I have operated off of several grass strips with no problem. I do some research to make sure that the surface is smooth and the grass is short. I flew into one airport here in central FL where the runway was fine, but the parking area was grass in soft sandy soil. No damage to the wheel pants, but it was really too soft to be taxiing on with the wheel pants installed. I took it to Sun n' Fun two years ago and the parking area there was very soft sand, as well. Again, no problem, but it made me nervous. If I were to take the wheel pants off, I would have no concerns at all about operating off most grass strips. I think if I was going to do it on a regular basis, or wanted to base the airplane on a grass field, I would trim the wheel pants up a bit higher. I imagine that would cost a knot or two, but it would be worth it in that situation.