Golf Certification

The Platzreife shows that you can play safely and in accordance with the rules on a golf course. It combines practical basic skills with knowledge of golf rules and etiquette. In Germany, the DGV Platzreife set by the German Golf Association is the usual benchmark. You do not need to be a perfect golfer already. What matters is that you do not put others at risk, play the ball with enough control and keep the game moving. The common comparison with a golf driving licence describes this first step, but should not be taken literally: the Platzreife is not a state licence.

A course permit and the DGV Platzreife are not quite the same thing. A course permit is granted by an individual facility for its own course, whereas the DGV Platzreife follows a uniform examination standard. Even so, each golf club decides which visitors may play its course. Passing the exam therefore does not give you unrestricted playing rights at every facility. If you want to play elsewhere later, check the relevant requirements and distinguish between proof of the Platzreife, membership and playing rights.

The Golf Lounge 9-hole golf course requires the DGV Platzreife. Once you have passed, you can book a tee time there as a visitor without taking out a membership. There are other options for your first steps: the 6-hole short course can be played without the Platzreife, and the PuttCourse is also an alternative for beginners without it. You therefore do not have to wait until the exam to experience the sport on a smaller course.

The difference between the range and the course matters when preparing. On the driving range you practise individual shots; on a short course you also learn the order of play, scoring and the pace of a round. Our golf licence course includes three uses of the 6-hole course. This on-course practice complements training in the short and long game and connects the basic shots you have learnt with the routines on a real golf hole.

Explore the 6-hole short course

In the flexibly booked Golf Lounge golf licence course, training sessions are available several times a week. Sessions take place in small groups of no more than six participants and combine theory and practice with PGA coaches. As a guide, around four to five training sessions of two hours each are planned. You agree how to spread those sessions with the coaching team. An exam session is offered every Saturday. How many weeks you need before that depends on your schedule and preparation; there is no fixed overall duration.

If you prefer to work through the learning material at home, there is the online golf licence. Basic techniques, rules and etiquette are taught through video lessons, rules questions and a dedicated app. Online does not mean that the entire exam happens on a screen, however: you take both the theory and practical exams on site in Hamburg-Moorfleet. You prepare at home with the digital materials and then apply what you have learnt at the facility. Practical application and the final assessment remain connected to the Moorfleet facility.

You do not need your own golf equipment to begin. Hire clubs are sufficient during the course. If you would like to try golf first, a taster course is one possible starting point. Between course sessions you can practise on the driving range and prepare the theory at home. Learn rules in small portions rather than going through all the material just before the exam. The path to the Platzreife therefore has several elements: guided training, your own preparation and experience on the course. With the flexible golf licence, you can fit the sessions you use around everyday life.

More about the online golf licence

The short game includes putting, chipping and pitching: shots on and around the green. In the long game you practise full swings, for example with irons, hybrids or woods. Hire clubs and balls are provided for every session of the golf licence course. Alongside this, you learn when you may play, how strokes are counted and how to behave on the course. PGA coaches guide this combination of technique and rules knowledge. It is not just about hitting a successful shot, but also about using it safely and appropriately during a round.

Safety, pace of play and course care are part of etiquette. You only hit when nobody is in the swing area and the group ahead is out of range. If there is danger, shout “Fore” loudly. Consideration for others includes being ready to play and letting faster groups through. Course care includes replacing divots, repairing pitch marks and raking bunkers. These routines are not an optional extra to golf training, but part of what you learn for the Platzreife.

When preparing, it is worth working through practice questions several times and deliberately repeating the ones you answered incorrectly. Practise looking things up in the rule book too, so that you can find definitions and relevant sections. The short game is particularly important for the practical exam: chips, pitches and putts are among the basic shots you need during a round. A short routine before each shot can help you play without lengthy hesitation. A poor hole does not immediately mean the exam is over, because not all nine holes count towards the result.

Under the DGV standard described in the golf glossary, the exam consists of theory, a playing test and behaviour on the course. The written theory test uses multiple-choice questions on golf rules and general topics such as etiquette. The rule book “Official Rules of Golf” is permitted as an aid. In the playing test you play nine holes, with the best six counting towards the result. Handicap strokes are allocated according to a Handicap Index of 54. On the counting holes you must achieve at least net par on average. Each facility determines the precise organisation and order of the exam components.

The Platzreife exam format in the golf glossary

After passing, you receive proof of the DGV Platzreife. The Golf Lounge 9-hole course is then available for your next round; visitors with the Platzreife book their tee times online. If you want to play regularly and explore membership, the existing options are Friend and Friend DGV. Friend DGV adds a DGV card and handicap management. Training takes place in Hamburg-Moorfleet, with practice on the year-round covered TrackMan range and the short course. You can arrive via the A1 motorway exit Hamburg-Moorfleet; theory, training and the exam remain on the same site.

Play golf on the 9-hole course