Following the Welsh Government’s announcement on Friday 19th June there will be NO rules changes until Monday 6th July at the earliest, therefore the current restrictions remain in place.
The current restrictions are as follows:
Individuals playing golf on their own; 2 balls from 2 different households are PERMITTED.
3 and 4 balls are permitted as long as only 2 households are mixing.
PLEASE respect social distancing at all times.
Many of you would have seen the update released by Wales Golf last night whereby there was a relaxation in the restrictions for playing golf in Wales; these new rules will be in force from Monday 1st June 2020.
Please see attached updated rules and regulations which will be in place for the next 3 weeks. We can assure you that Wales Golf are working very hard on behalf of golf clubs in Wales with regards to further relaxation of the rules albeit in a safe manner. We as a golf club are also in constant dialogue with Wales Golf asking questions, giving and receiving ideas on best practice etc. rules are being relaxed slowly but surely and of course safely!
We have again clarified with Wales Golf the statement on what constitutes local, the response was as follows (much the same as before):
Local for Mid Wales is different to cities. As long as the golfer/s are members of Builth Wells Golf Club they are allowed to travel to play golf especially given the length of the golfer/s exercise (game of golf) will be longer than the time it takes to travel to the golf club.
Tee times are now at 12 minute intervals and of course 2 players from different households can play together, the online tee sheet has been amended.
This is a positive step forward although far from normality, please follow the rules to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment.
Some good news at long last….
Builth Wells Golf Club (course) will re-open for members on Friday 15th May
We are sure that many of you have been watching/listening to the news in Wales today, stating that golf courses in Wales can re open – good news at long last! The only down side as such is that golf can only be played as a single (1 player) or multiple players if the group is from the same household; the rule for playing golf in Wales is different to the rule for playing golf in England.
Obviously things are not going to return to normal any time soon, if at all, so please bear with us, the rules we are introducing are rules stipulated by the home golf unions, R&A, PGA etc, to enable golf courses to re-open in as safe a manner as possible for both members and staff.
Tee times must be booked either online via the club website, www.builthwellsgolf.co.uk, members page, book a tee time – you will require a username and password; if you haven’t already requested your log in details and wish to receive them please let me know; tee times can also be booked by telephone 01982 553296 option 2 or my mobile 07770 940413. Tee times can only be booked 7 days in advance.
Please see updated rules for re-opening (May 2020), please adhere to these rules; golf will find itself in the spotlight as one of the first sports to re-open, any breaking of the rules will be noted and I’m sure, acted upon! We are aware that single player golf isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, however this is a starting point, please do not take it upon yourselves to ‘join up’ once out of sight on the golf course, if the rules are adhered to they will be relaxed sooner, if the rules are broken we could find ourselves in this situation for longer or worse still, closed once again.
Should anyone have any questions after reading the documents below please don’t hesitate to ask.
Once again a huge thank you to those members that have paid their subscriptions despite the fact there has been no golf, those members wishing to pay please do so at your earliest convenience, card payments can be taken in the Pro Shop or payments can be made online via BACS.
I/we look forward to seeing you very soon.
Sadly, golf at Builth Wells Golf Club remains off the menu! Please stay safe everyone and adhere to the rules in place. The golf course will be open soon and rest assured, measures are already in place to ensure members and staff can play golf and work in a safe environment.
Response from UK golf bodies to Prime Minister’s announcement The UK Government has announced that golf will be able to resume in England on Wednesday, 13 May 2020. All outdoor sport must be done alone or within a household group and that includes golf. There is no change to the current position in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and so golf courses in these countries must remain closed for now. It is important to stress that this remains an extremely difficult situation throughout the UK and we are acutely aware that many lives have been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the virus will continue to be felt for a long time to come. As a sport we must work together to resume play responsibly as and when the relevant Government determines it is safe to do so. We must ensure that the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved from golfers, to club staff and greenkeepers is maintained at all times. Golf clubs and golfers have observed the lockdown very well and must keep it up and act responsibly as play resumes. We recently provided documents giving guidance on operations and resuming play and golf clubs should consider this carefully as they restart their businesses. We also provided Essential Maintenance Guidelines to help greenkeepers to prepare their courses for play. We fully appreciate the huge amount of expertise that exists within golf clubs throughout the country and this best practice guidance simply aims to achieve as consistent an approach as possible to protecting everyone. We are seeking further clarification from the Government regarding other golf-related facilities. The pandemic has already had a substantial impact on golf clubs and venues and the focus will soon turn to trying to recover from the crisis. As a group we will continue to do all we can to provide support and guidance in that effort. These organisations have come together to help golf in the UK during the COVID-19 crisis and, through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf, to work with Government to promote safe golf: The Belfry; the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association; the British Golf Industry Association; England Golf; the Golf Club Managers’ Association; Golf Ireland; the Golfing Union of Ireland; the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union; IMG; The Professional Golfers’ Association; PING; The R&A; Scottish Golf; Syngenta; the UK Golf Federation; Wales Golf.
As of Tuesday 24th March, sadly the golf course and Pro Shop along with the clubhouse, will be closed. The golf industry has had an awful 7 months or so with the floods, heavy rainfall and now the coronavirus pandemic! People’s health however must come first and golf, or sport in general, pales into insignificance compared to people’s health. Please stay safe and listen to the advice being given and we look forward to welcoming you back to the golf club in the near future.
The following additional temporary local rules have been put into action with immediate effect.
CORONAVIRUS: ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY RULES
PRIOR TO THE GAME:
· Contactless payments will be permitted
· Players with coughs/colds or any symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to play
· The changing of shoes can be done on the car park to reduce the need for golfers to enter the changing rooms
· The putting green will be closed for larger events i.e. Captain’s Drive In
· Golf buggies will be permitted, however it is advised that they are for single person use and not to be shared by 2 persons. Buggies will be cleaned thoroughly after use.
ADVICE FOR GOLFERS ON THE COURSE:
· Insist on social distancing (2 meter rule) on teeing grounds, greens and throughout the round/s
· The flag should remain in the hole at all times. Golfers are asked to remove their golf ball from the hole carefully, not with a golf club
· Bunker rakes have been removed from the golf course, therefore bunkers will be deemed Ground under Repair whilst restrictions are in place
· Ball cleaners are NOT to be used on the golf course
· Do not share any equipment, such as golf clubs, rangefinders etc.
· Don’t shake hands before or after your game
AFTER THE GAME:
· Handling of scorecards is vulnerability, especially for staff members tasked with checking cards etc. Scorecards are to be left in the Secretary’s Office; competition results will be posted 24 hours after the competition
· In a singles competition it is advisable for 1 person to mark the scorecard for all players in the group to minimise the number of scorecards being handled
· Please ensure you wash your hands regularly and dispose of paper hand towels in the bins provided
The plan at present is to carry on as normal as possible with members activities i.e. competitions etc. The temporary rules above are to try and help with government advise with regards to social distancing etc. Please adhere to the rules to ensure we are all able to keep having some kind of enjoyment/activity in these very trying and worrying times.
COVID-19 Coronavirus Announcement
Builth Wells Golf Club would like to reassure members and visitors that we are following daily Government advice and updates for dealing with the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak and will continue to do so.
In view of the current advice we require any members, visitors or staff returning from coronavirus affected areas in the world as directed by the World Health Organisation, to stay away from the golf club for 14 days and follow the guidance on each country at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas
Builth Wells Golf Club will remain open and we have no plans to cancel any of our member activities at this point in time, however this is under constant review and further information will be issued accordingly.
Golf is a wonderful sport for people to get out, exercise and enjoy the fresh air and we encourage you to continue to play but be mindful of following the NHS and Government guidelines:
· Wash hands well and regularly with soap and water
· Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and/or sneezing; dispose of used tissues into any of the bins on site
· Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth if your hands are not clean
· Do not kiss or shake hands unnecessarily
· Do not come to the Golf Club if you have any of the following symptoms: fever/high temperature, a new and continuous cough or breathing difficulties – please refer to NHS guidance
Latest information can be found on the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
Thank you for taking the time to read this and your ongoing co-operation as we go through this challenging time.
The wellbeing of our staff, members and visitors is our highest priority.