When do you think you will next play golf?

[KenL]

Not wanting to be funny, but compared to Sainsbury's, a golf course, even on a different fairway, is the safest place on earth.
I guess the thing is that there is (for some of us) a cognitive dissonance between the actual danger to life bought about by playing golf cf other allowed activities and the "only following orders" mindset. It would be nice if we could at least theoretically discuss where golf sits within the scheme of things without someone constantly shouting STAY IN at us.
I mean, it's a discussion forum, can't we discuss?

Try a big Asda - very scary. People in there had zero idea of social distancing when I went it to one 3 weeks ago.

 

[howbow88]

To be fair, once you factor out the moral outrage that someone might be enjoying themselves, golf can be played with the standard UK distancing rules applied at all times.
I think the Americans might be less puritanical in this sense, which is kind of ironic I guess.

Nail on the head for me.

 

[ferenezejohn]

When you post something and the large majority don't agree, why bang on about it.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Please excuse my ignorance if its an obvious answer that i'm just not seeing, but how does ending the lockdown just magically restart the economy? surely this just makes things more uncertain for businesses and harder. Yes some people will start to go out for meals, but the vast majority wont, same for pubs/clubs, shopping centres, holidays, airplanes, football grounds, supermarkets (non essential jounreys). The housing market isn't going to exactly restart in the uncertainty and the list probably goes on. The economy likely wont recover fully now until a virus is found, and unfortunately this is a new norm now for the financial world. So surely the best thing is to save as many lives during the pandemic as possible, and then once a cure is discovered the powers that be can look at pulling people out of poverty (universal basic income etc).

I think this is a massive challenge for the Government, but I also think that it was always going to be the case that this will be a phased lifting of lockdown like you see in other countries.

So I expect pubs/clubs will be closed for sometime, i doubt many people are going to the cinema either once lockdown is lifted, but I expect some shops will start to open gradually (clothes shops given kids rate of growth/summer clothes, B&Q to allow normal customers for home DIY projects, hairdressers etc). I think open spaces like parks, playgrounds and national trust properties would be an early part as slightly easier to social distance and the risk outdoors is lower (and I expect golf courses to form part of that) and perhaps primary schools & nurseries as you've seen in other countries. I expect sports to be played behind closed doors for a while and broadcast to people.

Factories/businesses are probably the slight difference and I expect also slowly open as people have less choice there so will have to go in.

I personally think golf will open sooner than other things, but for now, I'll continue with my lockdown for another 3 weeks following all instructions. Hoping we'll see figures dropping today or tomorrow after the spike in yesterdays reported deaths which presumably caught up the bank holiday lower reporting.

Edited to add - I don't think Governments can just wait for a vaccine in order to lift a lockdown, that could be 18 months plus away unless they know they're already close. Economies and people can't function that way, and they won't obey particularly if cases have fallen to low hundreds or less.

 

[IanM]

Certain folk will moan about whatever is done, then spend the autumn telling everyone how much more effective their ideas were using a world leading analytical process called hindsight!

That is the only certainty right now....

Golf is doing it's bit along with everything else, it is also "being seen" to be doing it's bit and NOT sticking up two fingers to the rest of Society.

Without any medical training whatsoever, it seems obvious to me that current measures are a sensible approach.

 

[Old Skier]

Yesterday the group I go to Spain with decided to look at flights for first week in December and Faro flights started a snip £61 including hold bag and golf bag. By last night same flight was £78.

 

[Wolf]

This thread is doing a great service to highlight how entitled golf(ers) come across to outsiders.

Use my course as an example for some quick maths , don't normally have allotted tee times but let's say they opened up under the proviso of 2 balls max and allotted tee times roughly 8mins apart which is what they allow in comps. That works out to roughly 9 x 2 ball groups per hour. Based on current sunset times and say a 3hr round that means roughly last tee time is around 4pm, that's 9 hrs of tee times per hour so a total of 81 x 2 balls per day which is potentially 162 golfers per day playing. Under guidelines of social distancing they all drive themselves individually there and back so that's 324 journey's extra a day currently not allowed under lockdown.

Over the course of 7 days that equates to 2268 journeys being made that currently don't need to be made which being a rural area adds in risk of accidents. Yet people are harping on about it not having much of an impact, I'm sorry but any member at my club myself included no matter how much anyone wants to play can take those 2268 journeys and stick it. People are losing loved ones everyday to this virus so if we have to miss golf for another 3 months let alone weeks then that's fine by me. Because once you factor those numbers across the county even with variation in membership, tee times and the tiny percentage that live within walking distance then that becomes hundreds of thousands of needless journeys that can lead to potential accidents causing issues to emergency services that right now aren't needed. All because people think its ok to do their own thing and golf should be allowed before anything else.

Sorry but as much as we all on here love the game, it simply is not a priority to the government or the health of the entire nation.

 

[Dannyc]

We also got to think of the elderly vulnerable people who are at home alone during this who know if they get it they won’t survive and will die alone another 3 weeks is nothing for us to stay away from golf while after that the vulnerable will still have another 6 weeks at least
It’s not just about us

 

[IanM]

With the addition of the word "some" in the first line of Wolf's post, I think that sums it up nicely.

 

[Grant85]

Personally getting concerned that we are now in a position where the government believe their role is to protect people from taking any risks with their health. It's not. Their role is to treat the people who do get sick.

We were told that the reason for trying to flatten the curve was to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. Whether fears were overblown from the start, it seems that the NHS has not been overwhelmed and there has been ICU capacity at all times (albeit I accept a lot of that is down to cancelling routine surgeries as well as the temp hospitals they have built).

Now we find ourselves with another 3 week lockdown with NHS capacity still sufficient. Hancock stating yesterday there were 2,500 empty ICU beds in England.

I worry we are getting to the point where we are deferring other problems - financial, social, educational and health problems that will manifest themselves in the years and months after this and no one is weighing these up objectively.

Politicians are paralysed with fear of making a tough decision with thinking being dominated by a single issue. And creating a dangerous precedent that they deal with future virus outbreak in a similar way.

Assuming we don't get a mass produced vaccine for this for several years, there is no way of stopping people dying. Everyone who is going to die, will probably die from it. All we are doing is potentially slowing down the pace at which they die, while also damaging people's education, mental health, wellbeing, finances etc.

Potentially there is a herd immunity logic, i.e. quarantine all old and vulnerable people and let everyone else get on with things.

 

[Wolf]

With the addition of the word "some" in the first line of Wolf's post, I think that sums it up nicely.

You're of course correct I should have added it is some not all, unfortunately though to outsiders we are all one and the same even though we know different.

 

[howbow88]

I worry we are getting to the point where we are deferring other problems - financial, social, educational and health problems that will manifest themselves in the years and months after this and no one is weighing these up objectively.

I think that the steps the government have taken so far make sense. I wish we could play golf and I do think there is an argument for doing so, but I accept the current guidelines and follow them like (nearly) everyone else is.

The long-term must be considered though. Keeping more people alive today is not much good if thousands more end up dying eventually through mental health issues, poor diets, substance abuse, etc, brought about from an utterly devastated economy. That is a point that few seem to want to discuss.

I do trust that the government are having these candid discussions behind closed doors though.

 

[Grant85]

I do trust that the government are having these candid discussions behind closed doors though.

I wouldn't be so sure. They are working press briefing to press briefing.

What can we say or do to get through another day and look like we care and are taking action?

Is probably as far as the conversations go.

Like I said, we aren't stopping people dying and we can't stay in lockdown for ever.

 

[IanM]

Sorry Grant, you are quite wrong. I am seeing the impact of if in my current work.

 

[Wolf]

I wouldn't be so sure. They are working press briefing to press briefing.

What can we say or do to get through another day and look like we care and are taking action?

Is probably as far as the conversations go.

Like I said, we aren't stopping people dying and we can't stay in lockdown for ever.

That's a lot of assumptions to make considering you like the rest of us have no idea what's going on behind closed doors in cabinet and cobra meetings.

The briefings may well be taken on a day to day basis but running a country and making plans is certainly a long term goal for any government. To suggest they're winging it and not considering beyond a day by day basis is very short sited.

I'm seeing updates every day that impact where and who I work for that will have not just current effects but long term as well

 

[Papas1982]

Yesterday the group I go to Spain with decided to look at flights for first week in December and Faro flights started a snip £61 including hold bag and golf bag. By last night same flight was £78.

£78 with bags is still decent. I’ve booked 3 trips between October and feb and iI’m hoping easyJet don’t try and cancel the cheap bags I’ve booked quite a few.....

 

[Papas1982]

This thread is doing a great service to highlight how entitled golf(ers) come across to outsiders.

Use my course as an example for some quick maths , don't normally have allotted tee times but let's say they opened up under the proviso of 2 balls max and allotted tee times roughly 8mins apart which is what they allow in comps. That works out to roughly 9 x 2 ball groups per hour. Based on current sunset times and say a 3hr round that means roughly last tee time is around 4pm, that's 9 hrs of tee times per hour so a total of 81 x 2 balls per day which is potentially 162 golfers per day playing. Under guidelines of social distancing they all drive themselves individually there and back so that's 324 journey's extra a day currently not allowed under lockdown.

Over the course of 7 days that equates to 2268 journeys being made that currently don't need to be made which being a rural area adds in risk of accidents. Yet people are harping on about it not having much of an impact, I'm sorry but any member at my club myself included no matter how much anyone wants to play can take those 2268 journeys and stick it. People are losing loved ones everyday to this virus so if we have to miss golf for another 3 months let alone weeks then that's fine by me. Because once you factor those numbers across the county even with variation in membership, tee times and the tiny percentage that live within walking distance then that becomes hundreds of thousands of needless journeys that can lead to potential accidents causing issues to emergency services that right now aren't needed. All because people think its ok to do their own thing and golf should be allowed before anything else.

Sorry but as much as we all on here love the game, it simply is not a priority to the government or the health of the entire nation.

I agree entirely that the extra drives make it a risk. I think your numbers are a little high. I cant see why they’d allow 2 balls if government say one in a car. But tbf that’s splitting hairs.

I disagree about it showing golfers as entitled. Or at least as the only people who are. It’s just people in general. Not sure who said it earlier, but it’s the governments fault for being some ambiguous in their rules. If you can drive for any sort of solo exercise, you should be able to drive for all (Solo). I’ve got mates doing solo marathons or 100k bike rides. No way are they less at risk than golfers. Likewise I’ve got an aunt who has gone shopping almost every day simply because that’s her routine and to quote ”it’s my only form of social life“.

 

[sunshine]

Even playing on your own, are you going to ignore that brand new ProV that you find just off the fairway? Ooh, how did someone lose that here?

Just wear marigolds for golf

 

[Doodle]

So there you go.
All those babbling on about unnecessary car journeys.
Also, judging by the amount of cyclists I am seeing out & about, it looks like the cure for the virus is to dress up in licra & go out on a 20 mile bike ride.
Get the courses open.

 

[Wolf]

I agree entirely that the extra drives make it a risk. I think your numbers are a little high. I cant see why they’d allow 2 balls if government say one in a car. But tbf that’s splitting hairs.

I disagree about it showing golfers as entitled. Or at least as the only people who are. It’s just people in general. Not sure who said it earlier, but it’s the governments fault for being some ambiguous in their rules. If you can drive for any sort of solo exercise, you should be able to drive for all (Solo). I’ve got mates doing solo marathons or 100k bike rides. No way are they less at risk than golfers. Likewise I’ve got an aunt who has gone shopping almost every day simply because that’s her routine and to quote ”it’s my only form of social life“.

Numbers merely based on a what of scenario and I did say in there numbers can vary. Even so take it down to single play only and its still in the thousands of unnecessary journeys.

Its just my opinion but some of the stuff on this thread and social media in general is certainly indicative of people (golfers) having a sense of entitlement and thinking golf should be allowed before other things.