Counting the cost of golf closures
AS the Covid-19 pandemic decimates all sporting fixtures, golf clubs are also feeling the cost of closures and event cancellations.
After the Government advised that the majority of sporting fixtures should be postponed almost 3 weeks ago, people were still able to get out and enjoy a round of golf, maintaining the social distancing guidelines that are in place.
However following more stricter limitations about the importance of social distancing, the GUI and the ILGU indicated all golf was to cease immediately until the end of April at the earliest.
This will impact every golf club throughout the country and David O’Donovan, General Manager of Co Sligo Golf Club says they are expecting a loss of at least half a million euro this year in light of the pandemic.
There have been cuts to staff also during the crisis and the prestigious West of Ireland, scheduled for April, has also been postponed.
David told The Sligo Champion: “Look, at the end of the day, people’s health is the most important thing, golf is taking a back seat at the moment.
“In fairness to the Government, they made the decision quickly to try and halt the spread of the virus and the GUI then reiterated that decision.”
David said that in particular with the recent spell of good weather people would be eager to play golf and enjoy the fresh air.
“Initially, all the clubs were closed down bar the courses and I suppose you have to factor in people’s mental health too. Many of our members would be playing golf four or 5 days a week and it’s the one outlet for them.”
He said the club held a management meeting on Monday last in advance of the scenario that courses would be closing.
“The Taoiseach is encouraging people to stay at home and not to travel and that’s the right thing to do when you take into account the numbers of people who are sick and dying from the coronavirus.”
In the middle of our conversation, David was contacted by a golfer from the US eager to book a slot on the iconic Rosses Point course for late September.
He said the interest from overseas for people rescheduling dates is huge and a big positive during this crisis.
“I guess things don’t stop for us. There is a huge interest in foreign business, everything up to the 20th of April is cancelled and we have written to everybody that was supposed to come.
“People from the US, Canada and Europe know April, May and possibly even June is out but they are moving their booking to September onwards so that’s positive.
“We have a good number of bookings for 2021, we know we’re going to lose this year’s business and that will put us on a tough footing when we get back up and running whenever that will be.
“We’ve taken the view that 2020 will be a very bad year, as everyone else will do too but still the show must go on.
“The golf course still has to be maintained with greenkeepers cutting the grass, watering the greens and so forth, so there has to be a full maintenance there.
“There is no office staff and no catering staff now during this crisis. We normally have a workforce of 19 and now there is only 3 full-time, two greenkeepers and myself,” David explained.
“Every business is the same though. We still have to maintain the course, we can’t let it go to rack and ruin.
“The area is so vast as well that we have to patrol it too in terms of security. There are people, mostly our members out walking and you have to be keeping an eye out and about to make sure they keep safe.
“People can walk the course, making sure they adhere to social distancing, most of those walking are our members who know the course.”
David said that the show must go on and that hopefully business will come back later in the year.
“All events are cancelled up to the end of April and we will see after that. It could be late June or July when we are back up and running.
“We will be down half a million euro, if not more which is probably small in comparison to other businesses but we are looking at 50% down on our income.
“In saying that, we are very conscious of the frontline staff who are doing such immense work making people are safe, that is the most important thing at the end of the day, we don’t want to have a major scenario where people from Rosses Point, Sligo and Ireland die,” David points out.
“We need to get behind the efforts of the frontline staff and try and help as much as we can.”
He said understandably it’s a worrying time for the older members in the community especially those living alone and feeling isolated at this time.
“Some of our members are calling to people’s homes and giving them that bit of interaction.
“If you are living on your own and playing golf during the week and then coming up to have a cup of coffee and a chat, of course it’s tough on people with nowhere to go. From a mental health side of things it’s not easy for people at home all day.”
With all golf cancelled until the end of April, the prestigious West of Ireland scheduled for that month is also postponed.
“We fell into that category when the GUI announced on Friday all golf in April was postponed. We are looking at a later date that may become available in the year.
“For us as a club it’s about can we fit it in, there isn’t five days free unless you’re looking at November and that is too late.
“We wouldn’t like to say there will be no West in 2020, it might go another way.
“If we are back say on July 1st, that would mean the East of Ireland and the North of Ireland would be cancelled and maybe none of these events take place this year but we will see closer to the date.
“The most important thing is people’s health,” he added.