Golf and Health during a pandemic

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Golf as "part of the solution" to the pandemic

Last year England Golf called on the UK government to recognise golf as "part of the solution" to the pandemic, not as part of the problem. A number of golfing greats added their name to the call for golf to be reopened, safely, during the prolonged lockdowns. In February this year the CEO of England Golf wrote an open letter to the PM, recommending that golf at least be included in the first phase of recovery. 

Then in April this year the US PGA CEO, Seth Waugh, spoke out about the beneficial health and safety qualities of golf and called for it to be recognised as part of the solution, part of the answer to living safely and healthily through this pandemic.

From Worth.com:

Canceled tournaments. A raging pandemic. Tiger Woods unlikely to compete again. Despite all of that, Seth Waugh, CEO of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), is firmly convinced that the future of golf has never been brighter.

“What sport was the first to appear on television once the COVID-19 pandemic began?” Waugh asks. “Golf! The game gave people hope and a sense that normalcy could eventually return. As a result, it is become a much more relatable sport. More and different people are playing the game today than ever, and there are more ways to play it together than ever. Our sport’s future has never been better.”

As early as last May, when the world had just shut down, Waugh realized that golf could be part of the solution.

“At its core,” Waugh says, “golf is a walk in the park. And if you put a bag on your shoulder and walk in a 200-acre park, which is what a golf course really is, you’d probably be totally safe, right?”

“So, we challenged our folks to think about golf that way, and then we found our way to Dr. Fauci and the leaders of the Centers for Disease Control,” he continued.  Read more

Golfers in Ontario, Canada, were prohibited from playing due to lockdown orders and the US Open qualifying events in Canada were cancelled by the USGA. (Ref Joel Beall's article at Golf Digest.)  However a  group of Canadian golfers, 'We Are Golf',  then met with members of the provincial government and put their case for reopening golf courses in Ontario. Ref Bob Weeks' article at TSN.

Throughout all phases of this pandemic, we strive to maintain our health as best as we possibly can. Golf may well have a dynamic role as a significant 'part of the solution' for many. 

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