Sus­tain­abil­i­ty on the An­der­matt Swiss Alps Golf Course

The golf course includes meticulously planned ecological offset and compensation areas, such as the cantonal conservation area Bäz, which makes up nearly 40% of the total area of the golf course. The water elements – some natural, others artificially designed – and the dense vegetation along their banks ensure a biotope network that extends across the entire golf course.

Drainage water from greens and tees is filtered through an absorbing well in the ground before being released into the water elements. There are two channels in the water conservation zone, where the greens and tee were built on a screen so that that drainage water can be collected and routed out of the zone.

The use of pesticides is reduced to a minimum through a sophisticated nutrient programme that includes various organically and bacterially enriched products. Fertiliser is applied intensively on only about one-quarter of the grounds. Fertilisers and pesticides are not allowed near the protective buffers of the water elements.

The golf clubhouse is extremely well insulated and was built in line with the Swiss low-energy standard Minergie.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course gets all of its power from hydroelectric stations and wind turbines in the Gotthard region.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course heats its club house in a environmentally neutral manner using a heat pump with borehole heat exchanger.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course obtains consumables, such as sand, from local plants, where possible. Unpainted wood tees and pencils are available. The specially designed packaging is made entirely of recycled cardboard.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course uses alkylbenzene to power petrol-operated tools used for course maintenance work. As a result, the exhaust contains significantly fewer substances that are damaging to health and the environment. The mowers used to maintain greens, tees and fringes are equipped with hybrid engines.

At the Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course, waste is separated: paper, cardboard, glass and aluminium are recycled. The consumption of plastic is being reduced, and PET bottles are not available on the golf course.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course uses only golf carts and trolleys with electric drives.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course supports the juniors department of the Andermatt Realp Golf Club. It also offers trial lessons for schoolchildren and local children.

The employees work for Andermatt Swiss Alps AG. They receive fair pay, contemporary hiring terms in line with the market and social protection.

If they qualify and are interested, groundskeepers at the Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course can receive training at DEULA Rheinland. Two employees have already been trained as certified agricultural technicians for golf course maintenance and two as certified course workers. Another employee is starting training to become head groundskeeper.

Where possible, maintenance work that the golf team cannot handle directly is performed by local companies in order to keep travel distances short and preserve value creation in the region. As a rule, regional trades are always given preference.

A hiking path was installed around the golf course, which provides attractive views of the surroundings with various bodies of water and natural meadows.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course has almost 20 employees.

By creating and preserving jobs, and by working together with partners, service providers and suppliers in the area, the Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course is making a sustainable contribution to local value creation.