"Golf is social and needs brains"

SW: My confession right up front: I'm 51 and have never held a golf club before.
PK: You're in good company! There are lots of people who prefer other nature-based sports: rowing, biking, hiking, running.

SW: And you can even really work up a sweat!
PK: Golfing is also strenuous. How many kilometers do you think you cover on foot on an 18-hole course?

SW: No idea.
PK: Between 11 and 13 kilometers. It takes about 4.5 hours. If you have to look for a few balls that have landed offside, that adds a few more meters.

SW: But basically you're already comfortably on your way.
PK: That's correct, but golf needs brains! This also explains why so many top athletes play golf, for example a professional ice hockey player like Nino Niederreiter, a professional skier like Marco Odermatt or a superstar like Roger Federer. Golf has a lot to do with tactics, precision, concentration and technique. Up to 100 muscles are used in the execution of a golf swing. Golf is therefore a very good balance to other sports. Another advantage is that an experienced golfer can easily play with a friend who is not so good. Everyone plays their own game and yet you still spend time together. Golf also knows no age limits. Our oldest player is eighty and is still on the course. She started at sixty. In what other sport is that possible?

SW: Then I'm not too old to learn golf yet?
PK: Definitely not! The important thing is to throw preconceptions overboard, then you immediately realize that golf is a social sport. Many friendships are cultivated on the golf course and new ones are formed all the time. For business people, the golf course is also an ideal place to network.

SW: However, golf has never completely lost its reputation as an exclusive hobby.
PK: As a public course, we are not elitist and offer something for various groups and for every budget. Amateurs are just as welcome as professionals. We have three courses: The "Rigi" course with 9 holes is very popular with people who don't have a lot of time and don't want to be out and about for too long. The 18-hole "Zugersee" course offers a wonderful view of the lake. Our tournaments also take place on this course, including the Ladies Open: a professional tournament where the best female golfers in Europe compete for prize money. There is also the "Pilatus" course with 9 holes for beginners. We also use this course for our "Fun Golf" offer.

SW: What does "Fun Golf" mean that regular golf is a serious matter?
PK:  "Fun Golf" is golf for non-golfers - an excursion into new sporting territory. Families, friends, clubs or companies book an introductory course in our golf arena and combine it with an aperitif or a meal. Fun Golf" is often combined with seminars or team-building courses. The concept is: brief instruction, pick up the club and ball and then play. The aim is to hit a ball from the tee into the hole in as few strokes as possible. The level of difficulty is rather low, the fairways are short.

SW: Speaking of distance: there are hardly any golf carts on your golf course, unlike in the USA, where you often see them.
PK:  "Golf carts" or "club cars" are only available here for guests over 60 or on presentation of a medical certificate. It's a different story in the USA. The courses there are much larger and the distances between the green and the tee are sometimes so great that it would be impossible to finish a course before dusk without a vehicle.

SW: Golf and ecology - do they go together?
PK: As a GEO-certified facility, we have to comply with the high standards of the "Golf Environment Organization" in the areas of nature conservation, biodiversity, water and plant protection management and energy. One of the reasons we are able to do this is because, although our course covers 110 hectares, only a third of it is used as a playing area. One third is a compensation area and one third is an ecological area. Flora and fauna can spread naturally on these two thirds.

SW: What does that mean?
PK: Here there are reeds, ducks, birds, trees, hedges, shrubs, and the area comes close to being a nature reserve. The Sempach Ornithological Institute even once investigated the effect of the near-natural habitats that were created here and came to the conclusion that the species spectrum, number of species and individual density of dragonflies, amphibians, hedge breeders and waterfowl as well as butterflies have developed exceptionally positively.

SW: But without pesticides for weed control, it's hardly possible.
PK: That's right. But the green - the 200 to 300 square metre area around the hole - doesn't look so beautiful because a lot of fertilizer and pesticides have been used here, but because the grass is mowed so often: every third or even second day during the growing season. The green is the area specially prepared for putting. The cutting height of the grass there is just 3.5 millimetres.

SW: How does the pitch react to persistent drought, which we have to be prepared for in summer? PK: Just like nature elsewhere. The grass withers and the meadow turns brown. It doesn't look very nice, but we - like the farmers - are to some extent at the mercy of the weather. Due to the low cutting height of the grass, the green is susceptible to high temperatures and sun and burns. Irrigation cools the grass down.

SW: What's with all the parking spaces? Can't the golf equipment be transported on the bus? PK: Yes, and we used to have a bus stop here right by the golf course, but this was removed due to lack of demand. The nearest bus stop is now 400 meters away from our course at St. Wendelin in Holzhäusern. To be honest, it has to be said that most people travel here by car, as we are very well connected thanks to the nearby highway. Golf equipment can be deposited in the caddy hall: Arriving by bus, bike or even on foot is no problem.

SW: Golfing in the morning or golfing in the evening - what do you recommend?
PK: Personally, I prefer to go to the course early in the morning when the sun rises and nature awakens. But the evening is also appealing. As long as you can see the ball, you can play golf. Holzhäusern is busy from early in the morning until late in the evening. Rush hour is from 7 am to 5 pm. Around 500 people come to the course every day. And more than 100,000 rounds of golf are played here every year.

SW: You can play in any weather?
PK: Yes, except during thunderstorms. Anyone standing on the grass with a metal bat attracts lightning.

SW: How is the understanding with the farmers who lease you the land?
PK: Very good. We maintain close contact with the farmers. A long-term perspective is important to us - this is the only way we can plan and manage the site sustainably. What I am also pleased about is that the non-playing population of Risch also appreciates the golf course. They realize and are happy that it is an area that remains a green space and cannot be built over.

SW: Can I actually cross the golf course as a normal walker or cyclist?
PK: Of course, on the designated paths. Golfers, cyclists and walkers can easily get past each other. Where necessary, nets provide protection against any mishits. Our restaurant is also used by many external guests who are not playing golf but simply want to eat or drink something here.

SW: You are talking about the architectural gem "Albero", the wooden house made of local spruce and fir with a magnificent terrace - the restaurant is a real eye-catcher.
PK: The "Albero" massively enhances our golf course. Large companies as well as small local businesses regularly use our course for events, meetings and seminars. And families feel at home here. The "Albero" is also booked for weddings. The infrastructure leaves nothing to be desired, and thanks to the spacious, covered decks, the outdoor space can also be used in uncertain weather conditions.

SW: You mentioned it: the Holzhäusern golf course is popular and very busy. Are you reaching the limits of your capacity?
PK: That's true, but the good capacity utilization also means that the golf course in Holzhäusern is a good product, a success. If it stood empty half the time, we would have done something wrong.

SW: How did you get into golf yourself?
PK: I used to play ice hockey and was looking for a sport to balance it out. As I grew up in St. Moritz, golf was the obvious choice. Samedan is home to the oldest golf course in Switzerland. And just a few meters away, in Zuoz, there is a second golf course. In winter, these areas are used for cross-country skiing. Unfortunately, this is not possible in Holzhäusern due to a lack of snow.