http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB992206849169968858.htm # # June 11, 2001 # # In Germany, Golfers Endure Tests Before Earning a License to # Drive # # By NEAL E. BOUDETTE Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL # # ST. LEON-ROT, Germany -- To play golf, you need practice, patience # and perseverance. # # To play golf in Germany, you might need a quick trip to Austria, # or a color photocopier. # # That's because the average duffer can't tee up in Germany without # a golf license, and getting one isn't a gimme. # # You have to pass driving, chipping and putting tests, and play # 18 holes with no more than 108 strokes -- a stretch for a # beginner. The whole process, including lessons, can cost around # 2,000 marks ($870). Then there is a quiz on the rules and # etiquette of golf. # # "A written test?" Tiger Woods laughed before playing in the # Deutsche Bank-SAP Open near Heidelberg, Germany, in late May. # The world's No. 1 player has made plenty of tough shots in his # career, but he said he has never had to master multiple-choice # questions about water hazards. "That's why we have officials," # he said. # # A Need for Ripeness # # Golf has taken off in Germany in recent years, drawing many new # players who bristle at the idea of having to qualify for the # license, known as a Platzreife. The term, which combines the # German words for "place" and "ripe," indicates that a player # is ripe enough to get a place on a German course. [snip]