SA’s top golf clubs going to the wall

● As many as 40 of SA’s leading golf clubs will be pushed to the verge of bankruptcy by the two-week extension of lockdown, according to the results of a recent survey.

Of the 58 clubs that responded to a poll by the Club Management Association of Southern Africa (CMASA), 53 were golf clubs, and most believed they would have ridden out the initial three-week shutdown without any retrenchments.

But 31% of all respondents feared they would fold should they remain closed for more than six weeks, CMASA chair Chris van der Merwe told the Sunday Times.

The survey was conducted before Thursday’s announcement that the lockdown had been lengthened to five weeks.

Leading clubs included

Van der Merwe said the responding clubs represented 40% of CMASA’s members, which include the top 135 golf clubs in the country, from Clovelly to Royal Durban, as well as a few sports clubs, like Kelvin Grove.

There are about 450 golf clubs in SA in total, including rural nine-hole layouts, and Van der Merwe believed the CMASA survey was a fair sample for all of them.

The 58 clubs that responded had expected to get through the initial three-week lockdown without shedding any of their 3,297 permanent jobs, Van der Merwe said.

Eighty-three percent said they were still paying full salaries, while 12% had already cut wages. Five percent didn’t know what they would do.

“None have had to retrench,” he said.

But the numbers changed markedly when asked what they would do if the lockdown was extended beyond three weeks.

“There, only 34% of the clubs indicated they will be able to continue with full salaries and a lot of that involves using the staff members’ annual leave,” said Van der Merwe, adding 52% responded they would have to reduce salaries and 14% didn’t know.

The survey also inquired about temporary workers, like caddies and waiters, who have no other sources of income. Only 32 of the 53 golf club respondents used caddies, who numbered 1,542.

There were also 224 waiters and 82 other casual workers.

Eighty-four percent of the clubs had made arrangements for caddies and casual workers, while 16% were unable to.

Host of arrangements

“The arrangements go from anything from some clubs paying R2,000, some R1,000 a week, some 60% on what they would normally earn during this time,” said Van der Merwe.

“Some made arrangements with local shops to give food parcels. There’s a host of arrangements that have been made.”

Asked how long they could sustain these arrangements for casual workers, 18% of the clubs replied for three weeks, 52% for up to two months and 14% for longer than two months. The rest already can’t assist.

When all the clubs were asked how they would cope if the lockdown were to be extended beyond six weeks, 31% said they wouldn’t survive. Thirty-four percent expected to keep going and 36% were confident they would make it.

Last week the Sunshine Tour and Women’s Professional Golf Association said that they would pay stipends to players and caddies for April and May, adding that they could afford to go for a few more months if required.

But 31% of all respondents feared they would fold Chris van der Merwe

CMASA chair