GARDEN ROUTE GOLF NEWS - Frustration looms large for local golf courses as the sport remains prohibited – despite being a natural advocate for distancing, and several sports and forms of exercise being permitted under Level 3 of lockdown.

As the country slowly but surely returns to a sense of something resembling normality, many forms of exercise are slowly being allowed once again under Level 3. 

People can now exercise any time of the day between 06:00 and 18:00; professional athletes can return to distanced training (contact and non-contact sports); and hiking is also permitted. Amateur sports, however, are still largely prohibited, one of which is strangely golf – a sport that involves virtually no contact between participants, with the only close proximity typically coming after the round when hands are shaken to say thank you for the round. This could of course be replaced with the now-famous elbow greeting that has been promoted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Local golf courses are reeling with frustration as they continue to struggle under lockdown, like so many other businesses. 

At Knysna Golf Club, the ground staff have been working throughout lockdown in an attempt to maintain the course, albeit at a reduced standard. "Our staff have still been coming to do at the least bare minimum, because we have no income to maintain the course the way we usually do," explained resident professional Chris Dixon, who also expressed that even though they want to return, they can't. "We want to be open, we want to be back at work, but unfortunately we can't. And even though it is very frustrating, there is sadly nothing we can do about it at this point."

At Pezula Championship Course, they have cut their ground staff according to operations manager Ashley Weir. "We're down to a team of four, whereas we're usually 24, and they have been doing what they can with upkeep of the course," he said. "There's been so much up and down with everything, and all we want is a bit of clarity on the situation."

He also expressed his dismay at the fact that amateur golf remains prohibited. "Golf is one of the safest sports in terms of social distancing. You're out in the open, and you are consistently away from other players, so it is a bit ridiculous," Weir said, also noting that once courses will open, expectations will need to change. "Players will need to be patient and expect slightly lower conditions at any course when golf returns, seeing as we are all unable to keep up the standards we had before."

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