Live in Tier 3 - play in Tier 2 - possible?

[oltimer]

Tier 3 Rules State- travel allowed to a venue that is open, (after listing all what are and are not open) -assumption is that travel is within the T3 area.
You should not (should not - not Must not) travel to another Tier unless essential - ie work or medical treatment.

Situ - Myself and Club in tier 2 @ 2-3 miles from County Line - so loads of members live in adjoining County which is now in tier 3.

The course safety rules are that good even for casual games that you never get nearer than shouting distance to any group on the Course, so who is behind or ahead is not a concern (covidwise)
However the Xmas Comp Draw has just been posted and am grouped with 3 tier 3 members, I am a vhigh risk catagory and have stayed in for last 5 weeks apart from
3 medical trips, would be a bit stupid to now go and spend 4+ hours with residents from a T3 area so no xmas golf for me, a bit miffed really and wonder what other
golfers think about people playing outside of their given Tier - legal or illegal?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

The tier system is being reviewed 16th Dec and the “rules” are being relaxed over the Christmas 5 days, is there any chance they are looking ahead at the situation and the rules that maybe in place over that period?

 

[rudebhoy]

If you are in a very high risk category, I'm surprised you are playing at all unless you are playing solo.

We are in T3 but have a cottage on a holiday park in North Yorkshire (T2). The company who run it have asked owners in T3 not to come but I know owners who are ignoring that, claiming they are going to carry out "essential maintenance" while having a 2 or 3 night break.

It's also being reported that N Yorkshire Police are stopping cars coming in from W Yorkshire and asking them why they are crossing the border. I assume that unless they have a good reason, they are being "encouraged" to turn round.

So in terms of legality, its not illegal to travel from T3 to T2 but it's frowned upon. I guess it's a decision for the club whether to let T3 members to play. Difficult one as whatever they decide will upset some.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Tier 3 Rules State- travel allowed to a venue that is open, (after listing all what are and are not open) -assumption is that travel is within the T3 area.
You should not (should not - not Must not) travel to another Tier unless essential - ie work or medical treatment.

Situ - Myself and Club in tier 2 @ 2-3 miles from County Line - so loads of members live in adjoining County which is now in tier 3.

The course safety rules are that good even for casual games that you never get nearer than shouting distance to any group on the Course, so who is behind or ahead is not a concern (covidwise)
However the Xmas Comp Draw has just been posted and am grouped with 3 tier 3 members, I am a vhigh risk catagory and have stayed in for last 5 weeks apart from
3 medical trips, would be a bit stupid to now go and spend 4+ hours with residents from a T3 area so no xmas golf for me, a bit miffed really and wonder what other
golfers think about people playing outside of their given Tier - legal or illegal?

Just from a risk perspective, the chances of someone having Covid and being asymptomatic (otherwise they'd be isolating) is not really going to differ that close to either side of a tier 3 boundary (unless perhaps the difference is being in the middle of a city). For example, the streets in papers which were half in Wales and half in England are going to have people with similar risk factors as they'll shop, socialise and work in similar places. So if you are that concerned about outdoors with Tier 3 then you probably should have equal concern with other members in Tier 2 who will likely have many interactions with Tier 3 people e.g. work context, shopping and with perhaps the higher risk that they've been eating in the pub the week before.

On whether they can I believe the rules are a should stay in area rather than have to so I think they can go play if they wanted to. Golf isn't one of the reasons to travel to a different tier so others may disagree but I'd read the rules as someone going on a longer journey and mixing areas rather than popping down the road where they could walk to it. Mainly for the reasons above of people already being mixed in those neighbourhoods.

 

[sweaty sock]

I agree with sports fanatic, if you're that close to a county line then the infection rate in the whole local area will be very similar.

This actually makes people from teir 3 less likely to be infectious. They are mixing less than those in teir 2, who are at a very similar level of risk.

That said, teir 3 should be staying put. Just bad luck really.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

When we went into lockdown and golf courses had to close the cry was that it was safe to play golf ( which it is ) etc and that it would be fine

Now over the past week since we have seen golfers

Play in open fields during lockdown

People on Tier 3 looking to go outside their Tier to go for a game a golf

A local club near here found 20 seniors having an after match “drink and chat” ( sorting their scores out - in the changing room afterwards ignoring all social distancing

Another club had a group of 16 turn up on the first tee and do the whole ball in the hat

All actions going against the restrictions and guidelines

Have people just had enough of it all and now just doing what they want ? Or are people just getting complacent and think it’s all safe ?

 

[Deleted member 21258]

The travel rules within England area are guidance and not law.

Many of the other restrictions are law.

Also there is the question of your club rules to consider, if they have made up to stop you playing the course?

 

[sunshine]

As others have posted, people living in Tier 3 should not be traveling to a Tier 2 area for a game of golf. However this is advice not the law.

 

[GB72]

Certainly the club that my mum plays at is not stopping members from Tier 3 from playing but I suspect that a significant percentage of their membership are outside of the Tier 2 area that the club is in. I had always seen golf as a non essential and so should not be a reason for travelling between Tiers but that is my opinion and not one held by many.

As with other areas concerned with golf, some golfers will push it as far as they can to try and behave as they did pre-covid. Others will stick to the rules rigidly. As to the situation detailed by the OP, I would be more concerned about the lifestyles and behaviour of the playing partners rather than their tiers. You could be in Tier 3 and hardly be leaving the house and following every rule and you could be tier one and taking every possible risk with little care about the virus. If I were high risk, I would only be playing with people I knew and trusted.

 

[sunshine]

In this situation I think a responsible golf club should communicate to all members that people living in tier 3 shouldn't be "crossing the border" to play golf. Policing it is a different matter, but the burden should be on the individual to respect the government's guidance.

 

[rudebhoy]

In this situation I think a responsible golf club should communicate to all members that people living in tier 3 shouldn't be "crossing the border" to play golf. Policing it is a different matter, but the burden should be on the individual to respect the government's guidance.

I agree, but that's a risky move from a business perspective, could well alienate a large number of members with renewals coming up. I think quite a few places would reluctantly turn a blind eye to it.

 

[SteveJay]

I agree, but that's a risky move from a business perspective, could well alienate a large number of members with renewals coming up. I think quite a few places would reluctantly turn a blind eye to it.

And its farcical if you live close to a county/authority border.
Whilst it doesn't affect me now, as both our area and the adjacent one are Tier 3, it was different when the first set of restrictions came in force. I can walk for 2 minutes from our house and be in the next local authority area. If one or other became Tier 2 it would be crazy to have to avoid crossing that line, even though it is only guidance!

 

[Neilds]

I can’t get my head around all the people who spend half their time trying to find work rounds for the regulations/guidance or try to justify that if others are doing it so can they. Bite the bullet for a short time and we will (hopefully) be back to more normality sooner

 

[oltimer]

It is frustrating but appears to be probably only a grain of sand in a desert if you consider similar may be happening in other sports/venues as well such as Gyms etc. have only been playing socially with three close friends since August, guess Comps will have to wait until I`ve had my jabs, only wanted to try out my new whs hcap and targetting 50 stblfd pts with given increases.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

I don't think this massively changes it but:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): grassroots sports guidance for the public and sport providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Includes the following on Tier 3: "In tier 3 areas: you are advised not to travel into or out of tier 3 areas, including for sport, unless this is necessary to enable individual exercise (or exercise for people from the same household or support bubble). Where this is necessary (for example to access a green space for a run or cycle), you should only travel a short distance and stay as local as possible. Travel is also permitted where it is necessary to enable sport for disabled people, sport for educational purposes, or supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, to take place, but should still be minimised and kept to short distances only."

So I know this will provoke a discussion of what is necessary (could walk only elsewhere for example but likewise their park may not be as close as their golf course), but I'd suggest the reference to stay local as possible would have in mind those that sit on the border to Tier 2. I think it's potentially within it to say that if your golf is exercise and your course access is a couple of miles away then it's fine, but I agree it's not necessary.

From a common sense perspective, if someone was planning their day, I'd prefer them to stand outside for 4 hours in a local tier 2 golf course, than go into a tier 3 gym and shopping centre for the same time. The latter is definitely more likely to facilitate the spread of the virus.

 

[patricks148]

i suppose you could look at it another way, if you were a member in T2 and you got drawn with a load of guys from higher tiers

 

[Rlburnside]

i suppose you could look at it another way, if you were a member in T2 and you got drawn with a load of guys from higher tiers

That’s the problem you wouldnt know what part of the county a person from T3 was traveling from, I wouldn’t be happy if I was in T2 and drawn with 3 others from T3