Golf returns in Ireland: ‘People are going out with a smile on their face under sunny skies’

Cork Golf Club and Killarney Golf and Fishing Club were among the courses welcoming members back on Monday

The sprinklers go off at sunrise at Dromoland Castle Golf Club, Newmarket On Fergus, Co Clare, as Eamonn O’Donnell plays a shot on the day golf courses reopened. Picture: Brian Arthur

Nobody knows if the creator is a golf fan, but the odds shortened considerably on Monday as grateful Irish golfers returned to the fairways in blazing sunshine under bright blue skies.

Hardy PGA professionals who were bracing themselves for a torrent of complaints as clubs were forced to limit golf to two balls or two households and even ration the “drug” to just nine holes were pleasantly surprised as the golf-starved club golfers of Ireland accepted even a few holes as manna from heaven.