By Troy Gillard

swing away, supporters say

Petition urges Alberta to allow golf courses to open

Apr 14, 2020 | 3:32 PM

A fast-growing number of people feel Alberta golf courses should receive an exemption from mandated business closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 26,000 people had signed an online petition supporting the idea.

“Activities where people are in close contact (are) obviously dangerous. Golf however already takes social distancing into account,” the petition reads. “People are separated by 10-15 mins. In fact, the flow of individuals is more regulated at a golf course then people self-regulating their movements in a grocery store.”

The petition also mentions golf courses can take payments online or over the phone, “easily manage the execution of tee-offs, remotely,” and close beverage services, pro-shops, and restaurants as ways of ensuring public health orders are followed.

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Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical health officer, said last week that golf courses were deemed to be a non-essential service in the province. Golf courses are covered under section two of the provincial order banning people from attending public recreation facilities during the pandemic.

Hinshaw says the province hasn’t yet reached the point where it can consider allowing golf courses to open.

“The reason we’ve been more successful than other jurisdictions is we have been willing to make sacrifices to protect the greater good to protect their neighbours and their loved ones,” she reiterated during her daily briefing on Monday.

“This distancing will not last forever. We are watching our numbers closely and we are in active discussions about what kinds of things we might be able to ease up on if we continue to have a trend of numbers that are declining over a several week period,” she added. “If we release our hold on restrictions too soon that we could undo all of the work and all of the sacrifices that we have collectively made to get to this point.”

Hinshaw said if Alberta were to ease off restrictions too quickly the province could potentially see greater spread like other jurisdictions.

“There are many people who deeply enjoy golfing and for whom it is not just a part of physical health, but of mental health,” she acknowledged. “But I would say to golfers, again, the same thing as I would say to other Albertans, which is to trust that we are looking very closely at our numbers and that as we get to a point where we can think about easing restrictions, outdoor recreation is certainly on that list to be considered.

“That sacrifice, just like every other sacrifices that Albertans are making, is helping us to maintain that good performance we’ve been able to have so far.”

Alberta Springs Golf Resort west of Red Deer has posted this notice to its website regarding the COVID-19 situation.