Alistair Dunsmuir

In South Korea, which has had a relatively low death toll, a professional golf tournament will go ahead next month; in New York, the worst-hit area in the world, golf courses reopened this weekend.

Several golf clubs have said they are appalled at the mess – and in some cases expensive damage – that members of the public have created by using their venues during the coronavirus lockdown.

A golf club has stated that, in spite of the financial troubles the golf industry faces due to the pandemic, it will donate a staggering 50 per cent of its online bookings for 2021 to the NHS to show its gratitude for its staff’s care throughout the crisis.

The manager of a Welsh golf club has hailed the “marvellous gesture” of a member who has bought an annual subscription for his five-month-old son so that the club can stay in business as it faces a “battle for survival” due to the pandemic.

One of the world’s leading tropical medicine scientists has singled out golf as a game that can be played safely provided guidance is issued, leading to calls that golf courses currently closed due to the lockdown should be allowed to reopen.

Another two Scottish golf clubs have set up successful appeals for money during the pandemic as another two clubs announce they are offering free memberships to NHS staff.

Two more historic golf clubs, both established in the 19th century, have launched appeals for either donations or income to keep them afloat during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Times newspaper has carried out an analysis of what legislation that would force golf courses to be open to the public during the coronavirus lockdown would mean.

A survey of golf club members has found that just over half of golf clubs have introduced some form of scheme to make it easier for members to renew during the UK coronavirus lockdown.

The world’s fifth oldest golf venue has said its annual income is 30 per cent down as only 400 people have purchased a season ticket in early April when usually twice that number buy one. And this excludes any loss in green fee income.

A Scottish newspaper has reported that golfers now face fines for playing the game during the lockdown – which can increase to £960 if they have been caught breaching the rules five times.

A leading Lancashire golf club has said it will pay the interest on direct debit subscriptions for all members who renew their annual policy by April 15, while Scottish Golf has announced it has furloughed most of its employees.

A Scottish golf club has said that walkers who have been using its course during the lockdown have now damaged the venue, while an English club has revealed 50 trophies have been stolen.

A Scottish golf club has warned that the pandemic may mean it doesn’t reopen – although more countries are allowing golf to be played at the moment, which is giving hope to the industry.

Three MPs have called on golf clubs to allow members of the public to walk across them during the lockdown, but some golf club managers disagree.

A Scottish golf club that feared it was about to close down due to the coronavirus lockdown has said a series of initiatives it launched to raise money has brought in a life-saving total of £70,000 in one week.

The captain of last year’s victorious European Solheim Cup team, Catriona Matthew, has called on a golf club to suspend the memberships of golfers who have broken lockdown rules and played at their club.

A golf club has already received £25,000 of coronavirus funding from the Scottish government – money that has ‘secured its future’.

Two members of a Dorset golf club, one an orthopaedic surgeon and the other a builder, have ensured that tens of thousands of Personal Protective Equipment have been given to the NHS for staff to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The chief executive of The R&A has explained why the governing body for golf for most of the world has had to cancel the 2020 Open Championship for the first time since World War Two.

A golf club in Manchester has welcomed its new ladies’ captain via modern technology, as more than 90 female members surprised her by appearing on a video conferencing app at the same time.

The coronavirus pandemic has not just had a huge impact on the UK golf industry, but arguably every golf industry around the world – both for better and for worse.

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.

Leading suppliers to golf clubs and courses across the UK, Tacit and Eagle, have created a sign image to remind the golf industry – and the nation – to clap for NHS staff at 8pm on Thursdays.

Sport England has announced £195 million of funding – in addition to what the government has announced, while some golf clubs in Scotland have reported that they have been unsuccessful in applying for a one-off COVID-19 grant of £25,000. 

There are reports from across the country that some people are ignoring the guidelines not to play golf during the COVID-19 lockdown – and are even being abusive if asked to stop playing.