National petition fails as golf clubs are forced to close their courses
At the time of writing this article it looks like golf clubs will have to close their clubhouses, driving ranges and courses in England for at least the next four weeks (to December 2) to comply with the government’s latest Covid-19 lockdown requirements.
However, England Golf have been trying to appeal this decision based on the mitigation that golf is played outside, with obvious health benefits and ease of social distancing.
There is also a campaign, via a national petition, for submission to the government which passed 250,000 signatures by Monday evening.
Golf was one of the first leisure activities to be released from the original Covid-19 lockdown and there has been widespread praise for the way that golf clubs have implemented and managed government Covid-19 rules. However, I suspect that golf will have to comply with the latest lockdown and that England Golf will send out guidelines for clubs to comply with as before.
The new Word Handicap System for golf in England should have gone live on Monday but apparently there are still a few database problems for England Golf to sort out.
The governing body for golf in England certainly has its hands full now!
The Suffolk Golf Club
The leaves in my road seem to have fallen very quickly from the trees this autumn and it is the same on our local golf courses. Despite the best efforts of the clubs’ greenkeepers, golf competition scoring has been adversely affected.
The Suffolk, midweek qualifier, last Wednesday, certainly saw the worst of recent windy conditions plus heavy rain (for the later starters) and leaves showering down constantly.
However, it did not seem to bother Chris Tate in the first round of the new Order of Merit series at the Suffolk Golf course. The Medal competition format certainly favours the lower handicapper but all the same Tate’s round of 76-5-71 was exceptional considering the weather conditions.
Runner-up was Graham Chapman with nett 74 followed by Mark Rothon with nett 75. Jim Chapman was fourth on count-back, also scoring nett 75.
The late morning rain was so heavy that not everyone finished the competition.
However, despite heavy overnight rain and 40mph wind gusts on Sunday morning the leading scores in the first round of the Winter League at the Suffolk were impressive.
The format was Greensomes, not played at clubs very often. Played in pairs where both tee off and then select one ball to play alternate shots form until the hole is finished. There are six rounds at the Suffolk with the best four scores to count to decide the champions. The series of competitions usually start in October and finish in March, weather permitting (and currently covid permitting too!).
Simon Hodson and Paul Dufosee are a deadly combination in any pairs competition at the club and they performed well again on Sunday. However, they had to settle for second place albeit only beaten on count-back.
The winners were Danny Hawkins (currently on a good run of form) and Lewis Gammon. Both pairs finished with 43 points. Third place went to Glen Barker and Daniel Garrod.
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club
The weather and golfing conditions were not much better for the juniors at Bury on Thursday, but there was a standout winning score in the Stableford competition.
Jasmine Points returned an impressive total of 38pts to finish four better than runner-up Sebastian Kubitzek, with his sister Sophie in third spot on 33 points. Emile Thomas finished fourth on 32.
There were no exceptional scores in the men’s Friday Stableford at the club last week, but the winner, Ben Aves started well with a birdie on the 1st. He played steady golf for the remaining 17 holes recording 14 pars and just three bogeys for a total of 37 points from his handicap of three.
Three golfers scored 36 points and in count-back order they were Nathan McCellan, Terry Hamill and John Mortimer. The entry was 34 golfers which was an impressive turnout for a Friday in late October.
