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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
STRICT guidelines, which include banning of caddies on the course, have taken away the excitement in golf, with most failing to complete their rounds, Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) vice-president Martin Chikwana has said.
Golf was classified under low risk sports in May and given the green light to resume activities following the relaxation of Covid-19 lockdown rules.
Other sports allowed to resume activities are athletics, cycling, triathlon, cricket, angling, polocrosse, tennis, shooting, rowing and equestrian.
Chikwana said their members, who have been playing social games before moving to competitive games, are reporting that adhering to strict health guidelines such as banning of caddies has been a challenge.
“It’s tough (playing under present restrictions) and there are so many challenges. We are able to play, but with no competitions and the practice of social distancing means we can’t socialise after a game. Remember, socialising is one of the cornerstones of playing golf.
“Economically, caddies, who form the core of our way of playing, are not allowed and many players cannot complete as many rounds because the golf bags are just too heavy. Golf clubs and restaurants are still closed as we haven’t got the go ahead to reopen” said Chikwana.
“For clubs to function efficiently they need players on the course. However, at the moment players can only be allowed on the course at 9am and by 4pm we are all required to be off the course. This means the clubs’ income has been seriously reduced as they can only manage to have at most 90 players a day as compared to 170 players we normally should have.”
He said the number of rounds golfers can complete had significantly been reduced.
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