# Stadium HOC



## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

Does anyone know what the height of cut is at pro sports fields? I do realize that there is different species of turf at different stadiums across the USA.

I would like to know what they cut say KBG at Fenway or Yankee Stadium, PRG, or Bermuda at say.... Dodger stadium or the Diamondbacks in AZ. North grasses vs South grasses.

They stripe so well and look incredible. The lights from all angles I am sure helps but I would like to know if anyone here knows the answer to this question.


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## lagerman72 (Feb 14, 2017)

I've wondered this as well and can't give any answer to it, I know great help  . I did find this  article that lists all the grass types at each stadium though, which is kinda cool.


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## GrassDaddy (Mar 21, 2017)

Fenway changes their HOC based on who they are playing against to throw the other team off.. how funny is that!

You can follow the groundskeeper here. They do a ton of work. His book is where he shares the sneaky HOC trick

https://www.instagram.com/davidrm3llor/


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Like you said Conner, I think it all depends on the stadium and the team on what the HOC is and the time of year. There are so many variables involved, it would be hard to get a consensus on it.


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)

Busch Stadium in St Louis uses Turf Blue HGT - same KBG mix I used on my lawn. I wonder what height they cut. Looks like it can take a fairly short HOC just fine.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Calling Coach8.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Bookmarked this when I came across it last year.

http://www.sportsfieldmanagementmagazine.com/field-equipment/mowing/mow-how/

Safeco field looks to keep their bluegrass at 1" HOC


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## GrassDaddy (Mar 21, 2017)

But thats not allowed =P


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

:lol:


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

wardconnor said:


> They stripe so well and look incredible. The lights from all angles I am sure helps but I would like to know if anyone here knows the answer to this question.


From my experience, kbg stripes better at the higher HOC ~1.0". But it has an awesome feel to it as you get closer to .5" even though it doesn't stripe as well. Baseball fields like Wrigley, etc. will "Burn" in their stripes by mowing the same pattern for multiple times in a row to get them to pop. That's why they look amazing, and why you will see the same pattern for a whole homestand.


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

This is all good info. I am figuring that the cool season species are cutting around 1" or so. This is what I thought before I asked but wondered if anyone on this channel knew for sure. Again there are a lot of factors that go into HOC and timing.

My cool season stripes better when a little longer but I like the shorter cut better for feel just like your saying Pete.


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## Coach8 (Feb 28, 2017)

Our ballpark is Common Bermuda overseeded with perennial rye. This year we mowed at 3/4" but we will probably go to 1/2 or 5/8 next year. I would say most major league parks are at or under 1", even in the north. Anything over that and you end up with a slow spongy field that takes bad hops. We burn ours in with multiple cuts on same pattern. We generally keep the OF the same pattern and change up the IF once a week. We mow it 6 days a week from February to May.


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## GrassDaddy (Mar 21, 2017)

I'm mowing the back at 1in and man it does look nice.. now I gotta figure out how to stripe it


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

GrassDaddy said:


> I'm mowing the back at 1in and man it does look nice.. now I gotta figure out how to stripe it


And the close mowed turf addiction begins! :nod:


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> GrassDaddy said:
> 
> 
> > I'm mowing the back at 1in and man it does look nice.. now I gotta figure out how to stripe it
> ...


Before you know it, he will have a Greens Mower :lol:


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Pete1313 said:
> 
> 
> > GrassDaddy said:
> ...


This is exactly what happened to me.


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## AdamC (Feb 10, 2017)

I can't talk about the USA but i read an article about the MCG here in Australia, and in summer when the oval is used for cricket it's mowed daily at 10mm (legend bermuda) in winter it's oversown with rye for AFL and mowed once a week at 28mm, and then gain the morning of the game


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Adam, are you an Aussie Rules fan?


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

GrassDaddy said:


> Fenway changes their HOC based on who they are playing against to throw the other team off.. how funny is that!
> 
> You can follow the groundskeeper here. They do a ton of work. His book is where he shares the sneaky HOC trick
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/davidrm3llor/


This is a great follow.

Really interesting stuff over the past few days since they have had a Greatful Dead concert on the field. Not to ruin it for anyone but they found a few piles of ashes on the field post concert. I guess multiple Red Sox fateful had the same last wishes.


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## GrassDaddy (Mar 21, 2017)

Did you see the post where they got down by hand and picked seed with pins because the seed washed to the wrong area?? Lol they are hardcore


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

GrassDaddy said:


> I'm mowing the back at 1in and man it does look nice.. now I gotta figure out how to stripe it


Umm, I think you know how - just a matter of time before giving into the solution. The reel low bug is real.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Topcat said:


> The reel low bug is real.


 :nod:


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

All this talk of 1in hoc for kbg has my thinking. I might start heading there to be there by next summer.


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

g-man said:


> All this talk of 1in hoc for kbg has my thinking. I might start heading there to be there by next summer.


It's easy to do. Just have to go for it.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Autocorrect screwed that post. It is fixed now.

I won't do a drastic change like that in the middle of the summer. But I will transition to it in the fall.


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