British Columbia: Odd Lawn Problem

Our north facing backyard includes a long-established lawn that looks thick and healthy enough on the surface, but the grass seems to be growing sideways underneath, i.e. if you lift up a tuft of grass that appears to be 2 inches high, the stalks actually run laterally on top of the ground for another 4 to 5 inches. This makes for a rather lumpy surface.

Should we rake it hard before mowing to get the "sideways-growing" grass to stand up more vertically?

 

What's the soil like in the bare patches, rock?

 

Have you been watering with a hose? Do you change the direction of your mower cut? Did you seed the lawn yourself? It sounds like "stolons"

Always use Canada Grade One seed with attributes that suit the growing conditions. Never the cheapest bag that you find.

Perhaps a picture?

I think: rake it and cut it higher than normal in an atypical direction, then rake it again and cut it a bit shorter in another direction etc. It will look yellow, but will recover.

Now is a great time to top dress with good soil and overseed with quality grass seed.

 

I've posted a couple of photos here - a wide shot and a close-up (watch included to give a sense of scale). There are no bare patches visible (on the contrary, the grass is very thick), although the soil is visible when the grass is lifted.