A new report suggests that UK golf clubs will this weekend be given a two to three week notice period regarding the resumption of golf.
According to The Times, Prime Minister Boris Johnson now has a five-phased plan to return the country to normality following the coronavirus lockdown.
Golf will not, as has previously been suggested in press reports, be included in the first phase which will start the day after Johnson’s speech on Sunday, May 10, but could be in the second phase which will start ‘at the end of May’.
This means golf clubs will effectively be given a two to three week notice period regarding when the game can resume with strict social distancing measures in place.
It also shows how capricious the situation is, as in the last few days newspaper reports have suggested that golf could resume in mid-May, and then a ‘date in June’.
The paper also states that mixing with people from other households will not be authorised ‘until much later’ than next week, which comes just a few days after Scottish Golf’s new leader said it was ‘highly likely’ that the game would only return with people playing on their own or in groups from the same household. However, there is no mention of this in The R&A’s guidance to the industry.
The Prime Minister told the cabinet he will proceed with ‘maximum caution’ when it comes to lifting restrictions, after experts warned that outbreaks in care homes and hospitals make significant easing far too dangerous, the paper reports.
He is expected to announce only modest changes, with warnings that the actual rate of new daily coronavirus cases could be 20,000 and not the around 5,000 reported officially by the government, with 400,000 people in total having had it.
In the first phase, reports the paper, there will also be a return to sunbathing and picnics, more key workers’ children will go back to school, staff will start returning to businesses that stayed open during the lockdown and open-air markets may reopen.
‘The second stage at the end of May will then see primary schools gradually return with smaller classes and some outdoor sports such as golf and tennis potentially resuming – possibly along with open-air swimming.’
This follows the news that golf courses are being advised to prepare for a notice period of less than 24 hours in one of two scenarios.
UK golf courses could be given ‘just a few hours notice’ about reopening
However, some in the industry have told The Scotsman that an ideal notice period would be about 72 hours.
“Our club’s view is that 72 hours notice would be a reasonable timescale to ensure that we get all of the necessary bits and pieces in place to allow everyone to play safely,” said Uphall Golf Club’s treasurer, Bill Mackintosh.
“That way, we minimise the risk of anything going wrong or action being taken against the club for failing to comply with whatever measures are required.
“Members need to be advised of the conditions applying to golf. Tee time intervals need to be input, while booking systems need to be updated and activated and staff need to be recalled from furlough.
“Clubs need to be retrieved out of lockers in an orderly manner while, out on the course, tee markers need to be put out and holes need to be cut.
“Some of this can be done in advance (and we have a detailed action plan), but much depends on how many of the conditions we need to apply and what local variations are needed.
“Our head greenkeeper says the reason we have been able to keep things in good shape with a smaller staff than normal is that an empty course allows tasks to be done without interruption.
“He gave the example of cutting our fairways, a task which normally takes two man days – that takes 1.5 man days at the moment.”
Gullane secretary Gordon Simpson also believes it would be helpful for clubs to be given more than a day’s notice, especially in respect of the administration side.
“Ideally, we would obviously love some lead time into re-opening but course wise we could get this set up with 24 hours’ notice, no problem, although the course may not be 100 per cent how we would like it at this time of year,” he said.
“The difficulty is booking and controlling the tee times in such a quick turnaround as when we do open as we don’t know all of the regulations as yet.
“The last thing any club would want to do is open too quickly and there be some issues to attract attention from the authorities.
“We are all working on hearsay and gossip at present to try and devise a reopening plan.
“It would be great if we had clear guidelines to work towards, but I think the bottom line is that all clubs would do everything practically possible to get open as quick as they can to try and get our members back playing.”
“We feel that there’s going to be more than 24 hours,” said David Roy, manager of Crail Golfing Society. “I know that happened for the lockdown and that caused a bit of grief. In fact, it was extremely stressful, but the opening up procedure is going to be vastly different.
“Say it is Monday, 25 May, I think we will find out on the Friday and that gives us enough time. We will have everything prepared. We’ll have the email ready to go and staff lined up. As long as we’ve got two days, I think we deliver that relatively smoothly.”
While there are now renewed suggestions that golfers in the UK can initially only play with members of the same household, this could lead to a confusing scenario: Golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland will open on May 18, but members can only play at them in May if they live within a 5km radius, however, there doesn’t appear to be a ruling that golfers have to be from the same household. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, golf clubs may not reopen until at least a week later, there is no suggestion that there will be a 5km radius rule, but there are hints that golfers will only be allowed to play with people they live with. There are many people who are members of golf clubs in both countries.
This is an issue golfers all over the world are facing as, for example, in Illinois, USA, local municipalities are allowed to issue their own directives regarding the resumption of golf, ensuring some courses are currently closed while others nearby are open.
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