Golf World Wide

Can I play at German and other European golf courses with a New Zealand membership?

Yes. As a member of a New Zealand golf club, and therefore also a member of the internationally recognized New Zealand Golf Association, you will be welcome to play as a guest at nearly all clubs throughout the world.

Our European members have played regularly as guests on courses in Germany , Switzerland , Austria , Ireland , England , Scotland , Belgium , France and Spain .

Most clubs around the world – public and private - practise the basic principle of reciprocity, which means if you are a member of another golf club – be it local, national or international – you are welcome to play on their course as a guest. This measure ensures you are not an absolute beginner, ie. you are familiar with basic golf etiquette and so will not upset the other golfers, you can probably swing a club without leaving great big holes in the course - and if not, you should at least know how to repair them – and you can pull a shot off before the players waiting behind you fall asleep. Of course, guests also help to pay a club's bills, and so most clubs will be more than glad to see you.

Private and public golf clubs have their own particular rules about guests. A few private clubs are so exclusive that they only allow their members and guests of their members to play on their courses, but they are few and far between.

We encourage members to tell us if and where they have been turned away and are delighted to be able to report that so far not one member has told us they that were rejected from a club. We hope it stays that way!
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Living inside the European Union (Euro zone): Apply online by using the direct debit application form, or download here, direct debit application form and send it by mail, fax or post (you find the address on the membership application form). Transfer the membership fee through your bank by direct debit to:

Inside the Euro zone a direct debit transaction does not cost more than a national money transfer (European law from 2003- your bank will confirm it).

Outside the Euro zone: Apply online by using the credit card application form, or download the application form and send it by mail, fax or post (you find the address on the membership application form).

Credit card transactions attract an additional fee of 5%* of the membership cost, eg. an adult membership is €149, plus a €7 credit card transaction fee, making the total €156).

Golf need not be an expensive sport. New Zealanders - or Kiwis, as they are known – are mad about golf. They have over 440 golf courses for 4 million people, of whom more than 400,000 play golf regularly – that's 10 per cent of the population! ( Germany has just over 500 golf courses for 82 million people.) As golf is so popular in New Zealand and land there is not as scarce, club membership costs are considerably cheaper. In addition, Golf Worldwide has sought out the most inexpensive memberships available.
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The membership year begins in New Zealand on 1 April and ends on 31 March of the following year (e.g. 01.04.2024 - 31.03.2025). This coincides with summer in New Zealand and is fixed.
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Yes, but there is one exception. If you join Heriot Golf Club in the middle in the year, the total annual membership cost must be paid. However, if you are a first-time member, you may join the club starting from 1 January of any year and your membership will run to 31 March of the following year (e.g. 01.01.2024 - 31.03.2025), which means you get three extra months for free. We cover the extra cost.
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Yes. We appreciate you spreading the word and, as a reward for your referral*, you will receive the following remuneration per new contract:

The remuneration will be transferred to your account after the new member has joined up with Golf Worldwide. Remuneration cannot be claimed on membership renewals.

No. To become a member of a New Zealand golf club, no such certificate is required.
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Reasonably soon after a game, send us your completed score-card* by fax to 012 12 6 HANDICAP (012 12 642634227; 12cents/min, service available only within Germany ), by e-mail (handicap@golfworldwide.de), or by post (Handicap, PO Box 8639 , Auckland , New Zealand ) and we will maintain your handicap.

Each month your handicap is updated and posted on our website (access is via a private login) and this information can be printed out. Naturally, when you receive a new membership card each year, it will show your latest handicap (data from February, as new membership cards are issued in March).

* The following details must be present on each score-card:

Private round of golf

Marker's* name
Marker's handicap
Marker's signature
Date of the round
Player's name
Player's membership number
Name of the golf course
Course rating (CR) of the golf course
Slope rating of the golf course

*The marker must be a member of a golf club and must have a handicap of less than 54.

Tournaments

Tournament results should contain the following data:

Name of the golf course
Form of play
Course rating (CR) of the golf course
Slope rating of the golf course
HCP change
Player's Stableford points

Some European golf courses require players to have a minimum handicap (e.g. 36). This helps to ensure guest players are not absolute beginners and so will not hold other players up too much. The minimum is usually not too restrictive, but if you are worried a club might have a minimum outside your range, check the national golf guide or directory. Be assured that after a few months' practice most people would make the average guest cut.
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We require five completed score-cards (see above for the requirements) to calculate and certify a handicap from scratch .
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