Golf course superintendents often choose between walk-behind or triplex mowers. Walk mowers are lighter than triplexes, leading to less stress on the turf – especially on the cleanup passes.

There are two basic styles of putting green mowers: walk-behind or triplex, the USGA explains. Walk-behind mowers have an 18- to 22-inch-wide cutting reel and are propelled by a gear-driven rear drum. The operator guides the mower back and forth across the green in straight lines, creating an attractive stripe pattern. Walk mowers are lighter than triplexes, leading to less stress on the turf – especially on the cleanup passes.

Triplex mowers feature three mowing heads mounted on a three-wheeled motorized frame. In most cases, the actual cutting head is identical between the triplex and a walking mower, according to the USGA. The major advantage to triplex mowers is that one employee rides the machine over the green rather than walking which, when combined with the larger cutting swath at 60-inches leads to a quicker mowing operation.

Both walking units and triplexes provide excellent mowing quality when properly sharpened and adjusted. Improvements in mower technology have resulted in newer triplexes that cut grass with the same quality as walking units, which is why many courses are returning to triplex mowers, according to the USGA. Additionally, the labor shortage that the entire country is currently facing is forcing many facilities to utilize triplex mowers to save time with a reduced labor force. For example, a typical 18-hole golf course uses four to six employees to walk mow putting greens while half the staff – or less – can perform the exact same job in the same amount of time with triplex mowers.