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USGA Fore The Golfer, A Golfer’s Guide to Autonomous Technology in Course Maintenance

Zach Nicoludis, regional director, Central Region | Published on 7/7/2025

By: Zach Nicoludis, regional director, Central Region

Autonomous mowers are quieter than traditional equipment and they can work day and night. Expect to see more of them on golf courses in the years to come.

Advancements in technology are having an impact on all aspects of life, and the world of golf course maintenance is no different. Significant strides have been made in developing autonomous equipment that can perform a variety of tasks on a golf course, and there is a good chance you will see some of this new technology at a course near you very soon – if you haven’t already!

Labor has been and continues to be one of the greatest challenges golf course superintendents face. Hiring and retention is difficult, wages in golf course maintenance struggle to keep up with other industries competing for the same people, and many maintenance teams are stretched thin. At the same time, golf courses are busier than ever, which means there is more work to do and more play to work around. Autonomous equipment has the potential to ease the pain of labor challenges and improve operational efficiency.

Mowing large and/or busy areas like fairways, rough and clubhouse lawns has been the recent focus of innovations in autonomous golf course maintenance equipment. This makes sense considering how much time is dedicated to these areas. Additionally, autonomous mowers are quieter than traditional equipment, which cuts down on noise around the clubhouse or out on the course. The lighter weight of these mowers means less wear and tear on the turf than conventional mowers and it allows them to operate in softer conditions without causing damage.

Two types of robot mowers are currently available. There are small, rotary-style units that are comparable in size to a push mower that you might use on your lawn and there are reel-style mowers that look more like a traditional fairway mower – minus the operator of course. The rotary mowers are typically used for rough-height grass, although some courses will use them to mow fairways if a low height of cut is not needed. The larger, reel-style mowers can be set to the typical range of fairway mowing heights and can mow 20 to 25 acres on one charge that lasts four to six hours. Regardless of the autonomous mower that is being used, these machines have sensors to monitor their surroundings, so they will stop before they get too close to you or run over your ball. They can also mow throughout the day and night, which can greatly improve efficiency.

Larger, reel-style autonomous mowers are a relatively recent innovation that has a lot of potential.

Another area where autonomous technology is gaining ground is with equipment used to collect golf balls off the practice range. Typically, a golf shop employee is tasked with retrieving range balls, but using an autonomous range picker frees up the staff for other tasks. The smaller, lighter equipment also creates less wear and tear than a typical range vehicle, can operate in rainy weather and softer conditions, and can be programmed to avoid any obstacles like flags or bunkers. The Green Section Record video “Robots on the Range” highlights how this type of equipment is being utilized, including at the 2024 U.S. Open.

Autonomous equipment has not been developed to rake bunkers yet, but based on the amount of time and money spent on bunker maintenance, this is certainly an area where autonomous options would be beneficial. Time will tell if this is an area where manufacturers can make headway.

It is important to note that investing in autonomous equipment should not be viewed as an opportunity to reduce the maintenance budget. Rather, this machinery makes it possible to reallocate scarce labor to other tasks on the course that cannot be done by robots.

Based on early results, we are only scratching the surface of how autonomous equipment will benefit golf course maintenance. It will take time for this technology to become common on golf courses, but there is little doubt that the robots are coming!

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