Keep your distance: golf courses in Spain reopen with coronavirus rules in place

AS Spain’s golf courses start reopening, players will have to stick to new protocols or risk disqualification.

A whole new set of rules has been drawn up by the Spanish Golf Federation to maintain social distancing.

And in time-honoured golfing fashion, breaking the regulations will be severely punished.

Intentional infringement of the ‘coronavirus local rules’ will mean a two stroke penalty or loss of hole in matchplay for a first offence. Break the rules again and the player will be disqualified.

• The main points are:
• Social distance must be kept throughout the whole round.
• Flagsticks must be left untouched in the hole.
• Holes will have a backstop to stop the ball reaching the bottom.
• Only the player can pick up the ball.
• No equipment including clubs and pens can be shared.
• No device such as ball markers, gloves and tees can be borrowed.
• Rakes will not be allowed to be used in bunkers.
• Scorecards, whether card or electronic must not be passed around and will be disinfected before and after the round.
• All objects on the course, including benches, must not be touched.
• In addition players are asked to wait in the car park and then head straight to the first tee five minutes before their booked time.
• On completion of the round they should leave the course immediately.
• Changing rooms and cafés and bars will remain closed.
• Buggies and trolleys must be disinfected before and after each round.

The federation hopes these measures will help the golf industry in Spain recover quickly after the enforced lay-off. At the moment golf courses in parts of the country to have entered Phase 1 of the coronavirus lockdown exit.

President of Turismo Costa del Sol, Francisco Salado said: “The reactivation of the golf courses will be key to the economic recovery of the Costa del Sol, since it is a safe sport, where it is easy to maintain a safety distance of two metres between people, and also develops entirely individually.”

More than 1.4 million tourists flock to Spain to play golf every year, spending around €2.5 billion, Some 30,000 jobs are said to rely on the sport, both directly and indirectly.