By Renee Wood
After more than six painfully long weeks, golfers have embraced their first chance to hit the greens with restrictions easing for social non-contact recreational outdoor activities.
Golf courses in the Yarra Ranges have welcomed members and golf enthusiasts back to their clubs today, all happy to oblige the two person, masks and social distancing rules.
Warburton Golf Club Clubhouse Manager David Murch said almost 50 people booked in to tee off for the first day of freedom on the course.
“It’s fantastic to have people back on the course – golf courses are living breathing things and the members and people coming in are the heartbeat,” David Murch said.
“It’s just lovely to see people enjoying themselves in the fresh air again. I don’t think they like the scores, but they’re enjoying themselves.”
Despite the wobbly scores from a lack of recent practice, players are thrilled to pick up a club and return to the sport they love.
“There must have been 40 to 50 players out which was really good, that’s usually what we see on a busy Saturday so people are obviously excited to get out and it’s only Wednesday,” Member Flynn Cousens said.
Only social play is currently allowed but members will be making use of this time to better their skills before competitions resume.
Scratch golfer Flynn Cousens is one of those who’s been playing professionally for over a year and most recently played in the club’s pennant team.
“Next April is the qualifying for the Australian Tour so I want to get to a certain level by then, and it has slowed down because of Covid but I’m now back to playing 10 hours a day so I just want to keep going and moving forward instead of in and out of lockdown.”
While the club’s been closed the grounds team have been working around the clock to maintain the beautiful setting.
“Our curator Paul Mason and his apprentice have been continually working on the course because it still keeps growing and stuff keeps falling down as well, but there’s been a opportunity to get a lot of extra maintenance done on things like bridges, across the creeks,” Mr Murch said.
“They enjoy really taking care of mowing the fairways and having the what I call the ‘Wimbledon lines’ which makes it look really nice, and of course with the spectacular views that we’ve got here you just can’t go passed it. We’re one of the best kept secrets in the valley I think.”
Other sports including boating and tennis have been able to return part of the modest restrictions easing and the 10km limit has expanded to 15km.
