Golf clubs hoping for reclassification of greenkeeping staff as essential workers

A Covid-19 notice outside Mount Juliet Estate & Golf Club in Thomastown, Kilkenny. The European Tour has confirmed the postponement of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open due to the continuing threat posed by the spread of coronavirus. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

The Irish Golf and Club Managers Association is hoping the Government will reclassify greenkeeping staff as essential workers in order to keep courses primed and ready for the end of the current coronavirus restrictions and a return to the sport.

Golf clubs, courses and practice facilities on the island of Ireland were advised to close by the Golfing Union of Ireland and Irish Ladies Golf Union last week as the Government ramped up its restrictions on mass gatherings and social distancing in the fight against Covid-19. That enabled clubs and courses to continue essential maintenance work but last Friday’s further lockdown impositions from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar meant only essential workers in a variety of industries as well as the HSE were allowed to continue working.

IGCMA executive officer Michael Walsh told the Irish Examiner it was vital for the wellbeing of the golf industry that course maintenance was continued throughout the shutdown.

“Everybody’s trying to keep their staffs together, and keep the courses open,” Walsh said. “On Saturday we requested the GUI and ILGU about maintaining the golf courses because if you let the golf course go (untended) for two or three weeks you’ll have fierce trouble getting it back.

So it’s all very well shutting the place down but the grass doesn’t know there’s coronavirus flying around, it wants to grow.

“When clubs put their core staff on three-day weeks during the recession (in 2008), the weeds and diseases didn’t go on a three-day week with them. So we’re waiting for clarification there and hopefully we’ll have a positive outcome.

“We want the greenkeepers to go in and mow the grass a couple of times a week. The R&A on Friday was recommending cutting the grass three times a week, fairways once a week and rough once a week. That might take a while to do if you’re only putting in a couple of staff at the same time.”

Many clubs, including Cork GC in Little Island, had been operating split shifts for its six-man grounds crews, maintaining social distancing and reducing the risk of Covid-19 infection taking all its greenkeepers out of circulation.

“When they’re wiping down equipment at the start and end of every shift there’s little chance of infection in that environment,” Walsh added. “We just need to maintain and keep all the machinery secure.

“Of course we’re following the guidelines and recommending that managers follow all the guidelines. There were two clubs who stayed open last week, which was disappointing but neither of them was part of our association.

“Our only concern is that people can maintain their course in some reasonable state and I don’t think that is an unreasonable request in any shape or form if those tasks are carried out properly and responsibly. Because when this is all over, which it will be, there’s going to be a massive, pent-up demand for people to play golf. Courses have to be ready for that and we’re coming into the grass growing season now so they need to be up and running from the day the re-opening is announced. If they’re not allowed to cut their grass in the meantime, that won’t happen.”