Alistair Dunsmuir

The Daily Mail has stated that golf will be included in the first wave of the easing of lockdown restrictions – but, unlike most of the rest of Europe, this will not kick in until June.

UK golf courses are set to find out this weekend when they can reopen following the Covid-19 lockdown, with some warning the notice period could be less than 24 hours.

The manager of the club Wales Golf has named ‘Golf Club of the Decade’ has revealed that he is working as a greenkeeper at his club during the lockdown, because it has furloughed staff.

Three golf clubs in Ireland will not be reopening when the rest of the country’s courses return to action on May 18.

The Daily Telegraph has revealed that golf courses in the UK could reopen on May 7, while the BBC is reporting that it could be May 11, as golf resumes in the Channel Islands.

A member of a golf club has threatened to take legal action against their venue because they have paid for an annual subscription but are not allowed to play the game at the moment due to the coronavirus lockdown.

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.

The Irish government’s relaxation of lockdown restrictions means it is now likely that UK golf courses can reopen from mid May, according to reports.

The R&A has issued guidance, ranging from introducing 10 minute tee time gaps to a temporary rule that a ball is holed with the next stroke if it is within 12 inches of the hole, to golf clubs regarding measures they should implement when golf courses can reopen.

The golfing union of France, Fédération Française de Golf (FFG) has announced that golf courses can reopen from May 11, while golf courses reopened in Portugal on May 4.

New stories are still emerging of acts of selflessness within the golf industry – including a European Tour golfer who is making hand sanitiser for the NHS while a golf club has launched a shopping service for its local community.

The head of Scottish Golf has said it is “highly likely” that only golfers playing on their own will be allowed to play golf in the first wave of the easing of the lockdown. The exception for groups will only be if they contain members from the same household. 

A new survey of 135 Scottish golf clubs has found a surprisingly high number have not furloughed any staff, and three-quarters of last year’s members have now renewed for this year.

The chairman of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Group for Golf has given the strongest indication yet that golf courses could reopen shortly.

The golf industry in Wales has been given an advanced notification that there is a ‘realistic prospect’ that courses can reopen from mid May, according to the Daily Mail, although Wales Golf says ‘nothing has been agreed’.

The UK’s culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, has responded to a question specifically about golf by saying he is looking at data on whether golf courses can reopen in the first wave of the easing of lockdown restrictions.

A golf club manager has warned that his venue will have to introduce a phased return of tee times when the course reopens because it won’t be ready for heavy golfing traffic.

The disrespect some members of the public have shown towards both golf courses and guidance to stay at home during the lockdown has plummeted to a new level as one venue has revealed it found two people in a bunker having sex with each other.

As many UK golf courses hope to reopen in May, one hopes to open for the first time ever during that month.

A national Scottish newspaper has called for the chair of Scottish Golf to resign while a separate media outlet states the organisation is facing legal issues, in the wake of the resignation of its CEO.

A UK company has developed what it is calling a ‘Covid-19 Clip’ so that golfers do not need to touch the flag when the lockdown period ends and playing the game can resume.

A surprising new survey of private members’ golf clubs in the UK and Ireland has found that more than a third were ‘well prepared’ for the coronavirus pandemic.

US president Donald Trump is furloughing staff at his two Scottish and one Irish golf clubs, according to reports, while several more UK clubs have stated they have been appalled by the behaviour of local residents who have made a mess of their venues.

An economic survey of golf clubs in Northern Ireland, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, will be presented to both the governments on the island of Ireland to ensure that the industry can bounce back when lockdown measures have eased.

The chief executive of Scottish Golf, Andrew McKinlay, has resigned after two years in post, due to ‘the impact of Covid-19’.

At least two closed and empty English golf clubs have been taken over by sheep during the coronavirus lockdown – where the ruminants have been taking on the grass cutting duties normally reserved for the currently furloughed greenkeepers.