Green Gala 2025 winners' trip: a gr�ndlich look behind the scenes at FC K�ln and Golfclub L�rchenhof

ARTICLE

Hein van Iersel, Wednesday 10 June 2026

287 sec

This year's annual Green Gala winners' trip took participants to the Cologne region. The reigning Greenkeeper of the Year, Fieldmanager of the Year and Professional Football Club Turf Team of the Year 2025 were given a behind-the-scenes look at both professional football and top-level golf. The programme included visits to FC K�ln's stadium and Golfclub L�rchenhof.

On the fairway of Golfclub L�rchenhof

The trip has been a longstanding tradition surrounding the Green Gala. This year's edition was made possible by Heybroek, DLF and Husqvarna. In addition to the winners, Peter Bartels representing DLF and Ron Bakker representing Husqvarna also joined the trip. Due to personal circumstances, Tim Verheij, Mark Verstegen and Ton Metzke were unable to attend. Ren� Kamstra (Municipality of Waadhoeke), elected Fieldmanager of the Year, was present, as were Christian Nueboer (Golfbaan Zeewolde) and Wouter Lantmeesters of KRC Genk.

FC K�ln deliberately chooses a hybrid system

At FC K�ln, head groundsman Markus Schwalm led the tour. The German club is on the verge of a major change: from next season onwards, the stadium pitch will be converted into a hybrid system. According to Schwalm, the decision is driven by the heavy use of the stadium, which hosts several major concerts in addition to football matches. During the tour, he demonstrated how the pitch is completely covered after events and how vulnerable the grass remains as a result. After matches, the surface is repaired using so-called bricks: small pieces of turf.

Markus Schwalm FC K�ln

Bricks on FC K�ln's main pitch

Smart Stitching

Another notable feature was FC K�ln's choice of Dutch company Stogger as supplier of its grow lighting. Schwalm also explained that the club is deliberately looking for a system that can better withstand intensive use while maintaining sufficient playing quality. K�ln has opted for Smart Stitching. In conventional hybrid systems such as GrassMaster, synthetic fibres are injected 18 to 20 centimetres deep into the profile. This creates a very stable construction, but also makes renovation and fibre removal complex and costly.

With Smart Stitching, the fibres are mainly located in the active root zone of the grass

Stitching

Smart Stitching uses shorter fibres of approximately 10 centimetres. As a result, reinforcement remains primarily within the active root zone of the grass. The advantage is that the synthetic fibres can be removed more easily from the top layer during renovation. This is particularly attractive for clubs that renovate more frequently or seek greater flexibility in maintenance and pitch replacement. The group also gained insight into the stadium's technical infrastructure. Schwalm demonstrated the irrigation controls, grow lights and the nursery next to the stadium. A notable detail was the emergency system that allows the irrigation installation to be shut down immediately in the event of malfunctions or external hacking attempts. Schwalm also discussed the ageing grow-light installation. The current SGL units, which have limited output, are technically obsolete according to him, and spare parts are increasingly difficult to obtain. They are still used, but mainly during winter when every available resource is needed.

FC K�ln with Stogger units

FC K�ln

K�lsch

After a full day of stadium technology, hybrid pitches and grow lights, the winners proved to be remarkably resilient outside the turf sector as well, immersing themselves in Cologne's nightlife. Naturally, the unwritten rule applied: what happens in Cologne, stays in Cologne. This resulted in many entertaining stories, although their reliability seemed to decline at roughly the same pace as the alcohol percentage increased. One conclusion at the end of the evening was beyond dispute: the Belgian delegation proved considerably more resistant to the local K�lsch beer. Fortunately, everyone appeared bright and early the following morning for the visit to Golfclub L�rchenhof.

The Belgian delegation proved more resistant to K�lsch than the Dutch participants

Christoph Vogel Golfclub L�rchenhof

Jack Nicklaus

Golf Club Gut L�rchenhof is one of Germany's best-known golf courses. Located just outside Cologne, the course was designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and is regarded as Germany's only true Nicklaus Signature Course. L�rchenhof has a rich tournament history and has hosted the BMW International Open and several European Tour events. A striking feature of the course is its strong focus on detail, presentation and playing quality. The fairways and greens are maintained to a very high standard, while the course is also known for its technical challenges.

At L�rchenhof, everything revolves around perfection

Head greenkeeper Christoph Vogel manages a maintenance team that balances presentation and playing quality on a daily basis. Fairways are mown three times a week, while greens follow a strict programme of mowing, rolling and fertilisation. Vogel continuously adjusts management based on weather conditions and playing pressure. After rainfall, for example, mowing schedules are temporarily modified to reduce damage to the grass plant. Iron applications are also used deliberately to maintain colour and presentation.

Robotisation

L�rchenhof has fully embraced robotisation on its fairways. The course uses TurfTroniq robots for fairway mowing. According to Vogel, these machines provide a consistent and highly uniform mowing pattern, although the technology requires a different approach to planning and monitoring. Mowing lines are visible with metre-level precision, making even minor deviations immediately noticeable. In addition, a GKB Sandfiller is used to improve the top layer of tees and greens and maintain a level, firm playing surface.

According to Vogel, the battle against Poa annua requires continuous adjustment

Annual meadow grass

A major issue on the greens is the ongoing battle against Poa annua. Vogel aims to gradually reduce the share of annual meadow grass in favour of Agrostis, or bentgrass. According to him, this requires a combination of adapted mowing practices, overseeding, topdressing and careful water management. The club is firmly committed to delivering high-quality playing conditions, even when that requires more intensive maintenance. Another notable feature during the tour was the large fleet of Toro machines used across the course. Virtually all maintenance operations are mechanised and digitally supported. New sprayers operate with GPS and tablet controls, allowing treatments to be applied more accurately. According to Vogel, this improves both work quality and the efficient use of inputs. Nevertheless, plant protection remains an important topic. Germany is also experiencing a decline in the availability of plant protection products. At the same time, German greenkeepers still have access to considerably more chemical options than their counterparts in the Netherlands and Belgium. Vogel indicated that he prefers to minimise chemical use, but believes top-level golf can hardly function without it under current expectations. The combination of heavy playing pressure, diseases, insects and the expectation that the course looks perfect year-round creates difficult choices. Water management is becoming increasingly important as well. The course has an extensive irrigation system with approximately 1,300 sprinklers. Last winter, the installation was upgraded to a modern IC system, allowing individual sprinklers to be controlled more precisely. According to Vogel, this is necessary to use water more efficiently in response to stricter regulations and longer periods of drought.

Perfection

L�rchenhof is characterised by its exceptional attention to detail. Bunker edges are kept razor-sharp, mowing patterns are visible with metre-level precision and even small imperfections in the mowing quality are immediately noticeable. At the same time, Vogel acknowledges that achieving perfection is becoming increasingly difficult. The course is expected to remain at the highest standard throughout the year, while staff, resources and available time are under pressure. It was precisely this combination that made the visit so relevant for the Dutch and Belgian field managers and greenkeepers: the challenges in Cologne proved surprisingly familiar.

'Younger golfers are less willing to accept that maintenance is a visible part of top-quality conditions'

Transition

According to Vogel, the profile of golfers is changing as well. While older golfers often show greater understanding for the work of greenkeepers and more readily accept that maintenance activities take place during a round of golf, he sees a different attitude emerging among younger generations. Without wishing to generalise, Vogel observes that more golfers expect a perfect course exactly when they want to play. In their view, this also means a golf course without visible machines or maintenance activities. This development puts additional pressure on greenkeeping staff. Maintenance increasingly has to be carried out outside playing hours, while expectations regarding presentation continue to rise. According to Vogel, this makes it more difficult to find sufficient time and space for tasks such as mowing, topdressing, aeration and bunker maintenance, even on a course with relatively low playing volumes such as L�rchenhof. Robots such as the TurfTroniq mowers fit within this trend. These machines are sent out every morning at around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. by the head mechanic and return well before 9:00 a.m.

This article was previously published on 8 June 2026 on the Fieldmanager](https://www.fieldmanager.nl/article/54354/winnaarsreis-green-gala-2025-een-grndlich-kijkje-achter-de-schermen-bij-fc-kln-en-golfclub-lrchenhof]Fieldmanager) website.

Heybroek

DLF

Husqvarna Nederland bv

Gemeente Waadhoeke

Golfclub Zeewolde

KRC Genk

Stogger Engineering BV

SGL Stadium Grow Lighting

GKB Machines bv

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