{"id":35216,"date":"2026-04-26T19:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T19:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/?p=35216"},"modified":"2026-04-27T06:01:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:01:04","slug":"sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"STERF: &#8220;Key goal is deeper international collaboration&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-klozy9b5-7838d190892b3729e2cabb51c3108ade\">\n.avia-image-container.av-klozy9b5-7838d190892b3729e2cabb51c3108ade img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-klozy9b5-7838d190892b3729e2cabb51c3108ade .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-klozy9b5-7838d190892b3729e2cabb51c3108ade av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-35225 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-35225 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80.jpg\" alt='20th anniversary STERF' title='20th anniversary STERF'  height=\"924\" width=\"1643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80.jpg 1643w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-1030x579.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Design-ohne-Titel-80-705x397.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1643px) 100vw, 1643px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-23o95s-0ab5201fffe6ee137c3351df9c9abd5a\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-23o95s-0ab5201fffe6ee137c3351df9c9abd5a{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-23o95s-0ab5201fffe6ee137c3351df9c9abd5a .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-23o95s-0ab5201fffe6ee137c3351df9c9abd5a .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-23o95s-0ab5201fffe6ee137c3351df9c9abd5a av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  >STERF:<span class='special_amp'>&#8221;<\/span>Key goal is deeper international collaboration<span class='special_amp'>&#8221;<\/span><\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-knumkl01-50716a287d44b6b495f655aed8a55545 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p><strong>20 years after it was founded, STERF, the <\/strong><strong>Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation<\/strong>, is Europe&#8217;s most important research institution dealing with turf and the sport of golf. The Nordic research centre has long acted as an important scientific point of contact between EU authorities and golf associations. There are no other comparable scientific institutions in Europe with such a high reputation in the field of golf and turf. Petra Himmel, founder of Golf Sustainable, spoke to <strong>Maria Strandberg, Director of Research and Development, and Chairman Brudo Hedlund<\/strong> about the reasons for the positive development and the objectives for the future.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>When you look back at your original goals &#8211; have you achieved what you set out to do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund: <\/strong>This may sound a bit presumptuous, but we really did a very thorough review when we started. We created a long-term strategic plan\u201425 years\u2014and and we have worked with a clear focus on our goals and what we can see now is that we\u2019ve achieved all the goals we set &#8211; and an additional amount of them that we\u2019ve been picking up during the time. Honestly, in my professional life, I\u2019ve never experienced a plan that has been so good and successful.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>How were those goals originally defined?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> In the beginning, it was mainly the two of us designing a draft of the goals. But then we travelled extensively across the Nordic countries\u2014meeting federations and regional golf organisations and discussed the goals. And finally the goals could be set based on agreement by almost everyone.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Was there anything you underestimated at the beginning?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> We thought that the hard point would be to get finances\u2026 but we were stunned\u2014it just went so smooth. We started with a Euro per member of the golf federations in all the Scandinavian countries, but then we went down because we got so much additional match-funding. So now the contribution is 0.50 Euros per golfer. And we have about one million golfers in the Nordic countries.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> But what we really underestimated was the time it takes to build trust and realize the need of new knowledge to meet the challenges we have to face<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> It was really hard to gain interest from the greenkeepers. It took a while until they really saw that research can give them valuable information on how to get a good golf course.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ly307lin-21194fa21065faad929aba73c50d4f86\">\n.avia-image-container.av-ly307lin-21194fa21065faad929aba73c50d4f86 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-ly307lin-21194fa21065faad929aba73c50d4f86 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-ly307lin-21194fa21065faad929aba73c50d4f86 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-35227 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-35227 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Strandberg-Director-RD-STERF-1500x630.jpg\" alt='' title='Maria Strandberg, Director R&amp;D, STERF,, and Chairman Bruno Hedlund'  height=\"630\" width=\"1500\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-ly304nsx-4781a120e8c7b498304dfd359d69248b '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p><em><strong>What were the key topics in those early years?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> Snow mould was a major issue\u2014winter disease that caused sever damages. Demand-driven fertilisation was also important\u2014 creating good playing quality and saving money by fertilizing according to this concept.\u00a0 Identifying the right grass for Nordic conditions was also a big topic. At that time, we had this Penn A4, which was very popular in the United States, but there were not enough resources at Nordic golf clubs for the very intensive maintenance that A4 requires.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> And there were already discussions about banning pesticides, which worried many people.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>How did you try to implement projects from the beginning?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund: <\/strong>\u00a0We said first of all, we must be 100% sure that the green staff thinks that this is a problem, so that we are working on the right issues. The second important thing was to produce ready-to-use results. And we were working on a tight schedule and looking for short-term results in addition to the long-term results. For scientists, a short time could be two years. That helped to address the \u201civory tower\u201d perception of science.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Would you say that working closely with practitioners is one of the key success factors of STERF research?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> Yes. We require that researchers involve practitioners in the design and execution of their projects. In each project, we have already prepared for implementation from the beginning, since good superintendents are already involved as ambassadors. And we also involve them in the review committees for reviewing new proposals so that they can help to prioritise their actions. Everything we do is based on the needs of the golf clubs and the needs of the practitioners, identified in questionnaires sent to all Nordic golf clubs.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>It took time for clubs to recognise the value of your research?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> Yes. That has been the hardest part for us. Especially in the beginning. Some clubs and consultants were more influenced by practices from the US and other countries outside Scandinavia. It was a barrier because they really liked to listen to a famous greenkeeper and consultants from other countries, such as the United States, saying you could use this and that, but it didn\u2019t work out with European regulations and Nordic climatic conditions.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Would you say that has changed today?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> I think many superintendents and consultants in the Nordic countries are proud of the maintenance philosophy we have and the research we are doing here since they realised that the strategy we have is sustainable and needed to fulfil European and Nordic regulations.\u00a0They are also proud that our research and strategy today receive significant international attention and appreciation.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>How did sustainability and climate become such central topics?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> We have very early foreseen the climate effects. Already from the beginning, clubs saw more winter damage and disease pressure. And later, when extreme weather hit other parts of Europe, interest increased.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>How difficult is it to transfer this awareness to other regions?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> At first, our focus was purely Nordic. But interest has grown internationally and has expanded beyond the Nordic region.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> Now there is a huge interest\u2026 it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s in China or in Europe or in the States. Part of the strategy from the beginning has been to look for a sustainable future, but we must also talk about economics. Clubs and federations see that we approach essential problems.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Is there a possibility of expanding STERF across Europe?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> No, that has never been our strategy. But an important strategy for us is also international collaboration. We are happy to collaborate with universities and organizations all over the world if they have their own substantial and long-term investment in research and development. Partner organisations must have their own solid research and development programmes and activities. We have a number of successful examples of collaboration on a project level, for example, the IPM project, a project jointly funded and coordinated by STERF and TheR&amp;A, which finished about two years ago.\u00a0There were over 25 partners from the whole of Europe participating.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>One main research topic in your latest collaboration project with the R&amp;A and the USGA concerns carbon emissions. Carbon emissions in golf is a topic which is hardly addressed. Why did you decide on this research project?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> We saw that we cannot omit and leave out carbon balance problems because what we need to do is to set the floor for how the golf industry is performing. We have to know more about the golf industrys carbon balance and how can we contribute in one or another way on the long run. We must know, what we are talking about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> It is mainly about understanding carbon balance in turf grass management and about making climate-smart decisions after we have the results.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Climate change and carbon emissions are a difficult topic in the US right now. Working together with the USGA \u2013 how much was the decision for this project influenced by the political situation in the US?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> There was no problem at all. We think our American partners clearly recognize that this is a major and important challenge for golf globally.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund<\/strong>: Everyone is now starting to look at the sustainable approach to taking care of the golf course. We have the most beautiful stadium in all sports. Everyone is now really thinking that, yes, I must work with nature; otherwise, I can&#8217;t keep this. Plus, we have drastic changes like heavy rainstorms, droughts and heavy outbreaks from pesticide effects \u2013 I think everybody is shaken up.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Is data sharing a challenge in your projects?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> In the Nordic countries, clubs and greenkeepers are relatively open, and data collection at golf clubs is often managed in collaboration with golf federation\u00b4s consultants.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Looking back at all your projects, was there one that stood out for its impact?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> There are several. Integrated Pest Management projects have been very effective\u2014especially practical advice and recommendations in the 31 fact sheets. The concept of multifunctional golf courses, created in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers, has had a significant positive impact on authorities and organisations outside golf.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> And demand-driven fertilisation \u2014 that really caused a lot of turbulence within the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>What are your main goals for the next 20 years?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> One key goal is deeper international collaboration to meet the global challenges we have to face ans and create solutions we need the best expertise in all countries; joint research funding; big enough volume of the research projects to have impact; Joint efforts means that we can reach out to many more end-users in less time. Another goal is increased insight of golf courses societal benefits which will strenghten the industry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruno Hedlund:<\/strong> We would like to work up trust with authorities and lawmakers and try to show that what we are doing is perhaps almost ahead of what you are trying to put in as a legislation. And if you earn that confidence and reputation, you can also work out solutions that perhaps will focus better.\u00a0 So plan ahead, make trust and then work out together good solutions. Solutions that are good for the sustainable development, that are good for the authorities, but that also allow golf courses to survive. We also want to focus more on resilience. I think it&#8217;s popular with those who run the golf courses. Resilience means sustainability in the long run, and we would also like to integrate economic aspects.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maria Strandberg:<\/strong> The golf and other turf sports are dependent on robust and resilient ecosystems to function, so we have shifted from focusing on sustainability to focusing on building resilience, which is more \u201chands on\u201d.\u00a0 Resilience for example to rainstorms, dry weather but also resilience to lack of natural resources \u2013 sand. Control of diseases weed and insects also require a robust and resilient grass and soil ecosystem.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-2mu5xc-be51418eee8367333fa093228d957c81 av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><div class=\"av-share-box\"><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share entry<\/h5><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary\/&#038;t=STERF%3A%20%E2%80%9CKey%20goal%20is%20deeper%20international%20collaboration%E2%80%9D' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=STERF%3A%20%E2%80%9CKey%20goal%20is%20deeper%20international%20collaboration%E2%80%9D&#038;url=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/?p=35216' data-av_icon='\ue932' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on X'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on X<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-whatsapp avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on WhatsApp\" href='https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary\/' data-av_icon='\uf232' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on WhatsApp'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on WhatsApp<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-pinterest avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Pinterest\" href='https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfsustainable.com%2Fen%2Fsterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary%2F&#038;description=STERF%3A%20%E2%80%9CKey%20goal%20is%20deeper%20international%20collaboration%E2%80%9D&#038;media=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfsustainable.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F04%2FDesign-ohne-Titel-80-705x397.jpg' data-av_icon='\ue8f8' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Pinterest'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Pinterest<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=STERF%3A%20%E2%80%9CKey%20goal%20is%20deeper%20international%20collaboration%E2%80%9D&#038;url=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary\/' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-mail avia_social_iconfont' ><a  aria-label=\"Share by Mail\" href='mailto:?subject=STERF%3A%20%E2%80%9CKey%20goal%20is%20deeper%20international%20collaboration%E2%80%9D&#038;body=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/sterf-formulates-international-cooperation-as-a-major-goal-for-its-anniversary\/' data-av_icon='\ue805' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share by Mail'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share by Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[776,755],"tags":[3690,2884,2882,1062,1167],"class_list":["post-35216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf-science-en","category-uncategorized","tag-bruno-hedlund","tag-maria-strandberg-and-golf","tag-research-initiative-in-the-gulf","tag-sterf-en","tag-sustainability-in-golf"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>STERF: &quot;Key goal is deeper international collaboration&quot; - Golf Sustainable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"STERF, the EU&#039;s most important research organization for golf and turf, is celebrating its 20th birthday. 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