When do you think you will next play golf?

[Deleted member 18588]

Most courses are already paying for the majority of their green staff to work , suspect most courses will be fine to have the course playable without having any extra courses

And then you also add in how many members who stopped paying DD would start up again because the course is open.

There isn’t too much extra cost on just having the course open

Don’t see it as being “major” financial implications and there is no way that the majority of clubs will stay closed until the bar can be opened up. Clubs will find a way to keep going even on restrictions.

Most are not employing all green staff, there is no need if they are complying with England Golf's guidelines for the amount of routine maintenance that is acceptable.

Also the suggestion keeps being made on here that we could be playing in no more than two balls with extended start time gaps. That will need starters and on course marshals to ensure compliance.

I am sure most clubs will survive but it will be a struggle since income streams are going to be restricted for some time yet. There are very few, if any, traditional clubs that don't rely heavily upon bar profits for a very significant part of their income.

And restricted start times means no green fees or societies.

Any suggestions for replacing these lost funds?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The same loon.
Taken from Twitter.

View attachment 30022

It’s one person on twitter and it’s going to have zero affect - clearly no one is going to do what he suggests.

You just have to accept that the club will not be open until after the next 3 weeks minimum.

Find yourself a hobby to do indoors or the garden - constantly crowing about the same thing each hour isn’t going to change anything and each post doesn’t change the thinking

 

[bluewolf]

constantly crowing about the same thing each hour isn’t going to change anything and each post doesn’t change the thinking

Oh the irony Phillip ???

 

[chellie]

When do you think you will next play golf?

August

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Just prior to the lockdown, my club imposed several restrictions. They closed the bar but you could sit outside (obviously enforcing SD measures) and they would bring food/drinks out to you and the halfway hut remained open for a takeaway service only so still some income coming in. The pro shop was also open but restricted to two customers at a time.

I agree that ways can be found to reduce the problem but until club bars are fully open the difficulties will persist.

After all al fresco dining and drinking is not always an attractive proposition in the English climate!

Pro' shop and halfway house are not income sources for our club as the shop is the pro's own, although his premises are the club's property and "The Hut" is operated by a former member who pays us a rent for the building.

 

[Imurg]

Our halfway hut is a window on the side of the kitchen.
They were doing takeaway rolls and drinks in the days before lockdown and it would be fairly easy to restart it.
They were doing a pretty decent trade and any profit from it has to be useful.

 

[Mick68]

Most are not employing all green staff, there is no need if they are complying with England Golf's guidelines for the amount of routine maintenance that is acceptable.

Also the suggestion keeps being made on here that we could be playing in no more than two balls with extended start time gaps. That will need starters and on course marshals to ensure compliance.

I am sure most clubs will survive but it will be a struggle since income streams are going to be restricted for some time yet. There are very few, if any, traditional clubs that don't rely heavily upon bar profits for a very significant part of their income.

And restricted start times means no green fees or societies.

Any suggestions for replacing these lost funds?

We only have 2 greenkeepers still working but I'd think between the 2 of them they could keep the course playable. It doesn't have to be perfect. As far as policing the course goes I'd say people would just have to be trusted to self police like the rest of society and like the rest of society the vast majority would follow the rules and the few others would have to be put right by the law abiding majority.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Most are not employing all green staff, there is no need if they are complying with England Golf's guidelines for the amount of routine maintenance that is acceptable.

The greenstaff are keeping the course to a level that makes it playable. When the course opens why would they need to do anything more ? It will be the same greenstaff doing the same routine maintenance ( which is exactly what our Head GK stated )

Also the suggestion keeps being made on here that we could be playing in no more than two balls with extended start time gaps. That will need starters and on course marshals to ensure compliance.

Why will it ? Many courses don’t have marshalls and starters yet have tee times and specific groups - surely clubs will have to have a level of trust to their members. It was working before the lockdown

I am sure most clubs will survive but it will be a struggle since income streams are going to be restricted for some time yet. There are very few, if any, traditional clubs that don't rely heavily upon bar profits for a very significant part of their income.

And restricted start times means no green fees or societies.

Any suggestions for replacing these lost funds?

Opening up the club to the members during slight restrictions would then allow the members that have paid or paying the use of the facilities - how long do you thjnk it would be until members stop paying their fees or demand refunds if the club stays closed because the bar is closed

If a club is that reliant on the bar then maybe they need to look at their financial model. I believe everyone of our missed societies has rebooked for later in the year just as societies I’m a member of are doing

Let not also forget the clubs will be able to take advantage of some government schemes to help business

Keeping a club closed until the bar can be open will prob kill more clubs than opening it up when restrictions lift.

Golf is not the only sport that will have to tighten the purse strings - it’s a sport that suffered during the recession and built itself back up and i have no doubt that it will build itself back up again if required

 

[Mel Smooth]

Not sure anybody on here could answer this, but are the safe disancing measures satisfactory.

Where I used to play, there were a few of the guys who enjoyed vaping. Sometimes you could smell them (well the vape fumes) from a different fairway, maybe 30 or so yards away. What is to say, that the virus couldn't be carried in that same "cloud" of fumes?

Doesn't just apply to the golf course, of course.

 

[GB72]

Not sure anybody on here could answer this, but are the safe disancing measures satisfactory.

Where I used to play, there were a few of the guys who enjoyed vaping. Sometimes you could smell them (well the vape fumes) from a different fairway, maybe 30 or so yards away. What is to say, that the virus couldn't be carried in that same "cloud" of fumes?

Doesn't just apply to the golf course, of course.

I did not think that the virus was airborne and that it was communicated by saliva, sweat etc passing between people. Could be wrong though. That said, I do agree about the vaping bit and I do vape, except now only at home and if there is nobody around for some considerable distance.

 

[sunshine]

Our Head Green Keeper just posted some photos of the course on Facebook.... blimey it is looking good!

But I wonder... is this helping me in lockdown or not????

View attachment 30014

Nice looking hole. Bit of a Valderrama feel to it.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

The greenstaff are keeping the course to a level that makes it playable. When the course opens why would they need to do anything more ? It will be the same greenstaff doing the same routine maintenance ( which is exactly what our Head GK stated )



Why will it ? Many courses don’t have marshalls and starters yet have tee times and specific groups - surely clubs will have to have a level of trust to their members. It was working before the lockdown



Opening up the club to the members during slight restrictions would then allow the members that have paid or paying the use of the facilities - how long do you thjnk it would be until members stop paying their fees or demand refunds if the club stays closed because the bar is closed


Keeping a club closed until the bar can be open will prob kill more clubs than opening it up when restrictions lift.

Golf is not the only sport that will have to tighten the purse strings - it’s a sport that suffered during the recession and built itself back up and i have no doubt that it will build itself back up again if required

There's not a club (rather than course) that survives on subs and green fees. That's a standard "financial model".

As for course maintenance are your reduced green staff mowing tees and fairways as frequently as usual, are they raking bunkers each morning, moving pin positions and tee markers 5 times a week?

It obviously costs more to maintain a course in play rather than one at rest.

Possibly two balls and start times could be self policing but judging by the plethora of posts on here about slow play I remain sceptical.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Nice looking hole. Bit of a Valderrama feel to it.

It reminded me of the Duchess course at Woburn.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

There's not a club (rather than course) that survives on subs and green fees. That's a standard "financial model".

As for course maintenance are your reduced green staff mowing tees and fairways as frequently as usual, are they raking bunkers each morning, moving pin positions and tee markers 5 times a week?

It obviously costs more to maintain a course in play rather than one at rest.

Possibly two balls and start times could be self policing but judging by the plethora of posts on here about slow play I remain sceptical.

why would the club have to move the tees and pins that often ? And rake each morning ?

They won’t have to go back to full course maintenance if they are just going to have the course at a playable level - which is exactly what our GK’s doing right now.

It won’t be about maintaining the course for high level comp standard - it’s just having at something we can just play on

There are hundreds of courses that don’t have a marshall or starter - all about trusting the membership

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

jeez - with the arguments being made for golf resuming you might think that some of us want golfers to be viewed as pariahs of society

It's not as if many of the public don't already view golfers as entitled middle class t***s - some would have them proved right

 

[sunshine]

There's not a club (rather than course) that survives on subs and green fees. That's a standard "financial model".

Let's keep it simple and ay there are 2 income streams: golf and non-golf. Broadly speaking, the club should cover the golf expenses from the golf income stream, and the catering expenses etc should be covered from the non-golf income. If one side is heavily subsidising the other, the club needs to re-evaluate its business model.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I did not think that the virus was airborne and that it was communicated by saliva, sweat etc passing between people. Could be wrong though. That said, I do agree about the vaping bit and I do vape, except now only at home and if there is nobody around for some considerable distance.

No, it is emitted from a carrier by coughing or sneezing, amongst other means. It can survive on some surfaces for several days once it lands.

I've no issue with vaping or smoking, although I do neither. Just wondering if the virus can travel as far on the wind as the fumes from either of the afforementioned.

 

[Fish]

There's not a club (rather than course) that survives on subs and green fees. That's a standard "financial model".

As for course maintenance are your reduced green staff mowing tees and fairways as frequently as usual, are they raking bunkers each morning, moving pin positions and tee markers 5 times a week?

It obviously costs more to maintain a course in play rather than one at rest.

Possibly two balls and start times could be self policing but judging by the plethora of posts on here about slow play I remain sceptical.

I don’t believe they should be doing what they would on a normal daily basis, I’m happy to be corrected, but I thought England Golf & BIGGA stated that the minimum work should be carried out to keep the course in good order, not competition standard just in case the ban gets lifted and we can all play a medal the next day!

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Let's keep it simple and ay there are 2 income streams: golf and non-golf. Broadly speaking, the club should cover the golf expenses from the golf income stream, and the catering expenses etc should be covered from the non-golf income. If one side is heavily subsidising the other, the club needs to re-evaluate its business model.

Not a case of heavily subsidising but rather making the most of all of a club's assets.

The two income streams are entirely different.

Subs are a one off at the start of the club year, bar takings are spread over 12 months.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I don’t believe they should be doing what they would on a normal daily basis, I’m happy to be corrected, but I thought England Golf & BIGGA stated that the minimum work should be carried out to keep the course in good order, not competition standard just in case the ban gets lifted and we can all play a medal the next day!

You are quite right, which was rather my point.

The guidelines limit the number of times per week greens, fairways and tees should be mown and rough should be cut as and when staffing levels permit.