Life under the perplexing cloud of the coronavirus is confusing and constantly changing. Can anyone remember a time – war periods excluded – that directly impacted seemingly everyone on the planet? Even the days and weeks post-September 11, while scary, didn’t seem quite so in-all-our-backyards.
And who knows how long the COVID-19 era will last or how long our everyday lives will be altered and to what degree.
For golfers, clarity on what we are permitted to do appears about as defined as the vast, ancient, rippled fairways of the Old Course. Can we play? Can’t we? With whom? Why are the rules different in different states? And, even if we are technically permitted to play for the benefits of exercise and mental health, is it a good look for golfers to play on given every other sport has been sidelined?
Two Saturdays ago, I ventured out for a game. It was a glorious autumn morning and my club had taken all the right precautions: scorecards issued by our glove-wearing pro, flagsticks to remain in the cup and a portion of a pool noodle cut to make ball retrieval from the hole easier, no rakes in bunkers, ball washers and bubblers covered, sand buckets to be kept in the short term, no handshakes – the lot. You’ve no doubt heard about similar measures across the country and around the world.
“Is it a good look for golfers to play on given every other sport has been sidelined?”
I hadn’t previously met any of my three playing companions that day, so not shaking hands on the first tee felt strange but also necessary. We kept our distance for 18 holes, which it has to be said is not difficult to do on a golf course, and for four hours life felt as normal as it can in these eerie times. There was no post-round drink, instead a quick thank you and goodbye then it was straight to the carpark. That bit was probably the weirdest part of the day.
While even nine days ago there was a school of thought suggesting that continuing to play golf was wrong, I came away from the experience thinking… hoping… I was right in believing that golf can continue – for now – under the right circumstances.
Fast-forward a week and once again, last Saturday dawned with another beautiful day on the horizon. I had an 11 o’clock tee-time (adjusted slightly midweek as our club reverted to a one-tee start instead of two), but despite the revelations of the previous Saturday and the gorgeous weather, it didn’t feel right to be out there.
About 9 o’clock, I logged on and cancelled.
I’d spent a good part of the intervening week reading and hearing other golfers’ opinions about whether playing on was the right thing to do. I certainly saw both points of view, but leaned more towards the ‘keep playing’ crew. Yet as daily updates flowed from the prime minister and other government and health officials, and restrictions became harsher rather than more lenient, it now doesn’t feel right that golfers get to keep their pastime while other leisure activities are off-limits.
So my golf clubs are becoming reacquainted with the garage again, a place they’ll surely be seeing a lot of in the coming months.
It’s sad, perhaps even a shade extreme, but it feels like the right thing to do.
