Coronavirus,
New rules from the state government mean that every golfer – for social or competitive reasons – must be vaccinated or stopped to play. The decision was clarified on Saturday, with Golf Australia saying that up to four people can now play together and golf carts can be used. Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to enter clubhouses and other facilities. READ MORE: Ballarat Records New COVID Case As State Numbers Grow. This is in contrast to the rules for community sports, which unvaccinated people can still participate. Golf is considered physical recreation, so the difference in the rules – for example in social lawn bowling, players can be unvaccinated, but competitive players must be fully vaccinated. The rules will remain in place until Victoria hits the goal of 90 percent complete vaccination for everyone over the age of 12, which is expected to be achieved by mid-November. Some clubs have said the ruling clears any confusion – Buninyong Golf Club President Ron Deleland said it was much easier to say that everyone needs to be vaccinated, “completely”. “We are fully booked today and tomorrow will be pretty good, if the weather holds it will be full on Wednesday,” he said enthusiastically. ON THE NEWS Michael Cooke, a pro at Midlands Golf Club, said everything else was “like normal” “It’s practically unlimited golf, we’re pretty much back to normal,” he said, adding it was good to see, as the crowd returns, travel restrictions between Melbourne and the regions end. “There have been a lot of bookings, the weekend has been full and it’s going to be a great summer. Golf is going to be pretty big for the next few months.” Have you signed up for The Courier’s various news emails? You can register below and make sure you are updated on everything that’s happening in Ballarat.
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/alexander.ford/b396c7f3-974c-4b86-98d1-1ac5495d783d.JPG/r0_283_5568_3429_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
New rules from the state government mean that every golfer – for social or competitive reasons – must be vaccinated or stopped to play.
The decision was clarified on Saturday, with Golf Australia saying that up to four people can now play together and golf carts can be used.
Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to enter clubhouses and other facilities.
This is in contrast to the rules for community sports, which unvaccinated people can still participate in.
Golf is considered physical recreation, so the difference in the rules – for example in social lawn bowling, players can be unvaccinated, but competitive players must be fully vaccinated.
The rules will remain in place until Victoria hits the goal of 90 percent complete vaccination for everyone over the age of 12, which is expected to be achieved by mid-November.
Some clubs have said the ruling clears any confusion – Buninyong Golf Club President Ron Deleland said it was much easier to say that everyone needs to be vaccinated, “completely”.
“We are fully booked today and tomorrow will be pretty good, if the weather holds it will be full on Wednesday,” he said enthusiastically.
Michael Cooke, a pro at Midlands Golf Club, said everything else was “like normal”
“It’s practically unlimited golf, we’re pretty much back to normal,” he said, adding that it was good to see the crowds return when the travel restrictions between Melbourne and the regions end.
“There have been a lot of bookings, the weekend has been full and it’s going to be a great summer. Golf is going to be pretty big for the next few months.”
Have you signed up for The Courier’s various news emails? You can register below and make sure you are updated on everything that’s happening in Ballarat.