Scottish Golf have stressed that there will be no restart to golf north of the border this week regardless of whether the game re-starts under restrictions in England on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister’s Sunday statement to slacken some aspects of the COVID-19 lockdown has been confirmed as applying to the playing of golf, but with restrictions on touching course fixtures and implements like flags, as outlined in guidance released by governing body the R&A 10 days ago.
The advice was later clarified to include being able to play with friends or people outside households in groups of two, while maintaining “sensible” social distancing requirements.
However the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have declined to apply the new easing of restrictions and are sticking to the “Stay At Home” message.
Scottish Golf issued a warning last week against “communications” it had received that some Scottish clubs had informed members their intention to re-open this week under the R&A guidelines, and stressing that the blanket closure of golf facilities remained in place.
“Following on from the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, we are writing to confirm that the position outlined by Scottish Golf on Friday, 8 May for Golf in Scotland remains unchanged,” read an SGL statement.
“The message is still clear – Stay at home and save lives.
“We remain in daily dialogue with the Scottish Government and other golfing bodies throughout the UK, to ensure that when it is deemed safe to do so in Scotland, that we are ready to support our golf clubs with a concise protocol for reopening.
“We will update our membership as soon as the Scottish Government agrees a plan on a safe return to golf. Scottish Golf would like to thank all of our members for their continued support in following the guidelines in such difficult times.”
There is likely to be some backlash in golf in Scotland to the easing of restrictions in England, but even south of the border there appears to be confusion as regards the application of the changes.
England Golf have issued a statement saying they were “lobbying government today in order to publish the best operational guidance for our clubs and golfers ahead of Wednesday’s return to play.
“We will communicate guidance after our discussions with government and other industry partners as soon as it is practicable. We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.”
It’s understood that the decision to relax restrictions on golf came as a surprise to both England Golf and the R&A, who had been in detailed discussions at government level to path a way to re-open golf courses while remaining safe against potential spread of the coronavirus.
England Golf were later able to clarify the government rules, which are to permit individual players going solo, two balls only of individuals from different households, and at the discretion of clubs, members of the same household playing in two, three or four balls.
The PGA in Scotland issued a notice from chief executive Robert Maxfield urging Scotland’s club professionals to support Scottish Golf’s stance.
“(Scottish Golf’s statement) clearly sends a message for golf to remain closed until it is safe to open,” wrote Maxfield. “The PGA is supportive of this position and I would ask that you all respect the position of the Scottish Government.
“We are all very keen to get golf open, but we must continue to remain patient and follow Scottish Government guidelines.
“I will remain in regular communication with (Scottish Golf chief operating officer) Karin Sharp and the team at Scottish Golf to bring you further information as the situation develops.”
