A golf club has warned that golfers who fail to respect social distancing rules risk having the venue closed down, after an image showed five golfers standing next to each other at the first tee.
Brandon Wood Golf Course and Club in Warwickshire posted the image on social media, and revealed the players, who were all visitors rather than members, were spoken to and some were sent back to their cars.
The club is currently only allowing two players to play together and requests golfers arrive at the first tee a maximum of five minutes before they are due to tee off, with gaps of 14 minutes between the tee times. This means at least one of the golfers was at the first tee at least 28 minutes before he was due to tee off, at least 23 minutes before he was allowed to be.
The club revealed its frustration as the golfers booked online – amid notifications about the importance of social distancing on the course.
In Germany some clubs were fined and even closed for failing to follow the correct Covid-19 rules after they reopened, and clubs in the UK have been told they face similar penalties if golfers fail to respect the new regulations.
In the post, the club wrote: “Why cant they understand that restrictions are in place for their safety! maximum 2 balls, 14 minutes apart, arrive no more than 5 minutes in advance??? That means one pair arrived at least 28 minutes before their tee time! Idiots! This is what will get courses closed for all!”
Several responses followed, reports the Coventry Telegraph, including golfers calling for the players to be kicked off the course for failing to abide by restrictions stated on the venue’s website.
One social media user, Dan Harvey, replied: “The good work of the majority has been ruined by a small minority of idiots. A second lockdown can’t be ruled out now.”
In a second tweet, Brandon Wood said: “Thanks for all of the responses, obviously they were spoken to and split up or sent back to their cars. They were all visitors. the point is all of the restrictions are online when they book and displayed on site, why did they still have to (be) spoken to?”
Brandon Wood has also published clear social distancing restrictions on its website.
These include booking a tee time in advance, staying two metres apart at all times and playing single or two-ball golf only.
The restrictions are tail-ended with the statement: “The reasons for these restrictions is to ensure all members are kept as safe as possible. This is the priority of England Golf and the priority of Coventry Sports trust. Please adhere to these rules which we hope to be as temporary as possible.
“Without wishing to be totally draconian, the option remains to close the course again if these restrictions are not adhered to.”
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