Latest update from Monday 6th July

Those of you that may have seen Friday’s ‘relaxation’ of current restrictions will be aware that the 5 mile stay local ruling has been removed, unfortunately the current restriction on only 2 households being able to meet outdoors remains in place!! Therefore golf remains in its current form, single ball or 2 ball play is permitted, 3 and/or 4 ball play is permitted as long as only 2 households are playing together!

Wales Golf have sent out a memo to all welsh golf clubs stating the following – “There has been no change in the number of households that can socially mix outdoors, therefore golf in the current form remains. However, this is being discussed by the Welsh Government tomorrow, any changes will be announced in the next Government update”.

Following this announcement it is apparent that the 4 ball better ball competition, J.L. Davies Memorial Cup on Sunday 12th July CANNOT go ahead; the following singles competitions will replace the J.L. Davies:-

Smithfield Ford (men) – 18 hole STABLEFORD, full handicap, white tees, entry fee £3.00 per player, optional ball sweep £1.00

Bradley Bogey (ladies) – 18 hole BOGEY, full handicap, red tees, entry fee £2.50 per player, optional ball sweep £1.00

The Grainger Cups will take place as planned on Saturday 18th July – full handicap stableford for both men and ladies, prizes awarded in both categories.

Some good news – as of Monday 13th July Diego will be permitted to open a beer garden whereby you can purchase drinks from the clubhouse and sit at socially distanced tables to drink them! The beer garden will be set up over the next week, the marquee will be erected and tables, chairs etc spaced at the current social distancing of 2 metres.  The car parking spaces nearest the Pro Shop will NOT be available for car parking from 13th July as they will be used as part of the beer garden. Please remember internally the clubhouse remains closed, a full set of rules and regulations will be sent out sometime next week informing you of what is and isn’t permitted.

72 CLUB DRAW - JUNE 2020

THE JUNE 72 CLUB DRAW HAS TAKEN PLACE, THE LUCKY WINNERS ARE SHOWN BELOW:

   1st               ENID EVANS                                    £100

   2nd             MICK MILLS                                     £80

   3rd              CHRIS OFFA                                                   £60

   4th              BRUCE & TERESA WATKINS                £40

   5th              TOM DAVIES                                                              £20

ANYONE WISHING TO JOIN THE 72 CLUB PLEASE ASK IN THE PRO SHOP OR SECRETARY'S OFFICE. THE COST IS £24.00 PER YEAR WITH 4 DRAWS PAYING OUT A TOTAL OF £1,000 PLUS IN PRIZE MONEY.

Latest update Monday 22nd June 2020

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.

Update to restrictions from Monday 1st June 2020

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.

RETURN TO PLAYING GOLF JUNE 2020

PRO SHOP RULES JUNE 2020

Golf course to re open on Friday 15th May 2020

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.

Rules for the re opening of the golf course (May 2020)

Pro Shop re opening (May 2020)

No change in Wales

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.

Golf course closed

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.

Welsh golf clubs to shut due to COVID-19 crisis

Following the Prime Minister’s statement, it is clear that golf clubs, courses & facilities must close with immediate effect.

While golf is a sport with many health benefits, keeping golf courses open is no longer compatible with Government policy which is designed to save lives in a time of national emergency.

This action is vital and we must stay home in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 and relieve pressure on the National Health Service.

“These are incredibly testing times for the country and the golf industry but, during this unprecedented period, we will be working very closely with all affiliated clubs,” said Wales Golf chief executive Richard Dixon.

“Wales Golf Staff will be working remotely to support and advise clubs as much as possible.”

Clubhouse update

CLUBHOUSE CLOSED

Following the UK government’s directive on Friday afternoon, 20th March, whereby all pubs, restaurants, bars were to close; the clubhouse will sadly be closed until further notice.

The golf course will remain open with several restrictions in place; this will allow people to play golf in as safe an environment as possible.

These are unprecedented times and together we will get through this, no matter how tough they get.