The upside of travel restrictions
Golf’s pandemic plus-side is well documented. Waiting lists for membership have reappeared after years in a dusty filing cabinet, green fee levels are buoyant and flexible working has created greater opportunity and demand. But in playing terms, for we golfers who are anything but elite, one obvious frustration is that our ability to travel is greatly reduced.
Thanks largely to my involvement with GM, I have now played in approaching 50 countries; from Austria to Vietnam via India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. As spoilt as this has clearly made me, one strong conclusion I have drawn after a year with no airport queues and too much time to think, is that there is definitely an upside to restrictions on international travel.
I have said it before, and will doubtless say it again, but throughout every corner of the UK and Ireland, we have substantially more than a lifetime’s supply of brilliant, varied, scenic and entertaining golf. And in no way is this restricted to the most famous layouts. Elsewhere, there are countless wonderful, engaging, just-look-at-that-view courses that will keep all but the most hardened purist happy forever.
Not far from my home are two lovely courses that at one point are less than half-a-mile apart, Wildernesse and Knole Park. Despite their proximity, they could not be more dissimilar with the former a classic, tree-lined test and the latter a sprawling and hugely enjoyable safari among the deer. That two such neighbouring courses can be so very diverse and offer so many different things is a wonderful testament to domestic golf.
If restrictions continue to prevent global golf-trotting, I will miss it, but not too much. I will be safe in the certain knowledge that no keen golf course enthusiast could ever run out of new and interesting courses to visit and play in the UK&I.