Need for cash ends pennant for 2020

GOLF is back but pennant will not make a return this year.

The men’s season was cancelled after one round in midMarch, and the golf schedule means it will not go ahead in the second half of the year.

South West Golf Association men’s golf operations chair David Smith said club viability took priority over pennant.

Clubs laid off staff during the shutdown and went without tens of thousands of dollars in revenue.

“To try and find another six or seven Sundays to be able to incorporate pennant — and clubs giving their courses up for the morning at no cost — is something we wouldn’t go down the path of doing at this point,” Smith said.

“Clubs are trying to get back open and operating at this point in time.

“I think the pennant season for this year will be no more and we’ll wait until 2021.”

The rescheduling of pennant would create a clash with club opens and district championships, Smith said.

Pennant finals were slated for May 17.

Clubs also offer their courses for free during pennant, which would mean they would miss out on the chance to recoup some dollars through green fee players.

Social and competition golf resumed three weeks ago after the State Government lifted the ban on the sport.

“I think most clubs would realise — and there are so many other events on — that it’s going to be quite difficult to try and accommodate a pennant season,” Smith said.

“Pennant players would love to play pennant and would have liked the season to continue, but once we got Golf Australia and State Government advice to the contrary about golf, well, we had to adhere to that and cancel the rest of the rounds.

“I don’t envisage we’re going to be in a position where we could have that operating.”

SWGA women’s golf operations chair Mandy Buckley said there was “nil” chance of pennant.

“There’s no way we would schedule a district pennant in competition with club opens because they’re all going to need to earn revenue,” Buckley said.