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Dear Sir,

l I used to play golf on different courses on Majorca, but now I think it is high time to react.
Many new courses have been built in the mountains, between cliffs or just a couple of metres from steep slopes. The courses are built obviously only to be able to sell houses close by. Those courses are not golf courses in the meaning of real golf.

The meaning of golf is of course to walk the courses, not to drive a car.
On the course of Andratx it is even forbidden to walk the course before 2 pm. And, you could also say that it is quite impossible to walk the course according to the different altitudes. You are bound to hire a golf cart to the price of round about 40 Euros.

I have compared golf courses in Ireland, Sweden, Germany and France. All of those golf courses are made for walking, nice little hills or slopes. You can also study the courses where the pros play. I would say, they would never play a course like Andratx, i.e. they get paid to make advertising for that course.

But now to the more essential thing. Prices - green-fees.
The green-fee on Andratx is 90 Euros. On other courses on Majorca the green-fees are about 70 Euros. In Ireland at Deer Park the prices are between 16 Euros to 24 Euros. The average is about 20 Euros. In Sweden the prices are between 25 - 35 Euros and in Germany about 40 - 50 Euros. The reason why the prices on Majorca are extremely high is that most people who play actually don't know the green-fee price. People have bought a travel-package including two or three green-fees in a week and therefore can't see the high price they actually pay to play this game of golf.

I don't mind the builders of golf clubs earning money, but I do believe that they have made their money by selling plots or houses close to the courses. The problem for the houseowners is that it is too expensive to play golf. So why should one actually buy a house close to a golf course?

I think it is high time for the golf courses on Majorca to decline their green-fees to an average of Europe. I assume that they are happy to welcome green-fee players and the tourism which obviously is neccesery for Majorca as a whole.

I have noticed that it is normally no problem to get a starting time for a game, which indicates that the courses are not “overcrowded”.
In summer time, I would recommend golfers to play in a nice climate to 1/3 of Majorca green-fee prices. And that, you can do in Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, England, Scotland and even in France or Germany.

Price bargain with extremely good courses - Poland.
Kind regards to all golfers.

Peter Soberberg