With the aim of verifying how automation can help improve turfgrass quality and at the same time increase sustainability, an experiment was launched in 2022 involving the Husqvarna Group, the Montecchia Golf Club (Padua), the Federgolf Turf Section and the Universities of Padua, Pisa and Bologna, highlighting significant positive effects of automated cutting in environmental, economic and aesthetic terms.

The research took place at the Montecchia Golf Club, a green oasis of 90 hectares located on the borders of the Euganean Hills Regional Park (Padua), a Biosphere Reserve according to the MAB UNESCO programme, on which the first CEORAâ„¢ robotic mower by Husqvarna, a leading manufacturer of equipment for the care of public and private greenery, was installed.

CEORAâ„¢ is Husqvarna’s innovative robotic solution for the professional care of large grass areas, up to 75,000 sqm, such as sports fields or golf courses.

In the experimental phase, the benefits that emerged from the use of robotic cutting were so significant that in 2024 8 CEORAâ„¢ 546 robots were permanently installed to maintain the 27 holes of the Montecchia Golf Course and the 18 holes of the adjacent Frassanelle Golf Course, both part of the PlayGolf54 circuit, an organisation that includes, in addition to the two mentioned golf courses, the Galzignano Golf Course and the Albarella Golf Links.

“For years Husqvarna has been conducting numerous studies in collaboration with various international universities and the CERTES of the University of Pisa, which have certified that Husqvarna robotic cutting brings great agronomic benefits to turfgrass, first and foremost an increase in the tillering of the culms, better root depth and less soil compaction thanks to the reduced weight of the robot compared to traditional machines“, says Nicolò Barbato, Husqvarna Pro Robotic Segment Manager.

This is thanks to the daily and constant mowing, based on the mulching technique, the methodology that involves a cut that chops up, removing a reduced amount of plant part, clipping, which falls to the ground and provides the soil with important nutrients.

Continuing to cut without interruption improves the quality of the turf, according to Maria Paola Casati, Head of the Montecchia Golf Academy. ‘The robots once set – except in situations of particular need on the course – can cut H24, even when it rains, with the sole exception of when they go to recharge or during irrigation: it is this constancy of work that creates a beautiful result in terms of aesthetics and turf strength’.

The use of robotic technology for the maintenance of sports grounds also brings substantial benefits in economic terms.

Thanks to the use of robotic mower, workers have the opportunity to devote themselves to higher quality activities, to finishing often neglected areas and to improving the services offered to players, with an increase in their professional satisfaction.

Another example where technology, once the usual initial mistrust has been overcome, comes to the rescue of human activities, bringing an indisputable improvement in work and life.

(News by Husqvarna)