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.
The fact that so many larches shape the character of our courses today is by no means something to be taken for granted. Around 30 years ago, there were significantly fewer trees. For many years, the “Coppa Dschember”, launched by the Schimmel family, helped finance the planting of new ones.
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 during the hottest part of the afternoon, helping to reduce soil drying and, in turn, save irrigation water.
Hole 14 also has a special story to tell. After an old larch there was blown down, some of its wood was used to make the bench that now stands by the tee. Beside it, 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.
Rinaldo Willy ist ganz in Blau gekleidet. Aus seiner Golfbag, die während des Spiels auf dem Rücken trägt, zieht er nun einen kleinen Flachmann. Zeit, einen Schluck auf dieses Loch zu trinken, bei dem er ein Par gespielt hat. Und natürlich ist in dem Flachmann nicht irgendein Fusel, sondern feinster Whisky, den er zusammen mit seinem Freund Pascal Mittner in über 3300 Meter Höhe auf der Rückseite der Bergstation Corvatsch destilliert. ORMA heisst die exklusive Destillerie, die die beiden Visionäre am 10.10.2020 offiziell gegründet haben. «Whisky», sagt Rinaldo Willy, «passt perfekt ins Oberengadin. Wir haben hier eine ähnliche Melancholie wie die Schotten. Und die Seele unserer Landschaft mit ihren Flüssen, Bäumen und Bergen berührt die Menschen ähnlich wie die schottischen Highlands.»
