Golf Has Resumed And We’re Ready To Tee Off!

On Wednesday 13th May, the UK Government announced golf courses were allowed to reopen.

The fact remains outdoor sports must be done alone or within a household group so those hoping for a giant social event on the greens will be disappointed. Currently only England has opened golf courses, the rest of the U.K remain closed.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton made a statement: "The Association has welcomed the news that golf has been identified as a sport that is able to resume in England, from Wednesday.

"While it will come as a great relief to golfers in England that they are able to play, we must echo the Prime Minister’s statement that this battle is not yet won. Golf, along with a select few other non-contact sports, is in the privileged position that it is able to resume, but we must remember that a return to our favourite sport must be done in a safe and vigilant manner.

BIGGA has many members in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and while golf clubs in these nations are unable to reopen at present, we will continue to support them however we can.

"Throughout this difficult period BIGGA and The R&A have collaborated to produce guidelines on the essential maintenance that is permitted to take place to allow golf clubs to remain in recoverable condition.

"It is vital that the resumption of play takes place in a safe manner and this includes a heightened awareness by golfers of greenkeepers and those working around the course. The industry guidelines produced recently are seen as best practice in this situation."

There were also statements from governing bodies of Golf and other parties:

It is important to stress that this remains an extremely difficult situation throughout the UK and we are acutely aware that many lives have been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the virus will continue to be felt for a long time to come. As a sport we must work together to resume play responsibly as and when the relevant Government determines it is safe to do so.

We must ensure that the safety and well being of everyone involved from golfers, to club staff and greenkeepers is maintained at all times. Golf clubs and golfers have observed the lockdown very well and must keep it up and act responsibly as play resumes.

We recently provided documents giving guidance on operations and resuming play and golf clubs should consider this carefully as they restart their businesses. We also provided Essential Maintenance Guidelines to help greenkeepers to prepare their courses for play.

We fully appreciate the huge amount of expertise that exists within golf clubs throughout the country and this best practice guidance simply aims to achieve as consistent an approach as possible to protecting everyone. We are seeking further clarification from the Government regarding other golf-related facilities.

The pandemic has already had a substantial impact on golf clubs and venues and the focus will soon turn to trying to recover from the crisis. As a group we will continue to do all we can to provide support and guidance in that effort.

One things for sure, this is a massive win for those who love Golf and want to go and drive a few balls in the great outdoors.