By Jon-Åge Ruud, Founder of NORTURF
During my time at Kristianstad Golf Club, I had the opportunity to work with some of the finest equipment and the most advanced greenkeeping practices Europe has to offer. Even with a relatively short career in the trade, I’ve already seen how golf facilities are run across every size and level of ambition — from small local clubs to international championship courses.
The Problem With Golf Course Operations
And here’s what struck me: even in 2026, paper is still a huge part of daily operations. Equipment manuals in binders. Work instructions on laminated sheets. Timesheets filled out by hand. Drawings of irrigation and drainage systems tucked away in a drawer somewhere — if they exist at all. And where digital operations systems do exist, they’re usually built for entirely different industries, with no real understanding of what a normal operating day on a golf course actually requires.
I’ve spent over 30 years of my life in industries where operations, logistics and accountability are the very foundation — running a restaurant or hotel is, after all, exactly that: knowing what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, and who’s responsible for it. When I changed direction a few years ago and moved into greenkeeping — a decision I’ve never regretted — I expected to find an industry with equally solid systems for daily operations. Instead, I found a proud, skilled trade still largely run on paper, binders, and “it’s all in the head of whoever’s been here the longest.”
This isn’t a criticism of the greenkeepers I’ve worked alongside — quite the opposite. I’ve met some of the most skilled and passionate professionals I’ve ever worked with, both in Norway and during my FEGGA scholarship at Kristianstad. The problem was never the people. It was the tools they’d been left with.
Building the Tools Greenkeepers Actually Need
So I started building something myself. Not because I’m a programmer — I’m not — but because I knew exactly what was missing, having stood right in the middle of it: a spray journal that actually ties into the regulations. Machine checks that someone has to confirm were followed up, not just ticked off. One place where today’s tasks are visible to everyone, on their phone, without anyone having to hunt down a whiteboard. Budgets and timesheets that talk to each other, instead of living in separate spreadsheets.
NORTURF: Built by a Greenkeeper, for Greenkeepers
On 1 October 2026, I launched NORTURF — an app built by a greenkeeper, for greenkeepers. It covers daily operations, budget and payroll, agronomy and spray logging, fleet management and health & safety, and is currently available in six languages.
I’m still building it while standing in the grass every day myself. That’s deliberate. The day I stop feeling the same frustrations as the rest of the industry is the day I stop building the right product.
Editorial Note:
This article was written by Jon-Åge Ruud, founder of NORTURF, and reflects his personal experience and vision behind the platform. Greenkeeping Insight publishes this contribution to share industry perspectives, ideas and innovations. It should not be considered an independent product review or endorsement.
