Local Golf Post Covid-19 – A New Reality

A beautiful June Saturday morning is dawning and it’s time for a game of golf.

Your normal routine is probably to get to the course a bit early, check in, maybe hit a few balls and grab a snack or water before hopping in the cart with your buddy and heading over to the first tee (probably even before the group ahead of you has finished teeing off).

Unfortunately, “normal” is not normal anymore.

As we write this most of the country still does not know if they will even be playing golf in June (and not just because the weather is more like November than May in Toronto!!). Many (but not all) provinces have allowed course to re-open with some serious precautions in place and this is probably a good template of what the we can expect in the short term if and when clubs start to re-open.

The main precautions being taken the recreational golf world include:

• Players have stay two metres apart.
• Walking is preferred and use of carts is severely restricted with 1 person per cart.
• Shaking hands and high-fives are prohibited. Touchpoints, such as bunker rakes and benches, have been removed and flagsticks cannot be handled.
• Ball washers have been modified or removed.
• PVC pipe stops putts from going to the bottom of the cup, so hands don’t touch the pin or cup.
• The interval between tee-off times has been increased.
• Golfers can arrive at the course only 20 minutes before their tee time and must depart immediately after their round concludes.
• Clubhouse, locker-rooms, and pro shop are all closed.

The RCGA has stepped up and ruled that rounds played where the cup is raised out of the hole to avoid picking your ball out are valid for handicap purposes.

While far from an ideal golf experience (no cart beverages?!?!?!?) it is, at least, golf and I’m sure we will all be willing to follow these guidelines for the short term, just to be able to get out there and chase the little white ball around.

A more interesting question is what will “normal” look like in the longer run?

There seems to be no doubt that the key pivot point is the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Most experts believe that is still many months away, so it is possible that this new “normal” is our golf reality over the course of the 2020 Canadian golf season.

What does that mean for competition and our club events? Many events are already being cancelled but who doesn’t look forward to the Member Guest and Club Championships? For the public player, the GTA AM is a great source of competition in the Toronto area and there are similar organizations cross the country. Can these competitions even be held in a covid world?

Our bet is yes. It will take creativity on the part of the organizers and discipline on the part of participants, but we have every confidence that the golf community can rise up and meet that challenge. We may need to limit entries, go out in smaller groups, hold outdoor paper plate BBQ’s instead of fancy banquets but as some of the gathering restrictions are loosened, we have no doubt there will be an exciting and fun competition season ahead.

Like the rest of you we are excited for the season to get going. Even with a few restrictions it will be great to get out in the fresh air with physically distanced friends to play a match and e transfer winnings and losing back and forth! When we get that chance, we encourage everyone to be safe and follow the guidelines in place. If we can play by the rules (something all golfers are known for) we can maintain the privilege of playing and enjoying a great summer. If we push the limits too far, we may see the privilege revoked and that would be a real shame…

All this is leading to the holy grail - Once the vaccine is in place, all can go back to the way it was, or will it…time will tell.

Stay safe and enjoy your rounds safely when we get out there.