Nicky earns money by retrieving golf balls: 'I get to visit the most beautiful golf courses in the world'

Since he was young, Nicky Dörfel has been collecting golf balls. According to him, this hobby has gotten out of hand. And it certainly has. Nicky is now the owner of a company that retrieves golf balls from water hazards in both domestic and international locations. "I get to visit the most beautiful golf courses in the world," he says on Tuesday to Hart van Nederland.

Nicky and his team retrieve around a million golf balls from ponds and lakes on (inter)national golf courses. Equipped with diving gear and nets to collect the golf balls, the divers jump into the water. They search for balls that were meant for a hole in one but tragically met their fate in the water. "We were wondering how to retrieve those balls from the water," says Ad Jacobs, the owner of De Turfvaert golf course in Rijsbergen.

For Jacobs, Nicky's company was a great solution. "He approached us with a request to retrieve balls from our course. I had never heard of it before, but it's working out excellently."

Two purposes

Retrieving the golf balls actually serves two purposes. Firstly, there is a business aspect: once the balls are back on dry land, they are sorted by brand, quality, and model. They are then sold to individuals through Nicky's company's online shop.

Additionally, Nicky's dives also serve the environment. "If a golf ball stays in the water for a long time, it eventually cracks open. It can take a hundred to a thousand years for it to decompose," Nicky knows. "The ball leaves behind plastic particles in the water that are harmful to the environment."

Danger looms

On sunny days like Tuesday, Nicky enjoys his time on the golf course. However, there is also danger lurking. "We dive into the water hazards and sometimes lie in the line of play. So, it's important to be careful not to get hit by a ball."

Every day, Nicky finds thousands of mis-hit balls in the water, but he himself may not be much better. At least not yet. "I've only just started taking golf lessons, so soon I'll be able to hit a ball into the water myself," he laughs in conclusion.