Hello from Germany

[ErikT]

Hi, 

 

just joined the forum.

 

I am 47, from Germany and I am living (and playing...) in the Frankfurt area.

 

Having a job in a global chemcial company makes me travel a lot globally - especially to the US, Korea and Japan.... 

 

Last year I started with golf - mainly because a purchasing manager convinced me to play in their customer tournament... (Before that, I was mainly into endurance sports like running, biking and triathlon and never had considered golf as a real sport ;-)

 

I then got my handicap index last year in spring after taking an exam (yes, you have to pass an exam to be allowed to play golf in Germany...) and joining my local club.

 

In the process I actually started to like playing golf and now approx. one year later I am kind of addicted... 

 

Our entire family is now also playing and we are living next to a golf course (directly next to a driving range :-) which also makes a quick practice session in the evening pretty convenient. 

 

Therefore I now also discovered MyGolfSpy as great source of information!

Best

Erik

 

 

[tommc23]

Welcome Erik

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[Miboy62]

Welcome to the site

[ole gray]

Welcome aboard Erik!

[Cascadian]

Welcome Erik!

 

What was the golf exam like? Was it mostly rules and etiquette?

 

-Cascadian

[tony@CIC]

Welcome from Ohio. I use to run a business north of you in Hilden so I'm familiar with the area.  

 

As Cascadian mentioned tell us more about the exam.,

[Kanoito]

Welcome from Hamburg!

[Kanoito]

Welcome Erik!

 

What was the golf exam like? Was it mostly rules and etiquette?

 

-Cascadian

 

It consists of 2 parts:

 

A multiple-selection part where you must put your etiquette and rules knowledge to test.

A practical part where you play 9 holes and only the 6 best are taken into consideration.

Within these 6 holes, you must get 12 Stableford points, which would be a triple bogey on each hole calculated with HCP -54 (3 extra strokes on each hole).

[DPattGolf]

Welcome to MGS from Oregon!

[one0wonder]

Welcome to MGS from Ohio!

[MDGolfHacker]

Welcome!  Interesting that you have to take an exam to play golf!  Is that just for club entrance or to actually play golf at any public course as well ?

 

MDGolfHacker

[PING Apologist #9]

Greetings from Idaho, USA! Willkommen an Bord!

[Kenny B]

Welcome from the USA Pacific Northwest!  Glad you joined us Erik.

[palvord]

Welcome to MGS from Metro-Detroit.

 

I would love to see the uproar it would cause if the USGA mandated a test to allow someone to golf.  Would love to know why it is required in Germany.  Are there not enough courses so they have to limit the amount of players?

[DawgDaddy]

Welcome to My Golf Spy! 

[tttullyt]

Welcome! herzlich willkommen!

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[Kanoito]

Welcome!  Interesting that you have to take an exam to play golf!  Is that just for club entrance or to actually play golf at any public course as well ?

 

MDGolfHacker

 

Just the way Germans do things... there has to be an exam / rule book for everything. You also need to take a test for fishing. Go figure...

The idea is to keep hackers from destroying the course and holding up the groups behind them.

Crowded courses will require a minimum handicap during weekends or at least be accompanied by a member.

Now, that's just the official version.

 

If you already know how to play, just talk to the club and they won't make you take the test.

 

If you are a total beginner, most clubs will have a nice pro that will help you pass the test, even if it takes several tries. Some clubs offer a guarantee that you will pass. The idea is to grow the game, not fail people.

 

Some beginner 9 hole courses (pitch and putt) won't ask for the golfing license, so just go and play.

 

Golf exams are just a part of what the DGV (German Golf Association) enforces. They are also in charge of the entire handicap system for the whole country. All clubs that are affiliated access a common database with all player's data.

So it doesn't matter where you play your competitive round, your score will be uploaded by the host club and made available to your home course for handicap calculations.

 

IIRC, this is what the global handicap system is attempting.

[Kanoito]

Welcome to MGS from Metro-Detroit.

 

I would love to see the uproar it would cause if the USGA mandated a test to allow someone to golf.  Would love to know why it is required in Germany.  Are there not enough courses so they have to limit the amount of players?

 

Reason mentioned above is to protect the golf course, the players and speed up play.

It's not as serious as letting a person drive a car without a license, but you get the idea.

 

Last year there were 732 courses in the whole country. If I'm not mistaken, I got like 30 courses within 1 hour drive.

[cksurfdude]

Hello from NY! And welcome to this group of gear and golf-obsessed people!

[Shankster]

Welcome