The PGA backs calls for the safe re-opening of golf

The PGA as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf (APPGG) is continuing to campaign for the safe return of golf as soon as permitted.

Golf clubs and course in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are required to close amid national lockdowns, while courses in Scotland can remain open under strict COVID-19 restrictions.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, The PGA has been leading has been working in a joint collaboration with the APPGG to support its Members and people working in the golf industry.

In recent months, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf, has been campaigning tirelessly in an effort to keep golf open during the national lockdown and in the regional tiers system. This has included signing petitions, lobbying Government Cabinet Ministers and writing to the Prime Minister himself.

All who play and work in golf recognise the importance of taking COVID-19 seriously, adhering to rules set out to ensure collective safety, and respecting golf as one of the few sports that could continue when others could not.

All members of the APPGG have implemented rule changes and operational guidance at all levels to ensure compliance with restrictions and ensure people remain safe during COVID-19.

One of the key messages, which has been constant throughout the pandemic, has been to promote the physical and mental health benefits of golf are significant and can reduce the overall burden on health provision.

Other key messages supported by The PGA and the APPGG include:

• Golf has demonstrated it can be played safely in COVID conditions and without the need for contact between participants.
• There is no difference between a socially distanced walk than a socially distanced round of golf.
• A huge number of rounds were safely played between the two lockdowns last year.
• A typical 18-hole golf course of 60 hectares would contain an average of 96 players.
• Academic opinion canvassed from advisors to the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies indicates that any level of community transmission attributed to playing golf is likely to be extremely low and significantly lower than other environments such as shops, bars, and beaches.

Regular meetings with the golf industry bodies and the APPGG have been taking place since the latest lockdown measures were introduced.

Having successfully re-opened on two occasions last year, the golf industry is once again calling on the UK Government to allow its safe re-opening as soon as possible.

The PGA is encouraging its Membership and those people who work in golf to contact their local MP and express the messages above.