Golf Lockdown Discussion No discussion of breaking Restrictions

blue note wrote: »

From reading the comments here I can't see any reason why golf would be allowed to open while GAA is not. I'm not aware of any GAA related cases from people following the rules. It's not the GAAs fault if a team decides to have a house party or go on a pub crawl after winning a trophy.

Gaa club not too far from me had their club raided by the cops in January. Young lads training away indoors, in the club gym. Given training programmes by the senior team manager... ..

blue note

First Up wrote: »

Less likelihood of a celebration if their is nothing to celebrate.

Less liklihood of people travelling to golf courses together of there's no golf to be played.

Going by the papers this morning, it will be backbenchers in the main parties that are going to put their leaders under severe pressure to relax some restrictions come April. Unless there is a catastrophic rise in case numbers, I really believe the courses will be open 5 th April.

First Up

I think the religious term is "occasions of sin". Take away the occasion and you remove the opportunity (or reason) to commit the sin.

blue note

I've heard of golf clubs having committee meetings in the club, weren't roganstown in trouble at the start for not shutting when they were supposed to? As someone said club officials were ignoring the no spectators rule at interclub events. I never saw any policing of the limits of people in the proshop in my club.

It's clear as day that golf is less of a problem than gaa, but that's not from people following the rules. It's only when you look at what actually happens when the two are open as opposed to what should be happening if people are following the rules. But from reading the comments here, people are choosing to completely ignore what actually happens when golf is open and just take a "not our problem" view of it all.

To be honest, it's pretty much accepted that the lockdown ended to soon before Christmas. But I'm not convinced the government had much of a choice. People were already ignoring whatever rules they could and they were simply losing the compliance of the public. I can see the same thing happening now and here is a prime example of it. People here are refusing to look beyond the fact that they want to play golf therefore it should be open. I think someone in this thread said to hell with it they were going to go out to play and someone said fair play. We saw the beautician open in balbriggan knowing she was going to be fined. We're now at the stage when the public are starting to outright ignore the restrictions.

People are fed up now and going to break the rules if they don't change. The government have to manage the situation, there's no point in just hoping people will comply with what's currently in place. They won't. And for this reason I can't see golf remaining closed beyond 4th April, if we even get that far.

But people arguing that it should be open because it's harmless as long as people follow the rules is daft.

gypsy79

This doesnt read good

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/golf/arid-40233845.html

ForeRight

gypsy79 wrote: »

This doesnt read good

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/golf/arid-40233845.html

Surely everyone is aware that when golf starts back it will be just casual like last year when it reopened.
I’ve personally written off any meaningful competitive golf this year.

gypsy79

No I hadnt because I presumed that the clowns that run our country had learned once we had been go ahead to continue at Xmas

They are doing more damage than good.

We are been treated worse than GAA ffs

blue note wrote: »

From reading the comments here I can't see any reason why golf would be allowed to open while GAA is not. I'm not aware of any GAA related cases from people following the rules. It's not the GAAs fault if a team decides to have a house party or go on a pub crawl after winning a trophy.

totally agree that what goes on in someones house or pub crawls in nothing to do with the GAA and should not determine if it is safe or not.

But.

It's full contact, face to face, sweaty, grabbing, holding, breathing on other people. That is not safe from a COVID point of view.

Kid Charlemagne

Raisins wrote: »

Golfers were taking the piss with the restrictions last summer anyone who plays golf and is honest could see it.

Have to take issue with this comment. Totally unfair, I played a lot of golf last summer and never once saw 1 person go into a pro shop without a mask, shake hands, etc etc.. Using phrases like that about people essentially walking around a large field in small groups is hyperbole.

Stacksey

gypsy79 wrote: »

This doesnt read good

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/golf/arid-40233845.html

I could never understand the difference between casual golf and competition golf, we where marking our own cards in the run up to the last lockdown

blue note wrote: »

I've heard of golf clubs having committee meetings in the club, weren't roganstown in trouble at the start for not shutting when they were supposed to? As someone said club officials were ignoring the no spectators rule at interclub events. I never saw any policing of the limits of people in the proshop in my club.

It's clear as day that golf is less of a problem than gaa, but that's not from people following the rules. It's only when you look at what actually happens when the two are open as opposed to what should be happening if people are following the rules. But from reading the comments here, people are choosing to completely ignore what actually happens when golf is open and just take a "not our problem" view of it all.

If you take the policing of rules in golf clubs, you may not have seen it, but clearly many here have. But golf clubs are no different to other industries and you won't have to go very far at all to see rules being flouted in schools, shops, hospitals etc..... so by that logic, nothing should be open at all untill we all get the vaccine.

blue note wrote: »

To be honest, it's pretty much accepted that the lockdown ended to soon before Christmas. But I'm not convinced the government had much of a choice. People were already ignoring whatever rules they could and they were simply losing the compliance of the public. I can see the same thing happening now and here is a prime example of it. People here are refusing to look beyond the fact that they want to play golf therefore it should be open. I think someone in this thread said to hell with it they were going to go out to play and someone said fair play. We saw the beautician open in balbriggan knowing she was going to be fined. We're now at the stage when the public are starting to outright ignore the restrictions.

People are fed up now and going to break the rules if they don't change. The government have to manage the situation, there's no point in just hoping people will comply with what's currently in place. They won't. And for this reason I can't see golf remaining closed beyond 4th April, if we even get that far.

But people arguing that it should be open because it's harmless as long as people follow the rules is daft.

Whooooo there horsey, hold on a minute. Perhaps I missed something, but in the main there is nobody here saying we want to break the rules. We wont & by the nature of our sport and unless we own our own golf course, we can't. What we are saying is, the government need to start looking at their one for all policy because it doesn't make sense and it is not working.

Stacksey wrote: »

I could never understand the difference between casual golf and competition golf, we where marking our own cards in the run up to the last lockdown

that says tournaments. I suspect that is more aimed at the inter club comps as opposed to the regular club comps. i hope so anyway.

ForeRight wrote: »

Surely everyone is aware that when golf starts back it will be just casual like last year when it reopened.
I’ve personally written off any meaningful competitive golf this year.

Very intelligent virus that knows when you're playing competitively or casuallyðŸ˜’ðŸ˜’

Seve OB wrote: »

that says tournaments. I suspect that is more aimed at the inter club comps as opposed to the regular club comps. i hope so anyway.

I agree. How are members clubs supposed to generate money and survive without competitions fees coming in? Their bars and restaurants will also be closed... ..

Bill Ponderosa

Weather like this is making this lockdown harder, hopefully back by Easter, absolutely no reason why golf cannot open up before May.

RGS

I took the golf Ireland statement to mean inter club and the elite comps like the east of Ireland and so forth.

There is no real difference between casual and competition golf other than a few gimmes in casual.

It really is down to golf Ireland to explain to Sports Ireland(who should know how golf is played) that competition and casual golf are the same beast.

willabur

Hopefully alot of this conversation will be moot soon. Vaccinations while slow in the roll out (quelle surprise) it looks like they are doing the job in terms of protection and preventing spread. One hopes with this data consolidated when we have the vulnerable groups jabbed then we can open up society and go back to worrying about not being able to get on the bleedin timesheet

Raisins

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

Have to take issue with this comment. Totally unfair, I played a lot of golf last summer and never once saw 1 person go into a pro shop without a mask, shake hands, etc etc.. Using phrases like that about people essentially walking around a large field in small groups is hyperbole.

Gimme a break how is it unfair? I didn’t say anything about mask wearing.

I played in one society event last year just before golf gate. I’m not involved in it but they were playing a nice course and I like to go to at least one event every year. I drove up, ate with my partners and drove home. A group within the society organised their own private bus, slabs of cans on it. Club facilitated a prize giving and served pints under the canopy of a bar that was officially closed. What’s the point in socially distancing on a tee box it there’s a group getting a party bus up and back?

I was in a well known links course after no inter county travel (I was already in county). There was a group of about 24 lads from Dublin taking a big group pic at a famous statue near the first tee. Another tullamore style group.

I was in another links course and there was another big group on 18th waiting for their 4 balls to come in. About 16 of them. Restrictions on meet up were back at that stage and no inter county travel.

I spoke to numerous golfers who all agreed that if they travelled down to a club down the country and played in breach of travel restrictions what difference does it make if they don’t stop along the way. As soon as we reopen golf courses you’ll see the number of people who’ll break any limit - 5km / 10km / county, whatever.

Anyone who thinks tullamore and golf gate were outliers is completely deluded. How unfortunate a coincidence for the sport that two of the most infamous breaches in 2020 were organised and attended by golfers. Golfers were responsible for superspreader events. The state didn’t publicise every superspreader event last year. Don’t be insulted on behalf of all the country’s golfers just because you worse a mask or sanitised your hands.

Am I the only one who despises the use of the word gate when there is a scandal?

I would guess that most people don’t even know why it is used.

opinionated3 wrote: »

Very intelligent virus that knows when you're playing competitively or casuallyðŸ˜’ðŸ˜’

No matter how it was done . People were accumulating at end to mark up scores and it was within 2 meters .

I think someone put it well earlier . There is some strange psychologically in a 4 ball. I definitely observed people walking and talking way too close.

Kid Charlemagne

Raisins wrote: »

Gimme a break how is it unfair? I didn’t say anything about mask wearing.

I played in one society event last year just before golf gate. I’m not involved in it but they were playing a nice course and I like to go to at least one event every year. I drove up, ate with my partners and drove home. A group within the society organised their own private bus, slabs of cans on it. Club facilitated a prize giving and served pints under the canopy of a bar that was officially closed. What’s the point in socially distancing on a tee box it there’s a group getting a party bus up and back?

I was in a well known links course after no inter county travel (I was already in county). There was a group of about 24 lads from Dublin taking a big group pic at a famous statue near the first tee. Another tullamore style group.

I was in another links course and there was another big group on 18th waiting for their 4 balls to come in. About 16 of them. Restrictions on meet up were back at that stage and no inter county travel.

I spoke to numerous golfers who all agreed that if they travelled down to a club down the country and played in breach of travel restrictions what difference does it make if they don’t stop along the way. As soon as we reopen golf courses you’ll see the number of people who’ll break any limit - 5km / 10km / county, whatever.

Anyone who thinks tullamore and golf gate were outliers is completely deluded. How unfortunate a coincidence for the sport that two of the most infamous breaches in 2020 were organised and attended by golfers. Golfers were responsible for superspreader events. The state didn’t publicise every superspreader event last year. Don’t be insulted on behalf of all the country’s golfers just because you worse a mask or sanitised your hands.

Seems like the solution is simple then - restrict play to members only, only at their own club. Problem solved. And you can scrap the 5 km nonsense then too. (Im within 5 km of my club btw)

willabur

I'd be happy for clubs to adopt a no indoors policy. This virus transmits indoors far more than outdoors - something in the order of 95% of cases are linked to indoor transmission which would suggest that the virus needs to work alot harder to go from person to person outside.

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

Seems like the solution is simple then - restrict play to members only, only at their own club. Problem solved. And you can scrap the 5 km nonsense then too. (Im within 5 km of my club btw)

I could be and probably am negative about it all. But just golf in my own club will do me. I do admire the balls of lads planning trips all over the country.

Just a trip to the beach for a week in Ireland my only priority.

But fair play to them as if it all opens up. I'll be disappointed not to be on all these fabulous trips lads have planned.

Scott Tenorman

Hopefully we open up soon.

Those who wish to hide under the bed can continue to do so for as long as the wish and the rest us can get on with our lives.

Kid Charlemagne

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

But just golf in my own club will do me.

Exactly - Id imagine most golfers would accept that at least up to early June, and longer if covid numbers would dictate.
The govt has thrown the baby out with the bathwater and the population of golfers is paying the price because a tiny minority are idiots, and another tiny minority are hyperbole merchants.

Scott Tenorman wrote: »

Hopefully we open up soon.

Those who wish to hide under the bed can continue to do so for as long as the wish and the rest us can get on with our lives.

What on earth does this even mean. Everyone to a man here is going to play golf.

But there will be procedures and even stronger policies around golf.

Unless you are one of these head cases going to covid protests ?

Attack the post please Fix, not the poster

Scott Tenorman

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

What on earth does this even mean. Everyone to a man here is going to play golf.

But there will be procedures and even stronger policies around golf.

Unless you are one of these head cases going to covid protests ?

Just that the people who don't think it is safe to play now will have to wrestle with their conscience when golf does reopen- as the risk remains the exact same.

No I won't be going to any protests.
I am lucky as myself and and my wife have continued to work as normal throughout this but I wouldn't be so arrogant to call someone who does protest as they want to get back to work to be able to provide for their families a "headcase".

blue note

Scott Tenorman wrote: »

Just that the people who don't think it is safe to play now will have to wrestle with their conscience when golf does reopen- as the risk remains the exact same.

No I won't be going to any protests.
I am lucky as myself and and my wife have continued to work as normal throughout this but I wouldn't be so arrogant to call someone who does protest as they want to get back to work to be able to provide for their families a "headcase".

Has anyone said they don't think being on a golf course is safe? As far as I can see all of the people who can see a reason for golf being closed are saying it's because of the non golf activities it gives rise to.

And I think you have a good point regarding the protesters. Whatever about people not being able to enjoy a round of golf, I don't see how anyone can not have sympathy for those who have been out of work for most of or all of a year. I can't imagine the stress of wondering how you're going to be able to repay your mortgage, feed yourself and your kids, etc. I might think keeping their business closed is the right choice on balance for now, but I really do feel for them.