‘It’s just a case of keeping the contacts going with people who have had no option but to cancel’

Some golf club managers are reporting that 2020 will be a disastrous year for them due to coronavirus – but many golfers who have asked for green fee refunds have said they will be back in 2021.

For example, Matt Sands, the general manager of Cork Golf Club in Ireland, said to the Irish Examiner: “We’re hoping it won’t last too long and we’ll pick up the pieces when it reopens.

“The clubhouse is closed, the course staff are working away and I’m working remotely from home, the same as most golf clubs. We need to keep the show on the road as best we can.

“An awful lot of the emails I’m dealing with are cancellations.

“I’m dealing with a fella right now in North Carolina who was due to come, but he said he’ll be back next year so at least we can reschedule stuff and it’s just a case of keeping the contacts going with people who have had no option but to cancel. It’s going to be a nightmare year, but lost green fees are nothing compared to someone’s health.

“We’ll just try and be ready to hit the ground running when it does end.”

Maurice O’’Meara, former general manager of Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, added: “The uncertainty is the big issue for everybody. A lot of bookings have been cancelled, but in fairness to people, they’ve been quite understanding.

“Operators have been offering a deferred date or a raincheck for when things settle and we can rearrange everything and there seems to be a sense of unity so the clubs, hotels, and all the other companies involved are singing off the same hymn sheet.

“People can be resilient, and if they are smart I think one of the big focuses for the clubs is going to have to be membership.

“Middle-of-the-road clubs without a lot of green fee revenue are going to have to be a little bit more inventive when this is all over.

“They’re also going to have to have a common sense approach between now and then.

“The home market for the rest of the 2020 season is going to be the key revenue stream, so maybe we need to run more events that are socially inclined for the membership and visitors. Golf clubs will need to be a little bit more flexible.

“They are normally quite stringent in the way they enforce membership rules, but they have to have a flexible approach because some people just won’t be able to afford to pay the membership.

“You don’t want to castigate them and drive them away forever. You want to retain them and hopefully attract new members.

“When all this is over, everyone is going to have cabin fever and they’ll want to get out and play golf, so let’s create events that can give that an outlet.

“And don’t panic. Don’t take the kneejerk reaction to get rid of key people or make decisions under pressure.

“That longer-term view has to be seen, despite the current uncertainty.”

In an interview with The Scotsman, Bob MacIntyre, last season’s European Tour Rookie of the Year, whose father, Dougie, is a greenkeeper at Glencruitten Golf Club, stated: “It’s looking doom and gloom just now. Dad’s not working, it’s all shut down, just folk out walking dogs and stuff, which is sad to see when it’s such a good wee golf course.

“We’re such a small community and, with so many different sports, the golf course isn’t there to make money, it’s there just to survive.

“That was through functions and all the visitors. Now this has happened it’s knocked it on the head and there’s no functions at all, anywhere. That was our main income at the club, so now it’s just about battening up the hatches and trying to just hold out.”