A discharge guard assembly for a mower includes a cutter housing having an opening for discharging cuttings. A guard is hingedly attached to the housing so that the guard can move between a closed position and an open position. A latch contacts a stop on the guard to hold the guard in the closed position to allow the mower to operate in a mulching configuration. The latch is movable to an unlatched position in which the guard is free to rotate to the open position to allow cuttings to be discharged through the opening in the housing.
