handed golfers). When the ball fades too much, the shot is called a slice. An overdone draw is called a hook. A fade is also sometimes referred to as a “cut”.

Is a fade or draw better?

Traditionally speaking, a draw tends to be a better shot than a fade. Although there are golfers that will believe otherwise, to hit a draw, you will have had to release the club properly with a square clubface. Fades, on the other hand, can happen when the direction and path are slightly open.

Do par 3 holes have a fairway?

Fairways are always included on par-4 and par-5 holes, but may be absent from par-3 holes (since those are short enough that the golfer's goal from the teeing ground is to place the golf ball on the putting green).

How tall should the rough be on a golf course?

How high to grow the primary rough is a decision entirely up to the superintendant and maintenance staff at any given golf course. But the USGA's guidelines are for primary rough to be around two inches to 2.75 inches in height.

What is considered the fairway?

In golf, the fairway is the grassy area situated between the tee box and the green. The grass on the fairway is cut short enough to make shots off it easier to hit, but it is not cut as short as the grass on the green.

Do golf pros keep their own score?

Typically, PGA TOUR events feature scorecards that have detachable paper slips on the bottom of the card where players will keep their own score during a round. At the top of the card, each player will keep the score of their opponents while also tracking their own score on the bottom, detachable half.

Why do golfers take glove off?

Golfers take their gloves off to air the gloves to be less sweaty and to let the skin breathe which prevents skin conditions. Having no gloves improves the feel of the club, so most pros will take off a glove when the shot will not result in slippage, for chips, short pitches, and for putting.

What happens if your golf ball moves at address?

Movement by Natural Forces:

This covers the effects of nature including wind, water, and gravity. If your ball is moved by any of these natural forces, there is no penalty and you will generally just play your ball from its new location. The one exception to that is on the putting green.

What is a tea box in golf?

The tee box is the starting point of every hole on the golf course, the place from which golfers play the first stroke of each hole. The tee box is the space between two tee markers (set up by the golf course) and two club-lengths behind those markers.

Why do they put sand on golf greens?

Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae. Increased Firmness – Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency.

Is there a par 6 in golf?

The United States Golf Association defines a par 6 as any hole longer than 670 yards for men and 570 for women, although we all know that par is a very arbitrary number. Some championship courses are happy to keep holes longer than 700 yards as par 5s from the tips.

How short are golf greens cut?

Today's putting greens typically are maintained at or below a 0.125-inch height of cut – i.e., one eighth of an inch. To better appreciate how low that really is, two quarters stacked on top of each other would be slightly higher than 0.125 inch.

Why do golf courses use reel mowers?

The precise cutting action of a reel mower creates an extremely clean cut and allows you to mow the grass at lower heights than a rotary mower will be able to produce.

What do golf courses use to keep grass green?

Grow Greens Hydroponically

Many golf greens use a hydroponic system for growing grass. This system is installed during construction — a bulldozer makes a hole for the green that is between 12 and 16 inches deep. In more advanced systems, the hole is lined with plastic, before gravel, drainage pipes and sand are added.