One of the key features of many golf-club-related assaults and murders is that the club will break during the assault. In some cases, the only evidence at the scene of the crime is a portion of the club.

We believe all golf clubs should be stamped with a serial number in 3 places: the club head, the shaft, and the handle. The clubs should be registered to their legal owners. This would aid in solving crimes where only a single part of the club is found at the scene.

We’re working with legislators in Washington State to introduce a bill to require all golf clubs to be serialized and registered with the Washington State Patrol.

Additionally, manufacturers should provide several clubs of every model to a law enforcement agency so the agency can conduct forensic analysis on the differences in impact damage between golf clubs. If a murder victim is found clubbed to death, our last enforcement needs to be able to tell if the murder weapon was a Callaway or a Ping - and whether it was a 9-iron or a driver.

We recognize this new law enforcement database is likely to be expensive, and that’s why we’re working to introduce legislation to fund it via a new tax on golf equipment and course fees. This is a proven step that legislators in many jurisdictions have used to combat other types of violence. We believe it can work for golf violence as well.

Combined with our efforts to trace all golf balls, this should help us end golf violence by ensuring that we can hold every golfer to account for their crimes against society.

2026 Update!

Beginning on May 1st, 2027, Washington State will require golfers to get a permit for each club they buy, largely thanks to the efforts of Golf Violence Prevention Organizations like us. Thank you for all your support!