Golf clubs are flagging under the Covid-19 lockdown, with concern some may not emerge from the pandemic rough.
Fears have been expressed for fairways across the green and pleasant land, with financial difficulties brought on by coronavirus measures.
With people already leading busier lives with increased work pressures - and the corporate vision of deals being done on the course more a sepia-tinged memory than standard boardroom procedure - the game, and therefore the business beyond, was already feeling the strain.
Director of golf at Grimsby’s eponymous club is concerned that facilities across the 海角视频 may now have to close down.
Simon Jowitt said the Covid-19 outbreak has badly affected the start of the season after an already difficult winter.
This includes membership renewals, with some holding off paying for this year until they are allowed to play again, as well as cancelled social events in the clubhouse.
Grimsby Golf Club has already had to cancel one of its main events, the Good Friday Open, because of the social distancing measures in place - despite gold being a game that could be played by the Prime Minister’s rules - as well as those laid down by the R&A and England Golf, just down the road in Woodhall Spa.
He now wants support in place to help clubs, and is calling for the government to reopen them with restrictions, in an attempt to make sure they survive the pandemic.
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The Littlecoates Road club is considered a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC), and therefore not eligible for government grants.
Simon said: “The majority of staff have been put on furlough for the time being, other than our greenskeepers, who are working under social distancing restrictions to keep the area tidy and well looked after.
“Golf memberships have been shrinking across the 海角视频 over the past few years, so we’ve already had to change how we do things, increasing the social memberships and hosting social events rather than depending on the actual golf memberships.
“With all of the floods and bad weather we’ve had over winter, a lot of golf clubs will be struggling anyway, so the coronavirus will just be making it a lot harder to survive.
“This is when members renew their membership, and we don’t know when we will be reopening, so even though we’re trying to stay in touch with them and keep our members informed, if they don’t renew, a lot of clubs will struggle and even go under.
“We normally have a lot of social events that get a lot of money in for us, and we have lost all of that.
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“A lot of clubs depend on about 90 per cent of their income from memberships, but we changed that as membership numbers reduced.
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“But the golf side of it has been affected by it too. We have missed out on our main open on Good Friday, so we’ve had a very big hit to an important part of the year for the club.
“Thankfully, we have had a lot of members renew their membership earlier than usual to keep us going, and had a really positive reaction from our members through this difficult time.
“Golf club bosses are battling with the government at the moment to allow people to golf, because it’s more than possible to put social distancing in place so people can play golf and exercise.
“It also gives people a place to go other than to the park for a walk. It’s a large area of land for people to exercise on, so it’s not like people will be in close proximity with one another.
“We are hoping golf will be allowed back by June, but I don’t know if a lot of clubs will make it through this.
“We think Sport England may be looking into funding for places such as golf clubs, but we’re kind of left out at the moment.”
Plans had already been drawn up to sell some land for housing too, with the difficulties clear. Immingham lost its club recently and Laceby Manor has diversified into the holiday lodge and events market - two other revenue streams also halted by Covid-19.
Simon added: “Grimsby Golf Club is owned by the members, so we have a board that runs it, and we’re now currently doing weekly video conferences to keep a track of everything.
“But we’re actually considered a Community Amateur Sports Club, or CASC, so we don’t qualify for any of the current funding or government grants. We get some relief on business rates generally, but we’re hoping more is done to keep our club and others going.
“It’s very important that we have the CASC accreditation, because it means that we are accessible to the local community, and we are the only community golf club in the area.
“One important part, through all of this, is that our course is being kept in pristine condition while the club is closed thanks to our brilliant staff.
“Our staff are working really hard, and we just want to thank them for their hard work and commitment during this difficult time.”