As the players at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open prepare to tee off at Royal Porthcawl in Wales this week, few will be aware they are tackling a hallowed links whose playing surfaces have been partially prepared by robots.
For the first time in a major championship in the UK, a fleet of robotic mowers have been exclusively cutting the course’s fairways and practice area.
A fleet of 15 robotic mowers, including Husqvarna’s CEORA 546 and Automower 580L models, will begin work at 1.30am to cut Royal Porthcawl’s fairways, supporting the home greenkeeping team as they prepare the course for the largest women’s sporting event ever to be played in Wales. The robotic mowers finish at around 5am, before being returned to recharge – clearing the way for the greenkeeping team to commence their vital daily tasks.
Husqvarna’s fleet of robotic fairway mowers is freeing up time for Royal Porthcawl’s greenkeeping team to focus on preparing other parts of the golf course for the staging of the AIG Women’s Open
Royal Porthcawl Course Manager Ian Kinley has championed the use of robotic technology at the club since first working with Husqvarna in January. Throughout the championship, autonomous technology will enable his team to focus their efforts upon other key areas of the course, such as the greens, tees and bunkers.
He said: “With the AIG Women’s Open set to be the largest-ever women’s sporting event in Wales, we know there’s tremendous pressure to produce playing surfaces that are worthy of such a high-profile event. It’s been priceless to be able to lean on the support of the Husqvarna team as we prepare for the championship.
“Autonomous machinery aligns closely with our commitment to more sustainable practices at Royal Porthcawl. We’re invested in using robots on our course long term and we’re incredibly proud to be one of the first venues in the world to use this technology during the hosting of one of golf’s major championships.”
Samantha Donnelly, Senior Marketing Manager at Husqvarna, said: “As women’s golf grows, we believe it has never been more important to build on the momentum and help drive progression forward, on and off the course. With this in mind, we are thrilled to be at the forefront of this unprecedented move for golf, laying the future foundations for how elite tournaments will be prepared, while increasing our foothold and support for the women’s game at large, as official suppliers for the AIG Women’s Open.”
The R&A’s Sustainable Agronomy Service continues to explore new technologies that deliver high performance golf courses in a sustainable way, and the use of robots for the first time at a global championship aims to showcase innovations in sustainable golf course maintenance on one of the biggest stages in world golf.
Richard Windows Assistant Director for Sustainable Agronomy at The R&A, said: “The R&A’s agronomy team across the globe is focused on delivering high performance surfaces in a sustainable way. At the AIG Women’s Open, the Husqvarna portfolio is helping us deliver this goal through improved resource management, regular lightweight mowing and reduced carbon usage.”
