How do you cut your grass and leave those amazing "lawn lines"?

[ashley0323]

I have seen a ton of local business who gets their grass professionally cut, and afterwards the grass has "lawn lines", and looks like a checker board on the lawn! I love the way it looks. Is there a technique that I can try to achieve this?

 

[Insekto]

It's a really easy thing to do, you just need the right tool, you could actually use the push power to cut the graas on a single direction, you have to try to be as accurate as possible not to ruin the lines, after you finish the first line you have to come back by the second line, the point is to cut the grass in different directions, just like this:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Try that and it will surelly look like the grass from stadiums.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

[MaryMary]

It is all about the direction, and it will show up if you use a riding mower, too.

Mowing the yard was my job, weekends, starting when I was about 11 or 12. For months, I mowed the way I had seen Dad do it, ever smaller squares in the yard. The back yard was 2 acres, and it got boring. (Oh, how it got boring!) One weekend, since no one had ever told me why we mowed this way, I went off pattern. I drove the mower "right" for the outer square, then, bored, I started a wavy pattern, weaving back and forth. And when I got done... you could see it. My dad was kind of mad about it. (Mom laughed.) I can still hear dad, though. "It looks like I hired a drunken sailor to mow the yard! "

It took two more mowings for the pattern to fade.

 

[theduck7]

You are talking about perfect golf course lines, right? I've heard that if you always mow the same way, and in a back and forth patter like Insekto described you will have nice lawn line. One of my friends worked for a lawn care business and told me this.

 

[Marck]

I have seen a ton of local business who gets their grass professionally cut, and afterwards the grass has "lawn lines", and looks like a checker board on the lawn! I love the way it looks. Is there a technique that I can try to achieve this?

So far all replies have only written about making lawn stripes. If you want to create the checkerboard pattern, you will need to mow the lawn a second time at right angles to the first.

...and yes, of course, to do so is a complete waste of resources. Anyone who does this, has either too much time on their hands, or too much money to pay the lawn service, while also using twice as much electricity or fuel in the process.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

So funny question. I do circles. around this tree, then tat tree, then the next tree . soon the circles touch.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You will also get more of an effect with a cylinder mower than you would with a rotary mower, but both will do it. A cylinder mower is worth it for a fine lawn of good quality grasses like fox tail and hare's tail. A rotary mower will handle most things like very long, overgrown grass, or grass with rank weeds in and will do a good a job on an average lawn of mixed grass if it is kept reasonably sharp.

Thinking it a bit early to start mowing yet I notice this thread dates from 2016. About mid March-April in England.

 

[harrylee]

The lawn care guys call it striping. The back and forth patter makes it show. If you really want it to show, a full width roller on the back of the mower deck flattens the grass and it shows more.

 

[Sean Regan]

Some golf clubs have the fairways mowed in stripes, like mine.

Augusta National like the "grain" of the grass going all in the same direction, here back towards the tee, it doesn't affect the distance a ball will travel as it is cut short.

 

[Marck]

Thinking it a bit early to start mowing yet I notice this thread dates from 2016. About mid March-April in England.

On worldwide Forums such as this claims of proper seasonality are a moving target at best.
Besides, one should plan their Spring while it is still Winter.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I recall my neighbor across the street. He'd cut his lawn in "perfect" rows, and the end of each row he'd turn off the "push" mower, swivel it around in position and turn it back on again. Like so silly. Me, I am on my ridding mower, zooming in circles around the trees getting wider and wider with each zoom, like a dodgums race course. Sometimes I try to leave the center tree last then there is a center circle. I can only see it if the light is right.