Paris, France: The 2024 Summer Olympiad presented a unique opportunity for Le Golf National to lead the way in golf course electrification – and they put their confidence in Jacobsen to achieve it.

The objective was simple. Jacobsen had 18 months to build on the success of its Eclipse 360 ELiTE ride-on greens mower and electrify a fleet that included fairway machines, SLF1 ELiTE, trim machines, TR1 ELiTE, rough machines, AR1 ELiTE, and walking greens machines, Eclipse 2 ELiTE, all of which could withstand a demanding two-week tournament cutting schedule.

When Lucas Pierre, Le Golf National Golf Course Superintendent, was presented with the plan and timeframes by Jacobsen, his initial thoughts were: “To my point of view, they’re crazy!”

But after a tournament with the SLF1 ELiTE and an all-hands trial in early May 2024, Pierre knew the machines were on track.

He said: “We’ve had the SLF1 ELiTE since the French Open in September 2023, and from my point of view, our mechanics and Jacobsen’s, the power is excellent. 

“The big deal was the length of the battery. We tested it against our SLF530 fairway mower, and the SLF1 ELiTE made the round with 60% of the battery left. We even pushed the test to not charge the mower during the night and sent it out the next day with 60%, and it was back to the workshop with 30% left.

“The main improvement on this machine is the traction because everything is electric, and access is much easier on this machine. There are hills everywhere on this course, but when you’re going from one fairway to another, and I’ve been on the machine, you can go everywhere, and you don’t slip or get stuck. Together, the battery and traction are amazing.”

The pressure on this project was not only to provide functioning machines, but a fleet that could provide a quality cut for a tournament-level course.

Through data capture and operator feedback, Le Golf National and Jacobsen have accelerated the establishment of electric ride-on mowers and proved their capabilities on the world stage.

Alongside sport and development, sustainability is integral to the French Golf Federation (FGF) strategy. Jacobsen’s ambition perfectly matches the FGF’s ecological mission statement, and for Basile Lenoir, Legal Director at the FGF, meeting sustainability goals is about turning obstacles into opportunities. 

Lenoir said: “Sustainability is one of the Federation’s key pillars, along with development, sport and green transition. We’re part of a transition process and want to overcome and transform obstacles into opportunities. There’s no shortage of obstacles today, and we need the best possible support to get us through the next 10 years and adapt to climate change challenges.

“Electrification of equipment forms our fourth pillar. Water management, bio-diversity, and now energy are our focal points. Our energy strategy involves electrifying machines and striving for energy neutrality at Le Golf National.”

Jacobsen already had experience with lithium electric ride-on greens mowers, but the main challenge was efficiently upscaling the larger AR1 and TR1 ELiTE lithium machines while managing the weight, cost, and range.

Experience with Samsung SDI Lithium technology gave Jacobsen’s Global Product Manager, Lee Kristensen, and the engineering team a solid foundation on which to build.

Kristensen said: “Le Golf National is an extreme test case, and we can do a lot with the data we get. Working on major tournament preparation at sites such as Le Golf National is a great learning case for Jacobsen because it’s a big and complex environment with many machines working to their peak performance.

“We’re aware that’s not the everyday for most courses, but that learning case builds our experience, and we can apply it as we move into more regular course maintenance.”

Pace Technology, an equipment management and geo-fencing system that is a screenless web-based solution, helped track data for this development. Pace can be accessed from any device and features real-time tracking and task management to maximise the effectiveness of operations.

At Le Golf National, Pace has been used to track and measure the machines’ power output per hole to maximise their performance while developing a bespoke picture of how they work on the course.

Kristensen said: “All of the communication data on the electronic machines is going back through the Pace system to the engineering and development teams so we know exactly how the machines are being used, their exact duty cycle, and we can plan their next jobs or how much charging they need accordingly, making sure we’re making the most efficient use of the machines that are on site.”

*Jacobsen is a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation and a supporter of the AGIF’s Certificate in Greenkeeping programme.