Kress demonstrates autonomous golf course mowing at Portugal Invitational

Championship golf demands perfection. Kress chose the inaugural Portugal Invitational to demonstrate how autonomous mowing is becoming a practical solution for the world’s most demanding turf environment

At the Portugal Invitational at the Els Club Vilamoura in Algarve, Portugal, Kress demonstrated that unmanned mowing is ready to become part of modern grounds maintenance. As an official partner, Kress used the tournament to showcase technology being deployed at selected courses elsewhere in the region.

During the week, 75 guests, including golf course superintendents, greenkeepers, course managers, owners and spouses from Europe and North America joined Kress in the Algarve.

They came not only to experience a world-class tournament but to examine how unmanned technology can support the teams responsible for achieving exceptional playing conditions.

“Golf is one of the most demanding environments in grounds maintenance, which is why it provides such a meaningful benchmark for our technology,” said Dario Alonso, CEO, Kress South Europe. “In Vilamoura, turf professionals could see that autonomy is no longer a distant concept. It is a working solution.”

From demonstration to daily operation, the Portugal Invitational provided the international stage. Nearby courses provided the operational evidence.

Alongside the Portugal Invitational, Kress deployed two robotic mowers at Old Course Vilamoura, managed by Details. The adoption of the technology at the Old Course Vilamoura demonstrates how unmanned mowing integrates into the daily management of a prestigious golf environment.

The technology is designed not to replace greenkeeping expertise, but to extend it. By taking responsibility for planned, repetitive mowing, autonomous equipment can help teams direct more time towards the work where specialist knowledge and human judgment matter most — from agronomy and irrigation to course presentation and the player experience.

Visitors were also introduced to the Kress MasterSeries robotic mower and Kress EyePilot 4×4, both engineered for the accuracy, coverage and varied terrain demanded by large and complex sites.