Swedish Fairy Tale
MANY golfers have either convenienfly ignored or have never learned the rules of Golf Etiquette When mis docior played in a random foursome lest weekend, the same giving ehquette lapses became so evident: -ii’, [i.’:i”‘j lire:: were ■ r> ir.%rd “l.^’T- were
hilbng oul of turn without informing other players, they were switching balls on the green {using ‘putting balk”) and no one repaired pitch marks Dtd I complain? No Because il *s something we accept as regular behavior and more because fcke our day-to-day existence, we avoid trying lo change things we fed we can no
Encounter with Europeans Yesterday, the Doctor played with a group of expat golfers from European countries1 a Dane, a Swede and a French guy. They were noisy, flirted with the umbrella girls and were full of ctrly stories but, they talked at the rkjhi tines (not while someone was putting or hitting), they repaired pilch marks, scored honestly, yelled fore’ and apologized to their caddes when they had spent loo much time axfcng for a bal thai had probably gone oul</bounds He marveled at their decorum and started asking aboul how they got started in the game. It seems the two Scandinavians learned back in Europe and the way they started playing sounded like a Fairy Tale Golf had a slow start in Sweden During the
‘■>-Mt’- »”.r:. | * fj*”Q :.■ :f’- srnal jjulfirij society ftii
very much a closed society and not interested in making the new pastme a general awareness Even 50 years after the arrival of the first dub. m 1554, the number of golfers was only 7.000 divided among 3d dubs, wheh equals only 165 members per club. However, from Ihe beginning of the 60s as people began to have more spare time the growth has been evident. The government encouraged towns lo build luce* ekibs by gyving them tax breaks because gorf courses helped protect the ‘green spaces* Smcc gorf resorts are expensive, moat of the courses built were smal ‘public, type courses or 9 hole pAch-and-pull courses. The maintenance is cheaper and local grasses were used
The growth of the sport was also helped by a dnve of the Swedish Golf Federation to set up cf nics where golfers teamed the sport and by creating tournaments at ail levels for everyone. in 2004 there were more then 600,000 golfers in 490 gorf clubs, almost half of them 9 hole par 3 courses
If one explanation only should be grven to illustrate the golf boom in Sweden H could be read in Ihe expression ‘farniljesporT (famiy sport), h is very common for ttt whole family to take up gcrf together. Golf was packaged as a sport or a pastme that famiies couvj do together, and since the sun set so lale « the summer something you ootid do after dinner instead o* watching a movie. During recent yeans many young players have become interested in Ihe game, soon to be followed by Iheir parents The second explanation is probably that Scandinavian people n general are both outdoor- and sports-minded, and golf rs a perfect combinatxin of the two-Golf in Sweden The Swedish Golf Federation governs 21
491 member clubs. Once a year, the otstrici orgeriiza&ons meet for the General Meeting of Ihe Feoerabon. m the meeeng, a chairman and board are appointed lo serve one year and decisions am made regardirg matters such as the annual fee lo the Federation, which at present is 140 Swedish Crowns per adult member and ftdudes the megazrie Svensk Gofi.
The Feoeraeon ts as always responsible for an matters regarding golf cself rules* compelibons. handicap* national teams, courses, etc
Swedish goif ekibs are open lo all. CXiring the years there have been no new private dubs with the exception of Svartmge GO, which opened in 200i and is located north of Stockholm Ackib is not a golf course. < Is a group of people who gel together lo pray goif Some clubs will have as their home course an existing course but some clubs butd their own. In contrast lo many countries, Sweden has at present no municipal course. But through the system of open dubs goti has still managed to grow at a good speed.
In recent years a couple of thngs have changed. A number of pay and’Pfay courses have opened offering opportunities for new golfers lo play. Some of these courses have no intention of becoming anything other than a startng course while others gradually improve its courses and meet the mcfiirements ihe Federation has set for a membership course The other nobcoable change of recent years is thai there are now seme courses, mainly in the big city areas, that use the traditional system of hawg a joining fee to a system of shares or playing nghts. when could be sold at market prices
Compared lo most other countries il is nol expensive lo play golf in Sweden. Some figures from 2008 follow;
Big City Areas (Joming lee $1500. Annual fee $700. Green fee. holidays $7$\ Green fee. weekdays $50)
Other Areas (Joming fee $1200, Annual fee $450. Green fee. holidays $50. Green fee, weekdays £35)
Many courses offer reduced prices tor weekly
passes and the lees for ptayers 20 and under ana haft price. One reason for the low costs is hat Swedish golf duos *i general have mora members man dubs elsewhere A ftgure of 1.200 members in a dub wen id holes is not unusual That is why many clubs try lo build additional 9- or id-hole courses. With many members and rather short pftaying season 11 is advised to make a reservattin beforehand when coming to Sweden to play gorf.
So why are Ihere so many good Swedish golfers? Because they have a grassroots system that introduces chixiren to goJf earty through a family* based approach. Sweden has probably more golfers than the Phiiopnes i and their population is a fourth of ours. And il isnl even (her nurrajer one sport: Skang, I i:-.«■:■, ;in:: Sccrcr rank “njpe*
Golf Knowledge Here is where ihe story becomes a real Fairy Tale He itfd me that before he can join a club* he has to take lessons and then TAKE A WRITTEN TEST on golf ruxts and ettquetle. and men TAKE A PRACTICAL TEST on got1 skills such as carrying Ihe bal over a pond, getting out of a bunker, putting and green etiquette, and hittng the oat at leesi 150 yards Once you pass* you are owing your card which allows you to join a dub However, you have to bring the card wilh you whenever you play and you need lo show il to get on any course (and they are all *open*) and ihe marshals can always ask you to show your card during an on course spot inspection (they ask you rl you appear to don’t know what Ihe heck you are dong}.
French License
In France, every golfer needs to get a Golf License which & afferent from me duo fees the Swedish guy told the Doctor
The License Fees 2006 err 46 Euros for Adults (annual card)h It for Adults (Season End) ■f you gel il after Sept. 1 (winters rates). 10 for a University Student (19 to 25 years but in school). 10 for those 12 to 16 years old, 5 for those 12 to 16 years after Sept. 1, lOforaCadet [Students license)* 5 for Infant foetow 12} and 10 for those working in the goalng industry. A fee of 10 Euros is charged far a dupfccale or tost bxnse
And how many gofers in France? There are 111,910 ladies and 275,157 men lor a total of 397,067 goffers. The Annual Growlh ts about 4%. There are 40.000 fjmors 18 years and below while a surprising 12 000 are 75 years and over. The license fees cover the expanses for the French GeJf Federation. These numbers are based on the licenses issued. Last year, the I cense fees collected were about 15 million Euros. This pad for the ocerabons of the Federaton along with sponsorships and money raised as their share from the European PGA lour
How does tins tie up wilh Ihe Valley Gotf Brawi incident? it may not be related at all, but in Sweden and France, goff is mora democrabcand a knowledge of golf ebquette is part of your golf education You grow up with it, n is an integral pan of how the game is played, it sounds Ifce a fairy tale but ti a country on the other side of Ihe work) where Annika and Pamevik and wed. Jean Van de Velde came from.
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