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More Than Mowing

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

More Than Mowing As labour pressures and tighter maintenance windows continue to shape grounds care, getting more useful working hours from every machine is becoming increasingly important. As autumn arrives and morning dew becomes a familiar sight across golf courses and sports pitches, grounds teams face a familiar challenge. Daylight hours become shorter, but the […]

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care Championship golf leaves no room for compromise. That’s precisely why Kress chose the inaugural Portugal Invitational to demonstrate how unmanned mowing is becoming a practical solution for the world’s most demanding turf environments. At the inaugural Portugal Invitational, Kress demonstrated that unmanned mowing is ready to become part of […]

More Than Mowing

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

More Than Mowing

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

More Than Mowing

As labour pressures and tighter maintenance windows continue to shape grounds care, getting more useful working hours from every machine is becoming increasingly important.

More Than Mowing

As autumn arrives and morning dew becomes a familiar sight across golf courses and sports pitches, grounds teams face a familiar challenge. Daylight hours become shorter, but the list of jobs rarely does.

Before the first tee time or match, dew may need clearing, grass needs cutting and driving ranges require ball collection. For teams already working with limited labour and narrow maintenance windows, fitting everything into the day can place considerable pressure on both people and equipment.

It also raises a simple question when facilities invest in automation: once an autonomous mower has finished cutting, what does it do next?

The FJD Rough Ranger has been developed around the idea that one robotic platform can remain productive beyond mowing. At its core, it is an autonomous mower designed for demanding turf environments, while interchangeable attachments allow the same machine to take on other routine jobs as priorities change.

That versatility starts with capable mowing. Golf course roughs and facility surrounds can present slopes, uneven ground, dense grass and obstacles. The Rough Ranger combines a front suspension chassis with a floating cutting deck, helping it remain stable on uneven terrain and follow ground contours for a more consistent cut with less turf scalping. It can operate on working slopes of up to 20°.

But its working day can begin before mowing starts.

On an autumn morning, the Rough Ranger can be fitted with a three-section dew brush spanning 2,930 mm. Working ahead of play, it can clear dew from the turf, while automatic lifting and folding allow the brush to retract during turns and manoeuvring around obstacles.

Dew brushing is a simple but repetitive and time-sensitive task. Moving it to an autonomous platform can free experienced staff to focus on work that requires more judgement and attention.

Once dew removal or mowing is complete, the same machine does not have to return to the shed. With the ball-picking attachment fitted, it can move to the driving range and collect up to 3,000 golf balls per hour, returning automatically to the unloading area when its basket is full.

In practical terms, one machine can begin work before golfers arrive, move on to mowing during the maintenance window and later continue working on the driving range.

That is the real value of a multi-functional robotic platform. The point is not simply how many attachments can be fitted to the same machine, but how much of the working day it can remain useful.

Other attachments can extend the platform into tasks such as sports-pitch line marking and the collection of grass clippings, leaves and light debris, giving facilities additional flexibility as requirements change.

Autonomous navigation uses RTK fused with LiDAR to build a 3D terrain map, helping the Rough Ranger operate in challenging areas such as under trees or around obstacles. Real-time LiDAR obstacle detection adds another layer of support for autonomous operation.

For grounds managers, this changes the conversation around automation. The question is no longer only how much labour an autonomous mower can save while cutting grass, but how much useful work the same machine can complete across the rest of the day.

For teams under pressure to maintain standards with limited time and resources, keeping one machine productive across different tasks can be as important as autonomy itself.

The thinking behind the FJD Rough Ranger is straightforward: rather than using robotics for one job at a time, make better use of the robotic platform already on site.

Doing more does not always mean having more machines. Sometimes, it simply means getting more from each one.

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Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

August 25, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

Championship golf leaves no room for compromise. That’s precisely why Kress chose the inaugural Portugal Invitational to demonstrate how unmanned mowing is becoming a practical solution for the world’s most demanding turf environments.

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

At the inaugural Portugal Invitational, Kress demonstrated that unmanned mowing is ready to become part of modern grounds maintenance. As an Official Partner, Kress used the tournament to showcase technology being deployed at selected courses elsewhere in the region. The tournament was not where Kress merely advertised unmanned mowing; it was where championship golf validated its maturity.

Across the week, 75 guests, including golf course superintendents, greenkeepers, course managers, owners, and spouses from Europe and North America joined Kress in Algarve. They came not only to experience a world-class tournament, but to examine how unmanned technology can support the teams responsible for achieving exceptional playing conditions.

“Golf is one of the most demanding environments in grounds maintenance, which is why it provides such a meaningful benchmark for our technology,” said Dario Alonso, CEO, Kress South Europe. “In Vilamoura, turf professionals could see that autonomy is no longer a distant concept. It is a working solution.”

From demonstration to daily operation

The Portugal Invitational provided the international stage. Nearby courses provided the operational evidence.

Alongside the Portugal Invitational, Kress deployed two robotic mowers at Old Course Vilamoura, managed by DETAILS, Portugal’s leading golf management company. The adoption of the technology at the Old Course Vilamoura demonstrates how unmanned mowing integrates into the daily management of a prestigious golf environment.

The technology is designed not to replace greenkeeping expertise, but to extend it. By taking responsibility for planned, repetitive mowing, autonomous equipment can help teams direct more time towards the work where specialist knowledge and human judgement matter most—from agronomy and irrigation to course presentation and the player experience.

Visitors were also introduced to the Kress MasterSeries robotic mower and Kress EyePilot 4×4, both engineered for the accuracy, coverage and varied terrain demanded by large and complex sites.

A visit to Quinta do Lago added the perspective of daily course management, with Superintendent Scott McLean giving guests an inside view of the expertise and attention required to maintain one of the Algarve’s most highly regarded golf destinations.

A benchmark beyond golf

Golf has always set the benchmark for professional turf care. If autonomous mowing can meet the expectations of championship golf—where every detail affects play—it becomes relevant to sports facilities, municipalities, universities, resorts and every organisation responsible for maintaining high-quality landscapes.

The Portugal Invitational provided the setting in which Kress demonstrated that unmanned mowing is no longer an emerging concept. It is becoming part of the operational toolkit of organisations responsible for maintaining some of the world’s most demanding landscapes.

The inaugural Portugal Invitational brought together legends of the game at The Els Club Vilamoura, where Zach Johnson claimed the title with a 19-under-par finish. For Kress and the turf professionals attending, the tournament’s significance extended beyond the competition: it demonstrated how unmanned mowing is becoming part of the future of championship course maintenance.

For more information, please visit https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

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You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

More Than Mowing

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

More Than Mowing

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

More Than Mowing

More Than Mowing

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

Championship golf validates unmanned turf care

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