Playing golf in France as a visitor: carte verte, licence and handicap

The carte verte (green card), now called the PASS Carte Verte, is the French certificate that says you can play a full-size course on your own, safely and without holding others up. You take it at a golf club, with a qualified golf professional: a multiple-choice quiz of about 20 minutes, then an assessment of about one hour on the course. 15,461 were issued in 2024. This page explains what it means for a visitor, then how to prepare for it.

• Full-size courses ask for it. In France, the large courses expect players to hold the carte verte, according to the French Golf Federation (ffgolf).
• Some golf breaks ask for more. The golf offer of the Barrière hotel in Deauville requires the carte verte and a French golf licence in its terms.
• If you already play abroad, there is a route for you. The "test de régularisation" lets players who already play, for example after years of golf abroad, take the assessment without the full course.
• Short courses are open to all. Compact courses and pitch & putt are usually played without the carte verte.
• It is not a handicap. The carte verte does not give you an index: in France, the first index of 54 comes with your first ranking competition.

What to ask the course before you book

• Which proof of playing level do you accept from a visitor?
• Do I need a French golf licence to play, and does the green fee include it?
• Is a minimum handicap index required on this course?
• Do I need to book a tee time, and how far ahead?

Sources: French Golf Federation, "La carte verte, le sésame du golfeur débutant", 17 January 2025, and "Jouer en compétition", 20 June 2025; Hôtels Barrière, "Golf break" offer of L'Hôtel du Golf, Deauville, consulted on 1 October 2026.

• What it certifies. You can move around a course on your own, behave correctly and stay safe. The French Golf Federation describes it as a certificate of that ability.
• Who issues it. The golf professional at your club, after assessing you. Not the federation directly, not a website, not ParcoursGolf.
• Since when. The scheme has existed since the early 1990s. Its origins go back to the 1970s, at the Saint-Aubin golf club.
• How many players. 15,461 PASS Carte Verte were issued in 2024.
• What it opens. Access to full-size courses. Some clubs also ask unranked players for it before they enter a competition.

Source: French Golf Federation, "La carte verte, le sésame du golfeur débutant", article of 17 January 2025.

The assessment has two parts. Both take place at the club, with the golf professional.

1. Theory: a written multiple-choice quiz

• Length: about 20 minutes.
• Format: a multiple-choice questionnaire, on paper or at a table.
• Topics: the Rules of Golf and behaviour on the course, what golfers call etiquette.

2. Practice: about one hour on the course

• Putting, on the green.
• The short game, the approach shots around the green.
• The long game, the long shots from the tee and the fairway.
• Applying the rules and etiquette during play.

Above all, the professional checks that you can manage on your own: knowing what to do with a lost ball, letting a faster group through, not playing when someone is within range. One player interviewed by the federation sums up his test this way: the pro looked at his ability to manage on the course more than at his level of play.

The three levels of the training

1. Starting out: the basics of the game over short distances.
2. Progressing: the same basics over medium distances.
3. Final test: the basics of the game on a full-size course.

Source: French Golf Federation, article of 17 January 2025.

Regular lessons

The most common route. You take lessons over several weeks, often in a small group, and the professional puts you forward for the test when they judge you ready. Allow 1 to 3 months on average, according to Golf Plus.

The golf school

Training packed into a few days, often during the holidays. Golf Plus mentions 3 to 5 intensive days. It is the fastest route if you have a block of free time. Formats and places: golf schools in France.

The "test de régularisation"

It is for players who already play but have never taken the carte verte, for example after years of golf abroad. You take the assessment without following the whole training.

There is no national price for the training: each club sets its own. Here are the published price ranges, to confirm with the club.

• Intensive golf school: between 250 and 500 €, over 3 to 5 days (Golf Plus, 8 July 2025).
• Private lessons with assessment: Golf Plus gives a range of 40 to 60 €. Ask the club what this price covers.
• Progressive course: 1 to 3 months on average (Golf Plus, 8 July 2025). Some clubs include the carte verte in a beginner membership.
• 2026 French golf licence: 62 € for an adult over 25, valid from 1 January to 31 December 2026 (price shown by an affiliated club, AS Golf Grésivaudan). Players under 25 pay less.

Questions to ask the club before you sign up

• Does the price include the final test, range balls and club hire?
• How many sessions, and how long is each one?
• How many students per group?
• Do I need the licence from the first lesson? It includes insurance, and many clubs ask for it.
• What happens if I fail the test: a new date, an extra cost?

This plan follows a one-month course with one lesson a week and one session on your own. At a golf school, run it at speed: one "week" per day, and the theory in the evening.

Week 1: the basics and safety

• In the lesson: the grip, the stance, your first shots on the driving range.
• On your own: 30 minutes of putting. Aim for putts of 1 to 2 metres.
• Theory: the safety rules and the vocabulary (tee, fairway, rough, green, bunker, penalty area, out of bounds).

Week 2: the short game and the green

• In the lesson: chip and pitch shots, getting out of a bunker.
• On your own: alternate putting and approach shots of 10 to 30 metres.
• Theory: what you can repair on the green, the flagstick, ball marks, the bunker rake.

Week 3: the long game and the course

• In the lesson: long shots, the tee shot.
• On your own: play a 9-hole compact course. It is usually played without the carte verte. Note every rules situation that puzzled you.
• Theory: lost ball, provisional ball, out of bounds, yellow and red penalty areas, unplayable ball.

Week 4: the dress rehearsal

• In the lesson: a few holes on the full course with the professional.
• On your own: take the practice quiz below, then go over each mistake.
• On test day: arrive early, warm up on the range and the putting green, keep a spare ball and a tee in your pocket.

The Rules of Golf are published by the R&A and the USGA, and translated into French by the federation. Here is what they say about the situations that come up most, summarised in our own words. The rule number helps you find it in the rule book.

• 14 clubs at most in your bag during a round (Rule 4).
• Searching for a ball: you have 3 minutes. After that, it is lost (Rule 18).
• Lost ball or out of bounds: you replay from where you played your previous stroke, with a one-stroke penalty. This is "stroke and distance" (Rule 18).
• Provisional ball: if there is a chance your ball is lost or out of bounds, play a second one before you go looking for the first. Announce it clearly to your playing partners, or the second ball becomes the ball in play (Rule 18).
• The stakes: white for out of bounds, yellow or red for penalty areas. A red area gives you one more option: drop to the side, within two club-lengths, with a one-stroke penalty (Rule 17).
• Unplayable ball: you alone decide that it is, anywhere except in a penalty area. One penalty stroke (Rule 19).
• The drop: let the ball go from knee height, without throwing it (Rule 14).
• In a bunker: do not touch the sand with your club right next to the ball, in front or behind, in a practice swing or on the backswing. You can remove a leaf or a twig (Rule 12).
• On the green: you can repair almost all damage, ball marks and shoe marks included. Mark your ball before you lift it (Rule 13).
• The flagstick: you can leave it in the hole when you putt. If the ball hits it, there is no penalty (Rule 13).
• Wrong ball: playing someone else's ball costs two strokes in stroke play. Put your own mark on your balls (Rule 6).
• Pace of play: the Rules recommend playing each stroke in 40 seconds at most. In stroke play, whoever is ready plays, if it is safe (Rules 5 and 6).

Summary written by ParcoursGolf from the Rules of Golf (R&A and USGA, 2023 edition). It does not replace the rule book: for a specific case, ask your golf professional.

Etiquette counts as much as the rules in the test. It comes down to three ideas: safety, respect for other players, care for the course.

Respect other players

• Stay still and quiet when a partner is getting ready to play.
• Do not walk on another player's putting line.
• Keep up with the group in front. If you fall a full hole behind, let the group behind play through.
• Get ready while the others play: club choice, distance, line.
• Write down scores on the next tee, not on a green that others are waiting for.

Look after the course

• Replace your divots, the pieces of turf you cut out, or fill the hole with the sand provided.
• Repair your ball mark on the green with a pitch-mark repairer.
• Rake the bunker as you leave, and put the rake back where the club asks.
• Keep the trolley and the bag off the green and away from the tees.

• Before every swing, even a practice swing, look around you. Nobody should be within reach of your club or the ball.
• Do not play while the group in front is within range of your shot.
• If your ball heads towards someone, shout "Fore!" straight away, loudly. French players also shout "Balle !".
• If you hear that shout, protect your head with your arms and turn your back to the ball's path.
• Stand beside the player who is hitting, facing them, never in front or behind in line.
• In a thunderstorm, leave the course as soon as the club tells you to.

During the training, most clubs lend you clubs. Do not buy a full set before the test. To play afterwards, a half set is enough.

• Clubs: a wood or a hybrid, two or three irons (a 7-iron to start), a wedge for approach shots, a putter.
• Balls: a dozen, with your own mark in felt pen.
• Accessories: tees, a pitch-mark repairer, a ball marker, a glove.
• Shoes: golf shoes or sports shoes with soft soles. Many clubs refuse metal spikes.
• Clothing: check the dress code of the club. Some require a collared polo shirt.

• Forgetting to announce the provisional ball. The second ball then becomes the ball in play, with the penalty.
• Searching for a ball for more than 3 minutes, and slowing down the whole course.
• Playing while the group in front is still within range.
• Resting the club in the bunker sand before playing.
• Leaving the trolley at the edge of the green or pulling it across the tee.
• Forgetting the divot, the ball mark or the rake.
• Arriving late, without a warm-up.
• Studying the rules and neglecting putting: it counts in the practical assessment.

ParcoursGolf wrote these questions for practice. They do not reproduce the federation's questionnaire or any club's. Click on each question to see the answer and its explanation.

Fewer than 10 correct answers: go over the rules section above, then try again. 10 or more: talk to your golf professional, you are ready for the theory.

You take the carte verte at a club with a qualified golf professional. Choose your region to see the list of golf courses and those with a compact course for beginners. Then call reception and ask whether they offer the training, as lessons or as a golf school.

• The licence. It renews every calendar year. It includes insurance and lets you play in competitions. 62 € for an adult in 2026.
• The handicap index. It measures your level, from 54 for a beginner down to zero and below. According to the federation, your first index of 54 is given at your first ranking competition, not when you get the carte verte. It is then updated after each competition, based on your best 8 results out of the last 20.
• Your first rounds. Start with 9-hole courses or quiet courses on weekdays. Book your tee time and plan one extra ball per hole.
• Your first competitions. All clubs hold ranking competitions, often open to players from other clubs.

Sources: French Golf Federation, "Jouer en compétition" (20 June 2025) and "Question de débutant : comment ça marche, les classements au golf ?" (8 May 2026).

• French Golf Federation, "La carte verte, le sésame du golfeur débutant", 17 January 2025.
• French Golf Federation, "Jouer en compétition", 20 June 2025.
• French Golf Federation, "Question de débutant : comment ça marche, les classements au golf ?", 8 May 2026.
• Golf Plus, blog, article on the carte verte, 8 July 2025 (prices and time needed).
• AS Golf Grésivaudan, "Licence FFG 2026 adulte" page (price checked on 1 October 2026).
• Hôtels Barrière, "Golf break" offer of L'Hôtel du Golf, Deauville, consulted on 1 October 2026.
• Rules of Golf, R&A and USGA, 2023 edition (summarised, never copied).

ParcoursGolf is an independent site. It has no link with the French Golf Federation or with the golf courses listed. We do not issue the carte verte: only a club's golf professional does. Our sources and method.