One step forward, but two steps back on road to recovery
GOLF took one step forward and one step back last week when players looking forward to a return to some competitive action, were dealt a blow on Friday evening last when it was announced in a joint statement by the GUI/ILGU (I can’t get used to the term: Golf Ireland) that in spite of an earlier announcement to the contrary, competitive golf would not be permitted as part of phase two on the road to recovery.
Cue the uproar from the golfing public on Friday night, and some of the online abuse and name-calling directed at the GUI and ILGU was indeed a little over the top.
However, neither organisation was having any of it and, while no statement on the matter was released by either union, a number of individuals took on the task of defending them and firmly laid the blame at the door of the “Expert Group on the Return to Sport”.
Club secretaries, administrators and greenkeepers around the country were all preparing for the re-introduction of competitions from Monday of this week, but that is not now going to happen until at least Phase Three on June 29, which has sent many already-struggling clubs into a further spin, as they had been looking forward to competition revenue and sponsorship money after almost three months of inactivity and nothing going through the coffers.
When the unions published their original plans for the return to golf, fourball play was not scheduled to come back until Phase Three, but that was brought forward to Monday of this week, a move that delighted everyone.
However, an email sent to all golf clubs on Friday evening stated the following: “The Expert Group on the Return to Sport have decided that no competitive sport should take place during Phase 2 of the Irish Government’s Roadmap for the Re-Opening of the Economy and Society. We will update clubs when this position changes.”
The timing of this is indeed terrible and it certainly demonstrates a total lack of communication between this so-called “Expert Group” and the Unions.
Surely this expert group was consulted on the original protocols and were involved in their development and what has caused this change of plan on competitions so late in the day?
Golf clubs around the country who have spent money getting courses ready for competitive action, implementing the required regulations and ensuring the safety of members, must be fuming at this stage having to wait at least another three weeks to see some money coming through the door and somebody, somewhere, got it all wrong!
However, playing the blame game makes no difference, and if the regulations state that we cant competitions for the moment, then there’s really nothing we can do about it, but it certainly doesn’t add any strength to the GUI’s hopes of running Cups & Shields this year.
Golfers cannot be expected to go into inter-club action without any domestic competitive action, how are club teams going to be picked and if the inter-club events don’t go ahead, will club be refunded the entrance fees?