Tee time sheets are booked solid at golf courses all over England today as the country prepares to go into its second national lockdown from midnight on November 4.
While many golfers were hoping that golf would be exempt from the list of sports that are to be suspended from November 5 until December 2, the government took the opposite view and has decided that all golf courses, driving ranges, indoor golf facilities and adventure golf venues are to be shut down for the next month at the very least.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people will be allowed to exercise and socialise in outdoor public spaces with their household or one other person for as long as they like, but that won’t be allowed if you happen to be at a golf course.
“I must apologise for not being able to offer the house a huge list of exemptions to the rules we’ve set out,” Johnson said. “Because once you unpick at one thing the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised. That’s why I want everyone to work together for the next four weeks to get the R rate under control, so that we can open things up again in December.”
Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, had been among those calling for golf courses to be allowed to stay open, while the entire golf industry has been united in highlighting the health and mental wellbeing benefits that keeping golf courses open during a time when more of us are stuck indoors, would be more vital than ever.
Over 250,000 members of the public signed an online petition to keep golf courses open – representing over a third of the total number of golf club members in the UK – but this too fell on deaf ears.
Tim Barnes, who, together with his brother, Richard, owns and operates Hartford Golf Club in Northwich and Pryors Hayes in Chester, echoed the sentiments of many golf club owners and operators when he said: “Since we reopened in May it has been a great time for us and, seemingly, golf across the board in the UK. We had 350 members before the lockdown and now have over 400 and have picked up more than 100 at our other course.
“Of these, the overwhelming majority are in the all-important 20-35 age bracket and that bodes so well for the future, as they now they have the golfing bug. And, unlike certain other age groups, they will put money across the bar in the clubhouse and buy equipment. Where before that age group would account for about five percent of our rounds, that is up to a third of our rounds and I’d say and they are a big reason why we are ahead in golf takings where we were this time last year. However, the fear is that this game is such a habit-forming that once you are away from it, you might find something else to do with your weekends, especially as we move into winter.
“So we wouldn’t want this lockdown to go on too long. It’s the Masters next week and we were hoping for an uptick because of that, especially with all the big equipment companies bringing out new drivers in the next few weeks for the Christmas trade. We will lose a lot of this to the internet now and that is a blow and will be an even bigger one if the lockdown stretches past the first week of December.”