Should Golf Ireland wipe out 2020?

NOTHING has been decided yet and perhaps I’m jumping the gun a little here, but I’m of the opinion that Golf Ireland (GUI & ILGU) may yet be forced to cancel the whole of the 2020 season, if the current lockdown situation goes beyond May 5.

I’m not in any way trying to panic golfing folk, and I’m certainly not a prophet of doom as I always see the glass as half full, but I honestly cannot see how it’s going to be possible to complete the fixture calendar with what’s left of the golfing season.

If (and it’s a big if), the lockdown is lifted on May 5, we’re certainly not going to be able to go back to playing golf as before for quite a while, possibly a month or six weeks, and we’ll have to be satisfied with golf as we were playing it before lockdown, with social distancing and no flags, because I think the government will do the sensible thing and ease everything slowly back into normality.

There’s no sense in starting competitions straight away and having a couple of hundred people on a golf course at one time, when there might still be the possibility of stating another spread of infection because, as of yet, there is no known vaccine for Covid-19.

So, that’s brings us up to July and leaves just possibly ten to twelve weeks to complete Cups and Shields across the four provinces, which is a huge ask on players and their clubs, but most importantly to clubs hosting these matches. And, anyway, players won’t be prepared, having no golf played and no practice done under lockdown conditions.

The Scottish Golfing Union has completely written off 2020 by cancelling all events in a statement on Thursday last to all 575 of its affiliated clubs.

They have also furloughed most of their staff, while the English Union has done the same to their staff and have cancelled everything on their fixture list until the end of July at the earliest.

Yes, you can argue that England, Scotland and Wales, are worse hit by the virus than Ireland is, but I wonder how long more before Golf Ireland follows suit? It might well be the best option.

If Golf Ireland cancels its entire fixture list for 2020, what will become of those who hold office like Captains, Lady Captains and Presidents in all 418 of Ireland’s golf clubs?

Should they simply make way for their successors come their AGMs in December, or should they stay in office for 2021, when please God, things should be back to normal on the golfing front?

It’s hard to tell at this point because the GUI and ILGU fixture lists have not yet been cancelled, but should it happen, it’s certainly something for clubs to consider, and for me the fairest option would be for the 2020 officers to hold office again in 2021. I’m speaking as someone with a vested interest here, as I’m due to hold office as President of my home club in 2021, but I would gladly move aside until 2022 so that the current incumbent can enjoy a full year and all that goes with it.

Here in Kerry we have already lost two clubs in 2020 with the closure of Killorglin and Castleisland, and we really don’t know right now how many of the county’s remaining fourteen clubs will still be intact after this emergency.

Many golfers have lost their jobs, while many more have seen their incomes reduced, and this financial loss will, no doubt, have a serious effect on paying annual subscriptions on which so many of the smaller clubs depend.

Let’s hope that before it is all over, I won’t be reporting on the closure of another Kerry club.