Recently, I had the pleasure to spend my New Year's week in Estepona, a town in Costa del Sol which lies almost exactly between Malaga and Cadiz.
The splendid Valle Romano course has been designed by Cabell B. Robinson, the prominent golf course architect and designer of some of the 100 finest courses in the world, according to Golf Magazine. Valle Romano, at the same time remaining natural, is a pampered course in terms of its design with its own personality. With an average 5 tees per hole and spacious greens for many flag positions, you will be able to enjoy Valle Romano every time you challenge it. As Mr. Robinson so succinctly says, "Some holes on this course are really unique."
To lead Solresor Golf, Solresor recruited Peter Ellqvist. Peter Ellqvist is a well known and respected member in the Swedish golf and travel industry. He was the Director of Golf for Vidbynäs Golf Club as well as being the former head of the Ving Golf. 
Golf Carts Treated as Car Rentals at Swedish Golf Clubs
Written by Gene Oberto
03 May 2012
Do you drive a golf cart during your golf round? Will you show your drivers license and sign a rental agreement before you use the cart? No? Then clubs in Sweden will be breaking the law if they allow you to rent that cart.
Traffic is brisk at the Club's two courses as a gentleman comes in to play a round of golf and plans to use a golf cart to get around the heathland course with deep valleys and high hills.
The club has 24 golf carts for rent and the cart sales generate almost SEK 400,000 ($59,232) per year. The club manager, who has his office in the reception area, comes out and welcomes the customer.
Since the man is a guest, the cart costs 400 kronor ($59) for 18 holes, with all day use adding another hundred krona or so. The manager shows the golfer a white paper on the counter. It states, with bold red letters, the rules of conduct that apply to the hiring and driving of the golf carts at the club. The bottom of the cart rental agreement includes a signature from the Board's representative and the cart's number is already entered. The line below is still empty, but when the customer's drivers license is verified, then the golfer can sign the contract. He is now ready to drive away and play.
When asked how often he has signed a rental agreement renting a golf cart on a Swedish club, the customer answered, "It has never happened to me."
At the Swedish Golf Federation's annual meeting in 2011, a motion was made that the SGF would work to ensure that legislative provisions concerning rental of golf carts was simplified. It would have helped the golf clubs to not be required to join an expensive education program not designed for golf operations. Association members rejected the motion.
The area golf organization, Skåne GDF, acted on its own and contacted RENT A CAR Sweden AB. The rental agency organizes the training required and approved by the Swedish Transport Agency.
Bo Bengtsson is the Assistant Secretary General of the Swedish Golf Federation and is trained as a lawyer. Last year, the SGF held a study on golf carts and over a few days over 350 responses from golf clubs and golf companies arrived.
"The survey showed that the rental of golf cars in Sweden in 2011 had sales of SEK 13 million. This is a market that is growing as more and more clubs rent," says Bengtsson.
Golf carts elsewhere, typically, aren’t subject to government regulations, and users usually don’t need a driver’s license to operate one. They don’t have seat belts or stability mechanisms, and a common injury involves people falling off, particularly from the back.
In Florida, where golf carts are nearly mandatory to play golf, a golf cart is not a motor vehicle because it is generally not required to be licensed for use on the highways of Florida. Practically, this means that in most cases, although not all, your golf cart generally will not be covered for crashes under your traditional automobile coverage.
Next, under Florida's motor vehicle law, a golf cart is a dangerous instrument. The owner of a golf cart, because it is a dangerous instrument, is responsible for the damages caused by anyone using it with the owner's permission. The unfortunate reality is that owners of golf carts in Florida are almost always named as defendants in lawsuits to answer for damages -- even if they were not driving or present at the time of the crash.
So, while the Florida golfer/driver needs no special license to drive the cart, when he pays his cart and green fee, there's also a lot of small print that he is agreeing to in his cart rental. He is agreeing to assume all risk of loss or damage to motorized golf carts rented or borrowed from the Golf Professional and/or the Golf Club as well as the risk of injury to the him or other persons and damage to other property arising from the use of the golf cart.
In the event of any loss, damage or injury, the Member agrees to hold the Golf Professional harmless from and against any and all claims, costs, expenses and demands in respect of such loss, damage or injury, whatever happens. The golfer might, if they can prove negligence, sue the Club for damages occurring from improper maintenance to the vehicle.
While it is true that golf cart injuries are on the rise, there is more than just golf rentals to point the finger at for the rise. Golf carts are used more than before for other uses, like maintenance vehicles, security agencies, farmers and other occupations use carts in lieu of cars and small trucks. Of course, Swedish golf will see a rise in accidents because more clubs will offer carts for their customers.
It's hard to see Swedish golf throwing the baby out with the bath water. These are instruments that generate 13,000,000 krona a year in an industry desperate for revenue. Now, there will be regulations to curtail this revenue stream.
Will these rules also be implemented on golf tourists from other countries where golf carts are accepted as a normal part of playing golf?
Yes, to most who live outside of Sweden, golf cart regulations as Draconian as Sweden would seem a bit excessive. However, they are not to any one who lives here in Sweden. Swedish golf course operators will moan about the regulations as they queue up for a course on golf cart driving.
Norwegian Plan Not Likely in Sweden
02 May 2012
In June of 2011, the Grorud Valley Golf Club, a 9 hole course just outside of Oslo, Norway launched a campaign to attract more women to golf. Along with sponsor, Hyundai, the club decided to invite visiting women to play golf on this par-3 course for free. The Club and Hyundai would cover the cost of the initiative, says the Norwegian golf site, golferen.no.
Just about a month later, the Likestilling and Discrimination Officer (equivalent to the Swedish Equal Opportunities Ombudsman) cited the club for discrimination , and asked the Club to stop the special treatment, because to give women free green fees was contrary to Section 3 of the Norwiegian Equality Act.
Club Director, Arne Giving, told golferen.no, "I called the Ombudsman, who was a very understanding person. But no matter what I suggested to change it, the answer was still no."
The club appealed the decision- and has now been exonerated. According to the Likestilling and Discrimination Attorney the club's decision for free play is not against the law.
The club, on their website, said, "We are very pleased. It should not surprise anyone if we come back with the same offer this year."
There's been no big movement in Sweden to implement this kind of program. Sweden already has a large female golfing contingent, about ⅓ of all Swedish golfers are women, roughly around 200,000 players. There's always room for more, of course, but I feel that operators will point to the big number and say, "Why?"
You would think that any company wanting to associate themselves with today's active women would see this as an attractive branding scheme, like food and cosmetic companies. Seemingly, Swedish golfhas a hard time in finding corporate sponsorship for that kind of program. To SGO, it seems like a no brainer as the average female golfer falls into an excellent financial demographic. However, I'm always surprised how the supposedly "woman's" brands choose their marketing buys.
Carlsson and Öqvist Feted by Swedish Golf Federation
Written by Gene Oberto
24 April 2012
Two of Sweden's highest golf awards were handed out at the Swedish Golf Federation meeting 20-21 April. Gosta Carlsson of Barseback, was awarded the Erik Runfelt medal and Anna Öqvist, from Kallfors Golf Club, became the first recipient of the Sven Tumba Scholarship of 20,000 SEK (about $3,000).
The Erik Runfelt Medal has only been awarded on five previous occasions. To Prince Bertil, the Duke of Halland and a great supporter of Swedish sports, the Swedish Golf Federation's former Secretary General, Bengt Lorichs, Annika Sorenstam, Sven Tumba and Göran Zachrisson. The 92 year old Gosta Carlsson was awarded the Medal of the Swedish Golf Federation Privilege, for his long and successful achievement in Swedish golf. Gosta Carlsson built St Ibb Golf Club on Ven,(a small Swedish island in the Öresund strait) and went on to develop Barseback as a world class facility, where the Solheim Cup, the Scandinavian Masters and the Scandinavian TPC has been played.
Anna Öqvist, based in Kallfors Golf Club outside of Södertälje, was named a Fellow for, among other things, her commitment, drive and innovative ideas as a golf entrepreneur, which has made Kallfors famous for its hospitality and high service level. The scholarship was instituted by the Swedish Golf Federation on Sven Tumbas's 80th birthday to honor Swedish golf's most prominent entrepreneur and ideas man.
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