Give sport a break, but stay safe

Amateur golfers were finally allowed to return to SA fairways this weekend. Many believe the decision came in the nick of time for an industry crippled by the lockdown since closing its doors at the end of March. After weeks of consideration, the department of sport, arts and culture on Friday gave golf courses the green light to open, provided they adopted strict protocols in the fight to contain Covid-19.

It is not a one-way street. Golfers will have to toe the line when it comes to adhering to the new restrictions.

Earlier this month GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn highlighted the grim danger the golf industry faced the longer government took to open golf courses.

Hepburn told Sport24: “the longer it [lockdown] takes the more courses we will lose ... we’re talking in days or weeks. It’s the [amateur] golfers that bring in the money for the industry to survive, it’s them paying to play that allows the clubs to have an income and it’s that income that sustains jobs.”

He revealed that 50% of golf clubs could close forever due to the tough restrictions imposed on them during the lockdown.

More than 18 000 jobs were at risk, with the majority of people employed in the golf industry falling in the most vulnerable economic sector.

While we welcome the decision to allow golfers to return, we question why it took so long. Golf was the ideal sport to be allowed back earlier as it provides the perfect exercise for people of all ages, social distancing is not a problem as the sport is played in wide open spaces, and it is a known stress reliever.

Golf may have won the fight for now, but there other sports also at risk. Thousands of jobs are at risk, with the pandemic crippling various sporting industries.

We urge government to work closely with these sports to find a way for them to operate, while keeping safe.