Photo: Wiki Commons

By Shane Clausing

Golf Season in Limbo

Local golf courses still preparing for season despite COVID-19

Apr 15, 2020 | 5:30 AM

With the warmer weather coming and the snow nearly gone, many golfers in Grande Prairie and across the province are wondering if they’ll be able to tee off this summer.

Last Thursday at Alberta’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, was asked about the potential for golf courses to open and be deemed an essential service. Hinshaw responded and said, “My position is that golf courses are a non-essential service.”

That means that golf courses across the province will not be allowed to open to the public until being given the green light by the provincial government.

It’s left golf courses in Alberta playing a game of wait and see. As of right now, courses have to act like there will be a season in 2020.

“We have to prepare the golf course to keep the condition of the turf as if we’re going to open,” said Kelly Cherkowski the Executive Director of the Grande Prairie Golf and Country Club. “Safety is the priority for everyone.”

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The announcement on Thursday sparked several thousand of Albertans to voice their displeasure about golf courses not being deemed an essential service. A petition has sparked up and had reached over 26,000 signatures and is still climbing.

The petition calls for golf courses to open and says that golfers already take into account social distancing practices and stricter rules can be enforced while on the course.

B.C. is scheduled to open some golf courses in the Okanagan this week and will be implementing social distancing measures for golfers.

Cherkowski says that his golf club is looking at measures being taking at courses in B.C. and across North America.

Some of the measures include being able to only arrive 20 minutes before a golfer’s tee time, raising the hole cups, not touching or moving the flag sticks, removing rakes and benches, and keeping bars or restaurant services closed.

Cherkowski adds that he is in support of the petition that has been circling around.

“If the other places can provide a healthy and safe environment for people, we think golf provides that. We’re in support of that as long as we’re keeping everybody healthy and safe.”

While golfers anxiously wait to tee off, only the province has the key to the course.