By Trevor Jackson
WHILE some confusion reigned earlier in the week with announcements regarding sport shutdowns due to a recent Covid-19 case in Mount Gambier, the news was soon cleared up and some competitions are on track to kick off this weekend.
South Australian police commissioner Grant Stevens incorrectly announced sport would shut for the seven-day lockdown of the region, but it was not the case.
The following day he apologised for the misinformation, citing a simple mistake but stated spectators would not be allowed at sporting events.
For some sports – golf in particular – there are no real issues at this stage.
Blue Lake Golf Club’s Bill Burley said this week it would basically be business as usual up at the Lakes course this week.
“We got a directive from Golf SA to say it is business as usual because there isn’t much contact in our sport,” he said.
“At the moment we haven’t really got any restrictions … we are just lucky we can continue to play.”
Burley said few spectators attended games, apart from some of the bigger tournaments throughout the year.
He said golf had continued to increase in popularity, possibly on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic which limited the options for some keen sportspersons since it began.
In South Australia competition golf had been put on hold earlier in the pandemic, but players were able to enjoy social games, while adhering to social distancing and other Covid guidelines.
Another advantage was the ability to simply play a round of golf on your own, without the need for a team to compete with or against.
The solitary style of golf means gatherings at a clubhouse needs to be policed but otherwise it is possibly the perfect sport for these coronavirus times.
“We have an outside area now where we are allowed to have a few more players gather,” Burley said.
“We have a shelter at the driving range and the amount of people using that is unbelievable.
“I think 80 per cent of those would be non-golfers.
“All around the world golf has gone crazy.
“You even have to pre-order goods now.
“A lot of clubs in Adelaide, all their member categories are full – it is unbelievable.”
