Inexperienced Players Keep Picking Up My Golf Balls On The Course. The Solution Is Staring Us In The Face

Golf's popularity doesn't show any signs of slowing down, with more golfers than ever taking to the course.

There is nothing wrong with the newcomers playing our great game, but where I do draw the line is when they haven't bothered to learn the basic rules and etiquette.

Over this summer, I've had multiple moments that have left me in disbelief and, consequently, that's led me to question whether golfers should require a license when they are starting their golfing journey.

Countries like France, Germany and the Netherlands do it, so why not the UK and US?

The question arose during a bizarre two-week period of golf, which just so happened to coincide with the half-term school holidays.

Throughout the fortnight, I had four occasions where either my, or my playing partner's, golf ball was picked up or hit by another group, three of which involved junior golfers.

Having played junior golf myself, there was nothing better than spending the day up at the club during school holidays. Just you and your buddies playing on the course in a banter-filled, competitive environment.

For me and my friends, though, we did all of this while knowing the basics. If we saw a pitch mark on the green then we repaired it, if we had just played from a bunker then we'd rake it, if we saw a golf ball that wasn't ours lying in the rough then we wouldn't pick it up.

It's all simple on paper, but if junior golfers, or novices for that matter, haven't been told the basics by a golf-playing parent, like I was, or indeed a friend or a professional, then how are they to know?

This is where the idea of a golf license comes in. In Germany, it's called a Platzerlaubnis and it's essentially like a driving license, but for golf.

Cutting a long story short, obtaining a license requires you to learn about how to act on the course, as well as other aspects like pace of play, ensuring your safety and the safety of other players, and the Rules of Golf in general.

In my opinion, it's an excellent idea.

Not only does it prepare new golfers for the course, likely increasing their enjoyment, but it also means us established golfers don't have to worry about inexperienced individuals causing havoc.

This would allow us to concentrate on our game without the worry that someone is going to play our ball or run out on to the fairway.

Some may argue that this method isn't perhaps the most friendly way of introducing golfers to the game, but I can't think of many sports where you're not told the basics beforehand.

In football, for example, you're told not to foul or handle the ball. In rugby, you're told not to pass the ball forward and tackle high on the body etc.

When it comes to golf, though, you don't really have this. In theory, any man or woman could walk on to the tee without any training and play a round of golf without knowing the basics...

If, however, they had to have a certification showing that they are capable of playing on the course without any problems, then there would be peace of mind knowing there wouldn't be issues.

Again, many will find this idea a bit extreme, but I honestly think golf licenses aren't a bad idea whatsoever.

The majority of golfers take up the game after a few visits to a golf range, so if they want to pursue the sport further, then obtaining a license to get on the course to make sure they're safe and prepared is a justifiable move.

As I've mentioned before, golf is more popular than ever and, although some have claimed that the game was better pre-Covid, due to fees being cheaper and the availability of tee times, there's no sign the bubble will burst.

Because of the increase of newcomers, though, the standards and etiquette, like repairing pitch marks and raking bunkers, has dropped with it.

Implementing a license, which hones in on all of the required basics you need on the course, would be a sensible and logical move.