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MOTOREX Magazine 2016 107 EN

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NORDIC Varbergs

NORDIC Varbergs Golfklubb southeast of Gothenburg features not one but two 18-hole golf courses. Its environmentally conscious greenskeepers depend on MOTOREX to care for the grounds. VARBERGS GOLFKLUBB, SWEDEN HANDICAP ZERO Experienced golfers can tell how well a green is kept the first time they step on the grass. Experienced professional greenskeepers with the right equipment pool for the job are key elements in the success of any golf club. Sweden’s Varbergs Golfklubb is no exception. Jonas Gustafsson and his team work hard to keep this 40-year-old club running smoothly. So soon after the end of winter the green is still too wet to play. But that’s no big deal — members can always practice at the partially covered driving range. Founded exactly 40 years ago, the club now has over 2000 members. Its two 18-hole golf courses – east and west, about 15 kilometers apart – reopen at different dates depending on the severity and duration of the cold weather. The two courses are very different. Equipment and vehicles must be in perfect working order to ensure that the greens are always perfectly groomed and playable for members. A TOUGH DECISION: EAST OR WEST The club began in 1976 with the “östra” (Swedish for east) golf course. Harmoniously integrated into a wooded, parklike landscape, it features 18 greens on an area of about 50 hectares. The “västra” (Swedish for west) golf course’s dimensions are still more generous. Its 18 greens are sited on a spacious 90-hectare moor landscape of astonishing design. The largest green here measures as much as 140 square meters! Both courses have a base for the greenskeepers and their gear in a well-equipped workshop. 14

In the winter months, a reduced staff carries out major renovation and maintenance work. Jonas Gustafsson is always careful to balance the needs of golfers and nature in his work. THE SCIENCE OF GREENSKEEPING Maintaining the two golf courses is a labor-intensive job. In the summer season, course manager Jonas Gustafsson employs a staff of 15 or so. The different soil compositions of the two courses further complicate the work. Depending on their condition, the greens are mowed daily to a length of 2.8 to 3.8 millimeters. Areas such as the fringes, teeing areas, fairways and semiroughs are mowed three or four times a week. The bunkers are raked two to three times a week and the roughs are mowed once a week. The holes and tee box markers also need to be moved several times a week. In addition, mechanical green maintenance operations (aeration, harrowing, etc.) are carried out at regular intervals. And then there’s watering, sanding, fertilizing and reseeding along with other jobs like waste removal and watering the trees. THE BIOFLUID ADVANTAGE The greenskeepers are responsible not just for operating their sizable equipment pool, but also for maintaining it. At Varbergs it consists of no fewer than 40 mowers, 6 tractors, 10 work and transport vehicles and 13 golf carts. What Jonas Gustafsson values most about MOTOREX is that he can get everything – motor oils, transmission fluids, technical greases, sprays, etc. – from the same supplier and that biodegradable products are also available. Environmental concerns are an important consideration that is taken into account wherever possible. Since nearly all of the equipment includes hydraulic components, MOTOREX OEKOSYNT HEES 46 flows through nearly all of the club’s hydraulic lines. If fluid happens to leak onto a green, the cleaning and restoration work is significantly easier than it would be with a mineral oil. A mineral oil spill would require complete removal of the contaminated soil and grass and reseeding of the green. With OEKOSYNT HEES biofluid, a simple cleanup and reseeding is all it takes – nature does the rest. And that’s a good thing! To make sure Varbergs Golfklubb remains one of the top golf destinations in Sweden, Jonas Gustafsson and his team get to work early, even if there are still a few snowflakes out dancing on the wind. • www.varbergsgk.se FACTS AND FIGURES Company Headquarters Established Employees Sales Website “MOTOREX OEKOSYNTH HEES is perfect for our needs.” Varbergs Golfklubb Varberg, southeast of Gothenburg 1976 19 SEK 14 million www.varbergsgk.se (Swedish only) MOTOREX MAGAZINE 107 I APRIL 2016 15

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