British golfers in Majorca are being warned about thieves targeting them for their valuables while they are playing.
One popular golf club on the holiday island is putting clients on guard by handing out leaflets before they reach the first tee in four languages, including English.
Professional criminals have been caught drilling false holes in greens and moving flags in a bid to lure golfers to secluded areas where its easier to rob them and make a clean getaway.
Golf courses in and around the capital Palma have been targeted, as well as those in the municipality of Calvia which includes Magaluf and Santa Ponsa, and wealthy Andratx.
Earlier this week thieves stole a £16,000 Swiss watch and more than £1,300 in cash from the bag of a distracted golfer as he focused on his putt and took his eyes off his spare clubs, according to island newspaper Diario de Mallorca.
Vall d’Or Golf near Portocolom on the island’s east coast is now handing out leaflets in Spanish, English, French and German to golfers before they start playing.
“Dear clients, given the wave of thefts that are taking place in the golf courses of Majorca, we remind you to keep an eye on your belongings," the leaflets read.
Israel Rodriguez, director of the club which is popular with British expats and holidaymakers, told local press: “It might not be a very commercial solution, but it’s been the most effective because after the theft has taken place all we can do is advise victims they should report it.
“Better to advise them before and not after they find their £13,000 watch and another £550 in cash has gone missing as has happened.”
The criminals behind the thefts are thought to study the courses before striking, and target victims at so-called “black spots” where they feel their chances of getting their hands on golfers’ valuables without being caught can be maximised.
Those areas tend to be open with no fencing around the course and near roads the thieves can use to make a quick getaway.
Thefts on golf courses are not unique to Majorca and have been raised as a problem as well in areas like the Costa del Sol.
One British golfer who regularly practices in the area has warned online: “It is much more typical for thieves to try to steal your belongings while you are actually out on the course, and not in the vicinity of the clubhouse where there are generally more people around.
“These thieves are not fools. They carefully pick particular holes on the course to operate on, in particular holes where you park your buggy next to the green, and they carry out the theft while you are busy on the green, probably with the buggy not in plain sight.
“This is opportunistic general theft, very rarely mugging. That is, the thief is unlikely to hold you up with a knife or gun. They want to steal valuable items that you carelessly leave unprotected.
“As a frequent golfer on the Costa del Sol, I hear stories about theft from particular courses. But it is really unfair to mention those courses.”
