Stories from Bad Kleinkirchheim

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt

What do 7 green keepers, a caddy and Gerhard Pontasch have in common? A vision. To be exact: to nourish and cultivate the 18 hole champion green Kaiserburg, which expands over more than 90 hectare, by every trick in the book. We’re talking about ‘art’ here. I found that out for myself recently. Pontasch, the boss of the course, took the time to show me around the place and to introduce me to his secrets. And he’s got a lot of them! I found out, for example, that the tender grass blades – cut to about 4 millimeters (!) – don’t like one thing, and that’s stress. However, each and every time a golfer steps onto Carinthia’s highest golf course or the rough weather beats down onto it, there’s stress. And then Pontasch and his team have to march out to fertilize, water and aerate.

During our conversation I came to realize how diverse the job of a green keeper is. The whole course gets rolled, sand is spread and there’s the mowing. That’s also why I was surprised when Pontasch pulled out a pocket knife and cut a fist sized hole into the fastidiously manicured lawn. What I saw then can best be described as a cake, kind of like the cake you can get at Café Hutter in Bad Kleinkirchheim. You can see the condition of the lawn by the way the layers look and this tells you exactly how easily water can permeate the soil and which wellness-treatment the tender blades should have next.

“Nature needs her time”, said Pontasch as he gently stroked the lawn with his hand. He swings clubs himself, but he only started playing because of his job. Because one thing is for sure - only those who golf are capable of creating the conditions that golf players love. The boss of the golf course has a green thumb, that’s for sure. And he uses it at home too, of course, when it comes to keeping his own lawn and garden up to par. “According to my wife, it’s my job and I enjoy doing it at home”, Pontasch smiled. He sees his job a lot more like a calling than just a job. So it’s no wonder that you can see him doing his rounds on the Golf Course Kaiserburg in the evening, long after the others have gone home to their television sets. This is when he finds the time to consider possible improvements and staff scheduling for the coming week. Then he goes home to his television – because a green keeper who doesn’t know the weather forecast is in the wrong profession!

Home page of the Golf Club Bad Kleinkirchheim. Further information to the topic Golf in Bad Kleinkirchheim.

Image and text courtesy of Ed Wohlfahrt for the editorial team of the website www.badkleinkirchheim.at