in Switzerland, a series of golf courses vandalized by environmental activists

Almost sparkling green grass and fountains that spit water as if it were raining. The heat wave does not seem to have hit the Neuchâtel golf course, where the course has been damaged, like half a dozen other golf courses in Switzerland in recent months. Environmental activists, some of whom have claimed responsibility for the actions, view the practice as a “aberration” at a time of climate emergency and drought.

>> REPORT. Drought: “If we have no more water, we have no more work”, the golf courses defend their derogations to water part of the courses

Christian has always been coming to the Neufchâtel golf course and he does not understand why activists have damaged the course, planting potatoes or Jerusalem artichokes on the ground. “I think we are on the wrong target.he regrets. We’re doing pretty well with water. We, for example, take water from the lake, and instead of sending the water back to the lake, we take it to water. So there’s no reason to mess it up.”

“Golf has really evolved”

Pierre-Alain Deveaux is the manager of the Lausanne golf course, also targeted by activists. “We had five or six golf courses affected in French-speaking Switzerland. The damage was significant. It is several tens of thousands of francs. We would have preferred to discuss rather than having to suffer this kind of thing.

However, the Lausanne golf course wants to be virtuous in this area: less than 3% of surfaces treated with phytosanitary products, total cessation of fungicides, creation of biotope zones. Nothing to do with what was done 20 years ago. “Golf has really evolved. Before it was ‘We want hypergreen golf courses, we don’t want weeds’, that’s a bit over.”

“Even in the big tournaments, the ground is brown because we couldn’t water it. And you have very great professionals who play on it and who are there anyway. So I think there is an evolution in golf.”

Pierre-Alain Deveaux, manager of the Lausanne golf course

at franceinfo

Greenwashing according to environmentalists

The problem is water. Several clubs still water with drinking water. In one year, a course like the one in Lausanne can use 30,000 cubic meters of water. The discourse of the clubs is greenwashing, believes Viviane, one of the activists of the Rumblement des Terres movement who claimed the action against the Lausanne golf course. “It’s great, they planted four bushes, five trees, and now they say it’s an incredible place for biodiversity. It’s not true. In fact, it’s not a nature reserve. It’s hyperbold to say that.”

“We cannot afford to have activities that consume resources at a time when they will be increasingly rare. It is an aberration.”

Vivianne, environmental activist

at franceinfo

The solution could go through the reuse of wastewater, a solution that is still very rare in a country where there is a great temptation to pump water from the many lakes available.