![]() Golf as essential for well-being has been on display since May when it was the first sport in Ireland to start back after the initial eight-week pandemic shutdown. At end-of-day (petitions) could be as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike, but you’d hope that people’s comments would be listened to.” “We’re quite optimistic that golf might reopen within four weeks, if they listen to us and realize that golf is a necessity for your mental health and getting out and about. “There’s a bit of a fight on at the moment and who will come out the back of it, who knows?” said Russell. The 15th at Ballybunion Photo: Brendan Moran, R&A via Getty Images Those initial letters have now blossomed into various petitions signed by tens of thousands of Irish golfers pleading for the government to reconsider the shutdown that threatens the health and well-being of the clubs and the players who have flocked to them as an escape from pandemic isolation during the summer. Or perhaps, more worryingly, it knew, and just didn’t care.” “The mental health aspect of playing golf seem to have been totally underestimated by the government, or is it a case that golf is being harshly treated due to its association with Golfgate? … No other explanation seems to make sense,” said David Mulcahy of Newbridge, County Kildare, referencing a scandal in which government officials breached their own restrictions for a large golf outing.Īnd my personal favorite from Ronan McDermott of Rathgar: “Sir, – The Government, in deciding to close the golf courses, may have been unaware that I was in the form of my life. No need to urge people to stay two metres apart, when a golfer is wielding a driver or an iron club,” offered Alan McCarthy of Dublin. “Rather than banning golf, the Government should be encouraging the population to take up golf. “The decision to not allow golf clubs to function over the coming weeks is not only an attempt to fix something that isn’t broken but it is also breaking something that has done nothing but help to maintain the upbeat mental and physical agility of so many of all ages over the past few months,” wrote Tom Tiernan of Ennis, County Clare. “We’re quite optimistic that golf might reopen within four weeks, if they listen to us and realize that golf is a necessity for your mental health and getting out and about.” – Conor Russellīut the shutdown of one of the safest outdoor recreational activities during a pandemic drove the Irish golfing masses to their keyboards and stationery to fire off missives in local papers. Melbourne, Australia, and its famous sand-belt courses, just emerged from a three-month shutdown that marked the longest any golf clubs in the world have been shuttered. Wales last week imposed a strict “circuit-breaker” shutdown for two-and-a-half weeks. Ireland isn’t completely on an island when it comes to shutting down golf courses because of coronavirus surges. ![]() You can go for a walk in the park, play Gaelic football or rugby at the moment, but golf is closed. “We still hoped they would have the common sense to keep golf courses open and to stick by protocols like members-only and 5k rule. “When this news came out it sent shockwaves of disappointment across the entire country, followed by feelings of disbelief, disappointment, anger and frustration,” said Conor Russell, the director of golf and head professional at Portmarnock Links near Dublin. At the same time, team sports such as rugby, soccer, hurling and Gaelic football are allowed to continue. From across Ireland, golfers turned to the editorial pages of The Irish Times to voice their collective frustration with what many have deemed an illogical second shutdown of golf courses throughout the Republic.ĭespite operating smoothly with honored protocols in wide open outdoor spaces for five months since golf courses reopened after the initial COVID-19 shutdowns were lifted in May, the government bundled golf in with the mandatory six-week Level 5 shutdown in the 26 counties that make up the Republic of Ireland effective immediately Oct. The letters to the editor arrived in bulk – filled with reason and humor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |