As the playing of golf has now returned throughout the UK, legal body the NGCAA looks at issues clubs should take into account at the moment, such as returning staff from furlough and buggy policies.
March to May 2020 will probably go down as the most extraordinary period in golf’s history, but what state is the industry now in?
Yobs have torn up several greens at a Scottish golf course just before it reopened after more than two months of lockdown, and an English venue says it is offering a reward as its course has also been vandalised.
A Durham golf club has said it is considering permanently keeping the two-ball format as the pace of play is so fast, as it has also showcased the gratitude a young girl has to the greenkeepers for their work during the lockdown.
Members of two different households can play golf together in Wales from Monday, June 1, for the first time since the lockdown restrictions eased, Wales Golf has confirmed.
Scottish golf clubs have reported that their booking sheets have been full on the first day of the resumption of golf, according to the chief operating officer of Scottish Golf, Karin Sharp.
England Golf has confirmed that all golf courses in England can reintroduce four players from different households teeing off together from Monday, June 1 – although some clubs are suggesting they will continue only with twoballs.
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 a tee.
Scottish golf clubs are prepared for a huge amount of traffic as confirmation comes that they can reopen tomorrow, with some calling for the introduction of a Covid-19 assurance scheme to prove to the world they are safe venues.
The captain of a Lincolnshire golf club has said his venue is set to be financially healthier than it was before the two month lockdown started.
England Golf will be using the Tacit Lifter with the Covid-19 Clip on its flags for elite competitions and championships later this year, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The owner of a London golf club has detected two consequences of the resumption of golf in the UK: some golf venues might have to close for several days for maintenance because they are so busy, and the price of golf balls in some areas is soaring.
All golf clubs in Wales are to be given a five-month affiliation fee payment holiday to help them cope with an estimated £5.6 million loss caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey hosted, on average, 235 golfers per day in its first full week after lockdown restrictions were lifted – well over double the typical figure.
The membership ‘surge’ since the reopening of golf courses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland appears to have gotten even stronger in the last few days – and many of the new members are aged 30 to 50.
Matthew Bacon, 27, was appointed as the new general manager of Haverhill Golf Club in Suffolk just one week before the UK went into lockdown and the golf club had to close.
While this year’s Open at Royal St George’s will now take place in 2021, the work of head professional, Justen Fiddler, continues. Here he talks about ensuring the shop is profitable, preparing for The Open and introducing the game to local youngsters.
Scottish golf clubs look set to be able to reopen for golf from Friday, May 29, following the publication of the Scottish government’s ‘road map’ on how the lockdown will be eased.
David Snodgrass has been appointed as the new head professional at the Scottish golf club Crail Golfing Society – incredibly he will become only the second head pro in the club’s 234 year history.
Golf club pro shops in England can fully reopen on June 15, the prime minister has announced.
Largs Golf Club in Ayrshire, which will reopen on Friday, May 29, has more than 300 members booked in to play this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
An Irish golf club has been visited by the police, who checked the number plates of vehicles parked in the car park, to make sure no golfers had traveled an ‘unacceptable’ distance to play at the venue.
While golfers have been observing social distancing on the course at UK clubs in the last few days, some have asked what is the best way to keep their clubs and other golfing equipment clean to best protect themselves.
Scottish golf club employees from greenkeepers to PGA professionals, as well as golfers, are becoming increasingly frustrated that they cannot reopen while almost all other golf courses in the UK now have golf being played on them.
England Golf has been advised that the UK government is ‘unlikely to provide specific guidance on club fitting and driving ranges’ and has therefore developed its own guidance for English golf clubs.
Online giant GOLFNOW has reported an astonishing 681 per cent increase in website sessions in England last week compared with the same week in 2019.
Several golf clubs in England have reported that the length of time it’s taken for post-lockdown rounds to be completed has been so fast that they are considering making permanent changes based on the last week of golf activity.
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