There are up to 800 greenkeepers working in Switzerland. There is currently a great need for specialists. Part-time training is offered in Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy.
They hear the grass grow
They are the good spirits who create the basis for an unclouded game of golf. They are hard-working professionals who can be found on the course at all times of the day, from early morning to late at night and in all weathers. They usually drive futuristic-looking machines or even float across the lawn with their wheels retracted. Bad luck if once again only the pitchfork is left.
And what does "keep it green" include?
Apart from the daily artful provision and optimisation of the play areas, the machines have to be maintained, the materials managed, all paths, water areas, copses, signals maintained and the nature conservation areas looked after. In such a complex and modern enterprise, there is the continuous challenge of optimising economically and ecologically relevant areas such as energy and auxiliary material consumption and reducing environmental pollution. This can only be achieved through the interplay of theory and practice.
Thinking along is called for
Urs Gehrig, Head Greenkeeper: "I developed a pioneering solution for fertilising the grass. I was not convinced by the conventional fertilisation with nitrogen grains. The grains were often washed away by the rain and polluted the waters. Instead of using grains two to three times a year, I fertilise every four weeks in liquid form with GPS-controlled sprayers. Nitrogen consumption has been halved, the lawn grows more evenly, and thanks to the high precision, no fertiliser gets into the surrounding areas."
The required flexibility keeps you awake
While playing golf or taking a walk, one concentrates on the game and the landscape and can hardly imagine the enormous performance. There is no doubt that multi-talents are in demand:
Daily mowing, watering, moving holes, freshening up tees, raking bunkers - these are jobs that are noticed from the outside.
A lot of other work takes place away from view. In spring and autumn, renovations and adjustments are carried out, pipes have to be installed, flowers need to be tended, trees pruned and incubators hung. Then there is the fleet of machines and vehicles that the team maintains itself. And not to forget coordination meetings, interviews and the occasional after-work beer. The dedicated efforts with head, heart and hand are worth it, because golf lawns as well as hay meadows, cattle pastures and grain fields only thrive sustainably if the soil is healthy and fertile.
Care since the beginning
Urs Gehrig: "Thanks to the extremely careful handling of the soil during the construction period as well as the meticulous maintenance on the fairways as well as on the compensation areas, 52 hectares of best cultivated land will be preserved on the Meggen golf course for future generations. Cereals can be cultivated here again in the future without any problems. If there was a new building here, everyone would know the answer."
Dear Urs and Greenkeeping Team,
Thank you very much. We appreciate your work very much.
Urs Gehrig: "What I particularly appreciate about our job is working outside, in the fresh air, in nature. nature, that no two days are ever the same. I feel a certain amount of annoyance when we are not on schedule because of a machine breakdown or a change in the weather. The pitch has to be mown and ready before the first players start. But everything is solvable, 'can't do' doesn't exist."
