Alfi Stoisser, our long-serving former Head Greenkeeper, knows these trees better than almost anyone. A trained forester, he originally came to the golf course through reforestation work. Ironically, one of his first jobs was to fell an ancient larch near the 7th green, as it had become a safety risk for players.
It is almost impossible to determine the exact age of the oldest specimens. Many of these ancient larches are already partly hollow or decayed inside. Particular attention therefore has to be paid to older trees that are leaning at an angle — although it is difficult to predict when one of these veterans might eventually come down. The greenkeeping team therefore treats them with great care and restraint.
The fact that so many larches shape the character of our courses today is by no means something to be taken for granted. Old photographs show that some areas were still considerably more open and sparsely wooded more than 35 years agon (see header picture). Much of the tree cover that now feels so naturally part of the landscape has only developed over the decades. For many years, the “Coppa Dschember”, launched by the Schimmel family, helped finance the planting of new trees.
And the thinking continues today. In 2021, five ETH Zurich students joined forces with our greenkeeping team to plant six conifers beside the tee boxes of hole 7 in Samedan. Their exact location was determined using scientific data. The idea is that, in around 30 years, once the trees have grown tall enough, they will cast shade over the closely mown grass in the late afternoon, helping to reduce soil drying and, in turn, save irrigation water.
Hole 14 also has a special story to tell. After the charateristic old larch there was blown down, some of its wood was used to make the bench that now stands by the tee. At the original location a young successor is already growing — and has already collected a few golf-ball scars of its own.
Our larches therefore tell more than just a story of nature. They also tell a good part of our club’s history.
