Golf courses haven’t taken a hit from virus

IT’S business as usual — to a degree — for the region’s golf clubs during the coronavirus crisis.

Golf courses remain open, for the time being, for competition and social hits but with strict measures in place to stop the spread of the disease.

While most sports have been cancelled or postponed, golf is one activity that has been allowed to continue as it meets social distancing requirements and participants are spaced out across the course.

Some of the safeguards include:

REMOVAL bunkers;

PINS to remain in the hole; PLAYERS allowed to mark individual scorecard;

ONE cart per player;

NO drinking facilities or ballwashers to be used; and,

NO pull buggies allowed for hire.

Golf Australia says it believes the sport should continue to be played, provided social distancing protocols are met.

Thirteenth Beach accommodation and communications executive Sally McKenna said the club’s two courses remained open.

“We’ve obviously got very strict hygiene and safety precautions in place, such as only one person per cart,” McKenna said. of rakes from

“Golf is still being played, we’re still taking golf bookings.”

Clubs have had to close restaurants and bars as part of the State Government’s shutdown of non-essential services.

McKenna said golf bookings were business as usual.

“We’ve seen some drop-off with tee times and that kind of thing but in terms of what we’re offering, it is at the moment,” she said.

“Apart from the food and beverage side, everything’s going along as normal.”

Torquay Sands golf operations manager Steve Power said the club was awaiting advice from Golf Australia as to whether it could remain open.

The club is midway through its club championships but the final two rounds may have to be rescheduled until it is safe to resume.

It comes as clubs could be forced to close as part of the statewide shutdown, which is in place until at least midnight on April 13 but likely to be extended.

It was unclear whether that included golf clubs.

Power said one of the appeals of the sport was it could be played while meeting social distancing measures.

“Particularly towards the middle and end of last week, there was probably a bit of a spike in terms of people wanting to use our practice facilities for short periods of time to get out of home,” Power said.