Redesign helps Norway’s Losby club cope with climate challenges TEE BOX Losby Golf Club in Norway has reopened nine holes following a renovation by Caspar Grauballe. The Danish architect was hired in 2024 to renovate greens and bunkers so that they cope better with climate challenges. “It was clear the greens had several issues that contributed to them being vulnerable to weather patterns,” said Grauballe. “Over the years, the grass has transitioned to a poadominated sward that would not survive under prolonged ice cover. Many greens were benched into the side of slopes, and the water would run straight onto the putting surfaces where, in winter, it would settle and form an ice layer causing the grass to die. Compounding the issue was the fact that some greens were very large, and when snow would melt during the day, it needed to travel a long way to exit them, often resulting in it freezing again at night.” Drainage and rootzone issues coming from the course’s original construction were also a factor in the club’s desire to renovate greens. “The solution has been a total redesign of greens with a heavy emphasis on managing water flowing off greens and making sure it will not flow onto them, even in periods when the drainage system may be frozen,” said Grauballe. The architect has shaped greens and surrounds so they divert water away from the putting surfaces. “We have also added a new layer of strategy to the holes by varying angles of the greens and bunkers and have set up the course to provide easy options for the less skilled players and give players the option of playing aggressively for a low score – but at a risk.” Bunkers have been rebuilt and now feature liner from CapillaryFlow and edging from Durabunker. Renovations began in autumn 2025 with nine holes worked on at a time. Despite a wet autumn and winter, nine holes reopened for play in August 2026, with construction then shifting to the other nine holes. Losby also operates a Rain Bird integrated control system with CirrusPRO. “An important part of delivering the holes on time has been the fact that the greens and surrounds have been turfed with locally grown grass, which has settled in very quickly,” said Grauballe. “The surrounds have been maintained from almost the day those areas were turfed. This was made possible by robots, because they are small and don’t disrupt the turf even with very shallow roots. The work of robots has led to playing surfaces being ready quickly, thus allowing greenkeepers to focus on other areas.” All 18 holes are expected to be reopened by summer 2027. 14
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