Golf Club Les Bois

Notable Observations

• Extensive Natural Habitat Across the Course Large areas between holes and around the edge of the property are maintained as hard rough, while other areas have been left natural since the course was constructed. These habitats support insects, birds and small mammals, with valuable woodland also left largely undisturbed.
• Diverse Habitat Creation for Wildlife The club has created a wide range of habitat features including bee hives, owl and bird boxes, wood piles, dry stone walls, brush piles and traditional Haie de Benje dead hedges. A local expert manages the beehives, which produce around 30 kg of honey each year.
• Native Planting and On-Site Tree Nursery Native species are used almost exclusively throughout the course, while the greenkeeping team operates a small tree nursery to raise saplings for future planting. A hedgerow of native plum trees has also been established, with the fruit used to produce the local Damassine schnapps.
• Solar-Powered Robotic Mowing All fairways and roughs are maintained using electric robotic mowers powered by solar panels. This supports the club's long-standing minimalist approach to course management while reducing energy use and maintenance inputs.
• Water-Efficient Irrigation System Only greens and tees are routinely irrigated, using 100% treated effluent water and municipal stormwater stored in on-site lakes. The irrigation system has been upgraded with individually controlled sprinklers and is supported by an on-site weather station to improve scheduling and efficiency.
• Low-Input Turf Management The course follows a low-input maintenance programme with annual soil testing, increasing use of organic fertilisers, frequent aeration and daily disease monitoring. Pesticides are used sparingly, primarily on greens, with the weather station helping determine the best timing for any necessary applications.
• A Welcoming Community Hub The clubhouse has developed into an important social meeting place for the region, welcoming independent golfers and non-golfers alongside members. This open approach has strengthened the club's role within the local community.
• Research and Innovation Partnerships The club continues to collaborate with SwissGreen on trials of different fescue and Agrostis turf varieties to improve long-term course performance. This ongoing research supports continual refinement of turf management practices under local conditions.

“

“Golf Les Bois continues to manage the golf course with a minimalist philosophy, retaining large areas of pasture and trees and maintaining the playing surfaces with minimal use of water and chemical products. All fairways and roughs are now mowed using electric robot mowers powered by solar panels. New hedgerows (Haie de Benje) have been created as well as numerous micro-structures for small fauna. They have also begun to keep beehives on the property. The clubhouse is an ever more important social meeting point in the region, with members opening their doors to independent golfers and non-golfers alike. I look forward to seeing updated biodiversity surveys and a more structured habitat management plan in collaboration with a habitat specialist, providing more detailed data to manage for key local species.”

David Bily (GEO accredited independent verifier)