Golf Australia and the GMA have released the following advice regarding golf clubs and Covid-19:

As you are aware, COVID-19 or the Coronavirus as it is more commonly known has created global health concerns regarding the disease and its infection rates.

Golf Australia is writing to provide further assistance and guidance to our clubs and facilities on this important topic.

It is Golf Australia’s recommendation to clubs and facilities that advice from the Australian Government’s Department of Health should be monitored closely over the coming days and weeks, as well as the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website.  Advice may change from day to day.

Please note, Golf Australia remains fully operational for all of your clubs and facilities support, rules and handicapping and competition management requirements. For contact details of each departmental area, please visit https://www.golf.org.au/contactus/

Member & guest travel advice

If your members or guests have recently returned from overseas, they are now required by law to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return, as of midnight on Sunday, March 15. During this period, they should not visit your facility for any reason.

If – in the 14 days prior to Sunday, March 15 – your members or guests have recently returned from or transited through China, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mongolia or South Korea, we recommend that they do not visit your facility for any reason – including use of the golf course only – until the 14 day period has elapsed.

We further recommend that if – in the 14 days prior to Sunday March 15 – members or guests recently returned from or who have transited through Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand or from a cruise holiday and who are experiencing flu-like symptoms do not visit your facility, including use of the golf course only, for 14 days.

For simple, easy to understand advice for your members and guests including important health tips, you can also refer to the World Health Organisation’s advice for the public website.

Member, Guest and Staff health advice

Golf clubs and facilities are often heavily trafficked, and there is a chance that a member, guest or member of your staff will be exposed to, or test positive to, COVID-19.

It is vitally important that if a member, guest or staff member tests positive to COVID-19, they must inform the club/facility as soon as possible. If this has occurred, anyone testing positive will be contacted by the State/Territory Department of Health in relation to contact tracing. You should then take advice on ongoing facility operations from your State/Territory Department of Health.

Playing Golf:

It should be noted that the vast majority of golfers can and should continue to visit your clubs or facility as per normal. Of course, golfers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments.

Clubhouse & Golf Operations:

Clubs should consider reviewing their clubhouse and golf operations ensuring procedures are in place that minimise close person-to-person contact where possible. It is up to club and facility management to consider whether policies on clubhouse opening hours, course opening hours and visitor access require review at this time.

It is important for club boards and management to review contingencies to plan stages ahead for club operations should public information change.

Practices within clubhouses should display a heightened regard for the sanitation of surfaces, of which your cleaning chemical provider will be able to provide guidance on.

Staff and volunteers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments.

Some steps that will help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 include:

• Maintain a social distance of 1.5 metres from other players
• Wash you hands regularly, using hot water and soap – whilst singing the West Coast Eagles theme song
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow
• Where possible scan your Belgravia member cards or Tap&Go  in place of cash at point of sale purchases
• Where possible, leaving doors ajar removing the need to push doors open or turn door knobs
• No hand shaking or kissing on the cheek
  
• Do not lick you balls
• No dollar bets
• Use drink trays for rounds of drinks
• Where possible, walk the golf course to avoid unnecesary cart contact
• Sanitise motorised carts, push buggy and sand bucket handles, air compressor handles, before and after use
• Encourage golfers to wear their glove when removing the flag stick and when raking bunkers
• Those members of advanced age, with ongoing health concerns or compromised immune systems must be exteremely vigilant

Additionally, the South Australian Amateur Classic & Rene Erichsen has been postponed. We will endeavour to find a suitable date for this later in 2020 however we also accept that this may not be possible hence the event may not be played in 2020.

This decision was taken due to the significant amount of interstate travel that would have been required for participants, coaches, managers, spectators and staff to undertake in order to attend the events.

Until May 16, 2020, GA staff will provide remote support for any club-run event that we currently support and a club/facility elects to operate during this time. However, no GA staff member will attend the event in a working capacity.

There are many other events across the country that we have a significant involvement with, such as State Pennant competitions and various Order of Merit events. We will liaise with the relevant clubs to decide on the future of these events in the coming days.

Throughout this period of uncertainty, we wish to re-iterate that anyone who has entered an event that may still proceed is not compelled to play. Additionally, if participants are unwell, we ask that they do not compete in any events.

To be clear, Golf Australia is not advocating for regular club competitions to cease and we are encouraging that these continue.

Rather, we have sought to act on events where we believe the significant travel requirements involved posed a greater risk than the regular act of competition golf.

As previously noted, the virus and potential implications are changing constantly and we will continue to monitor accordingly, and provide updates to clubs and facilities as regularly as required, or alternatively when additional Federal Government updates are announced.

For further information from the Federal Government on COVID-19, the Coronavirus Health Information Line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 020 080.

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