Golf courses to re-open in Spain from 11 May 2020?
https://www.diariodealmeria.es/andalucia/apertura-campos-golf-cuando-desescalada_0_1460554221.html
Google translation:
May 11: the date to return to the golf courses
The stages, outdoors, and sport, without contact, meet the required conditions
Hispaniola establishes a protocol for players, fields and industries in the sector
Golfers, both professional and amateur, are in luck. According to all the specialized media, yours will be one of the first sports that can be practiced once the so-called de-escalation begins to end the crisis caused by Covid-19 (coronavirus): May 11.
Although neither the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, nor the documents made public subsequently refer specifically to golf, if it is said that for May 11, the date set for phase one, “the outdoor sports facilities without public (only to practice sports in which there is no contact: athletics, tennis) ”and you can practice“ individual sports activities by appointment in sports centers that do not involve physical contact or the use of changing rooms ”. Wow, golf.
Almost in parallel to this announcement, the group of Spanish golf institutions –integrated by the Royal Spanish Federation (RFEG), the Autonomous Federations, the Spanish Association of Golf Courses (AECG), the Spanish Association of Greenkeepers (AEdG), the Spanish Association of Managers (AEGG) and the Spanish Association of Professionals (PGA) - have presented the Protocol of Opening of the Sport of Golf, a series of guidelines and recommendations for the practice of this sport safely, “when the health authorities allow ”.
The protocol
The Golf Sport Opening Protocol, divided into three parts - players, golf courses and industry - has an impact on guaranteeing social distance and minimizing the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Additionally, this Protocol delves into the idea that the opening of golf courses in our country could favor the Spain brand abroad, taking advantage of the image of golf as a healthy, outdoor and Covid-free sport, which will contribute to a faster revival of tourism.
The procedures to be followed before, during and after playing golf are part of the first block of the document, intended for practitioners. It talks about the need to book online, not pay in cash, that the use of buggies is individual or for members of the same family ...
In the second block, focused on golf courses, the recommended measures are summarized for the reopening of a standard facility, with each golf course having to adapt them to its own characteristics, always in accordance with the general limitations imposed by the Health Administration.
There are some that are as logical as minimizing the use of the club room or reception, and others that are more striking, such as the one referring to "equipping the holes with a system that prevents the ball from falling inside" or "removing the bunker rakes. "
The golf industry
Finally, the third block describes, with figures, the whole of the Spanish golf industry, considered the leading European and world destination for international golf tourism, a statement backed by the 1.4 million tourists who choose Spain to play the sport each year, which contribute to generating an income of 2,500 million euros and more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The document concludes with a series of demands to minimize the business damage generated by the Covid-19 crisis. These include the consideration of golf courses as a tourist infrastructure, the application of reduced VAT and the extension of the ERTE figure due to force majeure and the extraordinary and exceptional measures established in RDL 8/2020, due to the tourist traffic restrictions, as well as various financial support measures.