No golf again!

HomerJSimpson

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Disappointed as I came into a nice vein of form and was hitting it well. Back to the visio mat and gates and getting the net up and hitting a few balls to simply keep the swing going (not overly worried other than a clean strike) and to work on the pitching and chipping technique

I think it was inevitable and I doubt any petition will make a difference given the governments stance and the prevalence of the new strain. The course can do with the rest and given what I've witnessed in the last two days I'd rather we get hospitalisation and deaths under control. Golf can take a back seat
 

Blue in Munich

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That’s the whole problem, it’s not about you

Because you appear to think the driver picks it, loads it, maintains his own vehicle, supervises the warehouse, runs security, manages H&S, cleans the warehouse bogs, got himself to/from work & all the others involved in that parcel until he’s 10m from your front door.

Look my post wasn’t even that serious, just intended to nudge folks to think on it a little and instead its met with mock outrage. Just think a minute… If the current situation is deemed serious enough to warrant closure of a really safe activity like a golf course, should folks really be logging-on to get wholly non-essential items delivered involving a whole team of people? (who also all have to get to/from work)

From a covid perspective, online shopping is much safer than popping to the shops in person & the employer will have measures to try to keep his team safe (as every employer has... but doesn't make it covid safe because despite all these employer measures more than 50k a day are catching it & the more online orders the more risk which means more cases
(just as golf is much safer than football it seems it clearly isn't safe. So online shopping is much safer than in-store but you must see it clearly isn't safe)

This is why people won’t take a lockdown seriously. The fella can order as many nets as he wants, him and a thousand other golfers up & down the UK in a similar situation.
I'm not innocent, my own non-essential treat was ordering alcohol with my food delivery… still doesn’t mean it was brought to my door by a covid proof pixie though

Fewer orders means fewer contacts

I think outside us golf mad lunatics you'll be hard pushed to find someone agreeing that a practice net is essential :sneaky:

It raises another point though, you're not "stuck indoors" unless you choose to be. You can all go out every single day, just as many did during previous golf lockdowns but you're right mental wellbeing is important
Its just staggering that despite the massive hole the UK is in that folks don't see any problem with playing golf or church or online shopping etc etc

Every activity needs to be curtailed

And here you've inadvertently highlighted part of the issue; the UK isn't in a massive hole, obviously, because the Scottish part of the UK can still play golf, it's the English, Welsh and Northern Irish parts that are in that much of a massive hole that they can't play.

If we are in that much of a hole, and if golf is that dangerous, why aren't we all subject to the same ban? When leadership introduces anomalies like this, are you really surprised that people start looking at alternatives?
 

pauljames87

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Essential has different meanings for different people. To my mind, being stuck indoors for a minimum of six weeks, anything that helps your mental well-being, even a simple practise net, is essential. (y) And fair play to the delivery drivers who have still worked every lockdown, as they have genuinely saved lives as well.

Oh ffs are we back to the whole what's essienal or not debate

Or what possible reason are we allowed to drive any time as you could have an accident and need help etc etc

Well my house could explode and I need help

Accidents happen at home or out all time

I bet there will be some that moan I drive to work as a key worker when I could technically get the train .. just keeping risk down of catching it but hey I could drive into a lamp post

Ffs round and round in circles ?
 

Mandofred

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Instead of signing a petition to knock a pill around a quagmire, why don't we all sign a petition to get the NHS frontline workers a pay rise??
Are they any more deserving than the people working at Asda (insert low paid worker description surrounded by infected hordes)?
 
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eddie_1878

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Are they any more deserving than the people working at Asda (insert low paid worker description surrounded by infected hoards)?

No. The family and friends I know who are NHS staff haven’t had much to do since March...by their own admission before I start getting flak.
 

HeftyHacker

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No. The family and friends I know who are NHS staff haven’t had much to do since March...by their own admission before I start getting flak.

To be fair he did say frontline NHS staff so not necessarily referring to the back office support. That's not a slight at your family and friends by the way, but I'd wager those working all the hours god sends on a full intensive care ward might have a different opinion as to how much they've had to do since March.

You could sign both petitions though, its not exactly a one or the other scenario ?‍♂️.
 

eddie_1878

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To be fair he did say frontline NHS staff so not necessarily referring to the back office support. That's not a slight at your family and friends by the way, but I'd wager those working all the hours god sends on a full intensive care ward might have a different opinion as to how much they've had to do since March.

You could sign both petitions though, its not exactly a one or the other scenario ?‍♂️.

The people I know work in either A&E or OT...A&E has been dead (relatively speaking) and the number of operations have been significantly reduced.

No doubt the COVID wards have been busy but I think the remainder have seen a lull. With the possible exception of ICU of course.

Was in a cancer clinic today and there was nobody there besides us and another lady waiting. I don’t imagine that’s the norm.
 
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ScienceBoy

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In my opinion golf can be done during lockdown, if walking with a friend in a park is safe then golf is safe. The only difference is the golf but which can easily be done socially distances. Even singles golf could be done.

The real discussion should not be around the safety as we all know golf is essentially safe.

The reason why golf should not be allowed is because other sports are not allowed, those which are not safe to do during lockdown. Golf is seen as elitist already, we don’t need another division, another reason to seperate golf as for those who “have”. These petitions seem to me to be driving the division already, making golfers seem petty and non golfers will view any success as down to the well off getting their way again.

If we really want golf to flourish as a sport in the future we need to accept the postponement of golf during lockdown.
 

Mandofred

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No. The family and friends I know who are NHS staff haven’t had much to do since March...by their own admission before I start getting flak.
My wife's daughter works for Blood/Transport and was really busy (currently off work after shoulder surgery). Just depends on which area you work in. Some are busy, some have gotten a big break in work load. But the point I was trying to make yesterday was that yes, the NHS workers are around plenty of sick people, but we keep putting down (ignoring) those workers who are also around lots and lots of sick people and are ignored. Teachers are getting a negative shove at this time....they are around lots of sicks kids. But I think they might be pushing things a little bit.....again, they are just one of many workers who are in constant contact with ill people all of the time.
 

Mandofred

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In my opinion golf can be done during lockdown, if walking with a friend in a park is safe then golf is safe. The only difference is the golf but which can easily be done socially distances. Even singles golf could be done.

The real discussion should not be around the safety as we all know golf is essentially safe.

The reason why golf should not be allowed is because other sports are not allowed, those which are not safe to do during lockdown. Golf is seen as elitist already, we don’t need another division, another reason to seperate golf as for those who “have”. These petitions seem to me to be driving the division already, making golfers seem petty and non golfers will view any success as down to the well off getting their way again.

If we really want golf to flourish as a sport in the future we need to accept the postponement of golf during lockdown.
I agree. I really don't have an issue with them just shutting all the sports down. But.....back in my home state of Washington, the golf courses were open (the State is in lockdown, restaurants closed etc) last time I looked. Granted, there is less of an elitism view of golf there than there is here.
 

Wildrover

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In my opinion golf can be done during lockdown, if walking with a friend in a park is safe then golf is safe. The only difference is the golf but which can easily be done socially distances. Even singles golf could be done.

The real discussion should not be around the safety as we all know golf is essentially safe.

The reason why golf should not be allowed is because other sports are not allowed, those which are not safe to do during lockdown. Golf is seen as elitist already, we don’t need another division, another reason to seperate golf as for those who “have”. These petitions seem to me to be driving the division already, making golfers seem petty and non golfers will view any success as down to the well off getting their way again.

If we really want golf to flourish as a sport in the future we need to accept the postponement of golf during lockdown.

Sorry but I can't agree with this. Yes we all know that golf in 2 balls is the very definition of what the government say is acceptable and is safe. However, golf is already flourishing as a sport because it is Covid safe and one of the few things people have been able to do through the pandemic. Golf is being lumped in with everything else when, like fishing, it clearly shouldn't be.
If the virus was transmitted by contact with grass, would gyms, indoor football and pubs still be closed??
 

Pathetic Shark

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In my opinion golf can be done during lockdown, if walking with a friend in a park is safe then golf is safe. The only difference is the golf but which can easily be done socially distances. Even singles golf could be done.

The real discussion should not be around the safety as we all know golf is essentially safe.

The reason why golf should not be allowed is because other sports are not allowed, those which are not safe to do during lockdown. Golf is seen as elitist already, we don’t need another division, another reason to seperate golf as for those who “have”. These petitions seem to me to be driving the division already, making golfers seem petty and non golfers will view any success as down to the well off getting their way again.

If we really want golf to flourish as a sport in the future we need to accept the postponement of golf during lockdown.

This x 100.
Can you please send this to the 100+ muppets at my old club who are starting their own petition to be allowed back on the course?
 

harpo_72

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In my opinion golf can be done during lockdown, if walking with a friend in a park is safe then golf is safe. The only difference is the golf but which can easily be done socially distances. Even singles golf could be done.

The real discussion should not be around the safety as we all know golf is essentially safe.

The reason why golf should not be allowed is because other sports are not allowed, those which are not safe to do during lockdown. Golf is seen as elitist already, we don’t need another division, another reason to seperate golf as for those who “have”. These petitions seem to me to be driving the division already, making golfers seem petty and non golfers will view any success as down to the well off getting their way again.

If we really want golf to flourish as a sport in the future we need to accept the postponement of golf during lockdown.
I am not sure I would view the sport as elitist, I have always played in clubs which have a high proportion of tradesmen and I don’t mean super successful ones, I mean guys who worked for people or ran their own small businesses.
Golf is as expensive as you wish to make it, yes golf monthly and other magazines make you feel like you need the latest and greatest ... but realistically you don’t.
Likewise why should you congregate to pray to a god.. your god can listen to your prayers where ever you are ..
So no I don’t find a rational argument to say no golf if it is controlled properly, likewise I cannot see a rational argument to justify religious services to be held with large congregations ( I would expect the religious leaders to take a pragmatic decision and stop this) ..
But having time off from the course now is not such a bad thing as the weather and conditions are not great. But come summer we should be back open and playing.
 

Dibby

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Instead of signing a petition to knock a pill around a quagmire, why don't we all sign a petition to get the NHS frontline workers a pay rise??

It's not zero sum, both are possible, however not that I am against improving conditions for frontline NHS staff, but allowing golf courses to open would have a direct cost to the government of approximately £0, giving NHS medical staff a £5k raise would cost approximately £600m annually (workings below), presumably it's easier to authorise a £0 cost action compared to a £600m cost action.

Number of NHS medical staff ~120,000
What would be a nice raise for them, maybe £5k each?
120,000 x £5,000 = £600m
 

ScienceBoy

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I am not sure I would view the sport as elitist

I don’t either and probably most on here don’t think it is either, but as golfers in the community we know how much it has changed and how much it can offer. Those outside the community may not view allowing golf in the same way and the future of golf depends on accessibility and acceptance.

I fully accept golfers want to golf and could do so safely, this is mostly a golf image issue. Now isn’t the time for one rule for some and another for others (when it comes to amateur sporting activities)
 
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