On the stroke of midnight!
GOLF COURSE WILL BE AMONG FIRST IN UK TO REOPEN,
12.01am marks a significant moment for golf as we take our first steps to recovery
Andrew Allsop
MORLEY Hayes is to be among the first golf centres in England to reopen when it holds a late-night charity tournament early next week.
The Government is to ease lockdown restrictions to allow golf courses to reopen from just after midnight on Monday.
To mark the occasion, the Morleybased complex will be hosting a charity golf tournament on its floodlit Tower Course.
It is one of only a few courses in the country with its own floodlights, which will illuminate seven of the nine holes on the course.
Seven teams of four players will be taking part in the tournament, which will have a shotgun start – with teams teeing off from a different hole at the same time.
A silent flare will be let off at 12.01am to start the event. Golfers will also play with special balls that light up as soon as they are hit.
All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre.
Andrew Allsop, managing director of Morley Hayes, said: “We’re thrilled to be the first golf facility in England to reopen.
“So 12.01am on Monday marks a significant moment for the golf industry as we take our first steps on the road to recovery.
“The shotgun-start tournament will be a great chance to kickstart golf again at Morley Hayes and to raise money for a vital charity, too.
“We can’t wait to welcome back existing golfers and welcome new players to our facilities over the coming weeks.” Other golf facilities at Morley Hayes include the championship length 18-hole, par-72 Manor Course, golf pavilion and the recently-refurbished 26-bay allweather floodlit driving range.
It is also home to the East Midlands Golf Academy.
Strict safety measures will be in place at the complex. Handwashing stations must be used on arrival and when leaving.
Perspex screens have also been installed to keep staff and players safe.
Greenskeepers have been getting the course into shape, even handmowing greens on the nine-hold Tower course.
Morley Hayes was launched by brothers Andrew and Robert Allsop in 1991 – and was created out of a former dairy farm. Today it is regarded as one of the top places to eat, sleep and play.
Fourballs will be allowed on reopening and clubs everywhere have been busy taking bookings.
Professional and retail shops could open from April 12, with outdoor catering facilities – subject to the rule of six.
Club, regional, and county competitions and tournaments are also permitted from that date, providing they are under strict Covid-19 controls and where overnight accommodation is not required for either staff or players.
No national finals, though, will be staged before May 17.
Driving ranges will be permitted to open from March 29 providing they are outdoor, with all driving ranges alowed to open from April 12.
Club changing rooms will be closed when golf reopens, though the use of indoor toilets will be allowed.
They will be allowed to open once again from April 12.
It is hoped indoor catering facilities, which should include clubhouses, can open their doors from May 17, while committee meetings and AGMs will not be permitted in person before that date.
All all restrictions are scheduled to be removed from June 21, depending on any adjustments to the Government’s roadmap.