The COVID-19 global pandemic is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians and Golf Canada stands with our entire golf community during this unprecedented time.
We all love the game for the escape it provides and its positive impact on our physical, social and mental well-being. We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.
We continue to urge golfers to follow the guidelines from health and governmental officials to keep you and those around you safe, and to minimize any possible exposure to coronavirus. This is especially true on a golf course, where golfers, workers and operators should heighten their level of awareness on exposure to surfaces like flagsticks, golf balls, bunker rakes, tees, carts and scorecards. We all need to do our part to respect expert advice and make the right decisions to protect each other.
It is not the intended purpose of the below guidance to either encourage or discourage anyone from playing the game, but rather, in our governance role, to help golf course operators, committees and golfers better understand how the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping apply to the various questions received by the governing bodies.
The Modernized Rules of Golf were drafted to offer each Committee the flexibility to make decisions as to how golf is played at their course or in competition and the Committee Procedures section of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf (available online here) offers a significant amount of guidance and recommendations on how to address circumstances unique to each course or competition.
This flexibility will prove to be very helpful as Committees look to address many of the challenges they are facing within the current environment. While the Committee Procedures section is a tremendous resource and has much to offer, many of the current questions were not originally contemplated under the Rules of Golf and therefore there is no history or guidance provided. To better address the questions that have come about because of these unique circumstances and the related challenges, additional guidance can be accessed by clicking here. This will continue to be updated as additional questions are received.
As active seasons start to open across the country, we would like to discuss impacts on Handicapping. From the perspective of the Rules of Handicapping, the most frequent questions received are primarily related to the acceptability of scores for posting to a player’s scoring record. In particular, to modifying the hole and not requiring the player to “hole out” as required under the Rules of Golf. These are founded in a desire to minimize the possibility of exposing golfers to coronavirus and have included leaving the hole liner raised above the putting surface or placing various objects into the hole so the ball can be more easily removed. In these specific cases, ensuring guidance from health and governmental officials is being followed, a temporary measure is in place in Canada to accept scores played under these conditions for handicap purposes using the most likely score guidelines (Rule 3.3, Rules of Handicapping), even though the player has not holed out.
Please remember that this temporary measure is now in effect within Canada until advised otherwise by Golf Canada.
For more information and detailed guidance, please contact your Provincial Golf Association or Golf Canada.]]>
Our partners at the Provincial Golf Associations are working incredibly hard to understand the impact of COVID-19 on golf in each province.
They will continue to seek clarity from municipal and provincial government and health authorities to help our member clubs and golfers navigate through this crisis.
Below are summaries and links for each respective provincial golf association.
Korn Ferry Tour announces new restart schedule and combined 2020-21 season
GREAT EXUMA, BAHAMAS - JANUARY 13: Korn Ferry Tour pin flag on the 15th green during the second round of the Korn Ferry Tour's The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay golf course on January 13, 2020 in Great Exuma, Bahamas. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The Korn Ferry Tour announced today additional modifications and details regarding the restart of the 2020 schedule and a fall calendar of events that will be part of a one-time, combined 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season.
The announcement of a fall schedule comes after the PGA TOUR announced last week that, due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancelation or postponement of 13 events from the 2019-20 TOUR Season, eligibility has been extended for exempt 2019-20 PGA TOUR members for the 2020-21 season. These adjustments will result in the Korn Ferry Tour not having a graduating class in 2020; however, the TOUR has established a performance benefit for the top 10 from the Korn Ferry Tour points list following the conclusion of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Those players will be granted access into all PGA TOUR additional events for the 2020-21 season.
The newly created 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour schedule that will bridge two seasons will conclude with 25 PGA TOUR cards awarded at the 2021 WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz, with an additional 25 cards awarded at the conclusion of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
With six events completed through the El Bosque Mexico Championship by INNOVA, the remaining 2020 schedule – subject to change – now consists of 23 events. Korn Ferry Tour events to be contested in 2021 as part of the combined 2020-21 schedule will be announced later this year.
“While we won’t have the opportunity to graduate a Korn Ferry Tour Class in 2020, we feel our reimagined wraparound schedule – with newly created playing opportunities – is the best solution to our season that has been disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “We greatly appreciate the support of our tournaments, title sponsors and Player Advisory Council in getting to this point. As we’ve said on several occasions, we will resume play only when it is deemed safe to do so by leading health authorities and government agencies and our tournaments do not negatively impact the critical efforts in the healthcare world and our communities.”
The restart to the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season will begin as previously announced with the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The event will now be followed by a second event in Northeast Florida at The King & Bear Course at World Golf Village in St. Augustine. This new tournament takes the place of the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth, which will move to one of the newly created fall dates.
The Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank – the Tour’s first event back on Golf Channel – will remain as scheduled the week of June 22-28 in Farmington, Utah, while the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes in Berthoud, Colorado, moves up one week into the June 29-July 5 date.
Following the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, the Tour will contest two new events at TPC San Antonio – host of the PGA TOUR’s Valero Texas Open – in back-to-back weeks, starting July 6-18. The first event will be played on the Canyons Course, while the second event would be hosted on the Oaks Course, which is the official tournament course for the Valero Texas Open.
“As we look toward a return to golf, the health and safety of everyone associated with the Korn Ferry Tour and our communities will remain our No. 1 priority,” said Baldwin. “With the impact sustained thus far to our 2020 schedule, it was imperative that we strive to create new playing opportunities for our membership, including these four events that were not on our original schedule.”
The Lincoln Land Championship presented by LRS in Springfield, Illinois, will move from the week of July 13-19 to one of the new fall dates, which leaves the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper in Springfield, Missouri, as the first of six events on the original 2020 calendar that will remain as scheduled through the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.
In addition to the Lincoln Land Championship presented by LRS and the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth, the Evans Scholars Invitational in Chicago, and the Savannah Golf Championship in Savannah, Georgia, were also rescheduled for the new fall season. The inaugural Orange County National Championship presented by Knight 39 will be played near Orlando the week of October 5-11.
Revised 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Season schedule
June 8-14: Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass, TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
June 15-20: The King & Bear Classic at World Golf Village, The King & Bear GC at World Golf Village, St. Augustine, Florida (Saturday finish)
June 22-28: Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, Oakridge CC, Farmington, Utah
June 29-July 5: TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, TPC Colorado, Berthoud, Colorado
July 6-12: TPC San Antonio Challenge at the Canyons, TPC San Antonio (Canyons Course), San Antonio, Texas
July 13-18: TPC San Antonio Championship at the Oaks, TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course), San Antonio, Texas (Saturday finish)
July 20-26: Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, Highland Springs CC, Springfield, Missouri
July 27-August 2: Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna, The Club at Indian Creek, Omaha, Nebraska
August 3-9: WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz, Pumpkin Ridge GC (Witch Hollow), North Plains, Oregon
August 10-16: Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, Hillcrest CC, Boise, Idaho
August 17-23: Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Ohio State University GC (Scarlet Course), Columbus, Ohio
August 24-30: Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, Victoria National GC, Newburgh, Indiana
August 31-September 6: Lincoln Land Championship presented by LRS, Panther Creek CC, Springfield, Illinois
September 7-13 : Evans Scholars Invitational, TBD, Chicago, Illinois
September 21-27: Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth, Crestview CC, Wichita, Kansas
September 28-October 4: Savannah Golf Championship, The Landings Club (Deer Creek), Savannah, Georgia
October 5-11: Orange County National Championship presented by Knight 39, Orange County Golf Center & Lodge (Panther Lake), Winter Garden, Florida
The Korn Ferry Tour will resume play with at least the first four events closed to the general public while continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market. Decisions on fan attendance at all events thereafter will be dependent on available protocols that could be implemented to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.
For more information on the Korn Ferry Tour, please visit PGATOUR.com.]]>
INDUSTRY STATEMENT FOR GOLF IN ATLANTIC CANADA REGARDING OPERATIONS AND COVID-19
April 24, 2020
During these challenging times in Atlantic Canada, golf associations have come together to pool resources and expertise in order to clearly define a safe path for the golf industry as we navigate through the current challenges that we face.
The Atlantic Allied Golf Associations applaud the work of our health officials, our essential workers and various Government Agencies and Health Authorities for their active roles in ensuring the continued safety of our citizens, our communities, our provinces and our nation.
With no immediate end to the current health crisis on the horizon and the impacts on our citizens, businesses and communities mounting daily, we appreciate the challenges government officials are facing when deciding on the movement of people and the operation of businesses.
With the start to the Atlantic Canadian golf season just around the corner, the Atlantic Allied Golf Associations are working closely with our golf courses and our national and international partners to ensure that the health and safety of our facility staff and the general public is our top priority.
There is a great deal of information readily available from multiple jurisdictions however the specific governmental and health requirements vary greatly from region to region, province to province and country to country. We are currently compiling relevant best practices and are consulting with various provincial governments and health authorities to identify key benchmarks and health and safety guidelines. These will be distributed to our partner facilities once they are identified and properly vetted so that they meet the appropriate requirements from the Government of Canada, our specific provinces and the various municipalities in our provinces.
We are all anxious to get the golf season up and running but we understand the dilemmas that our government and health officials face, especially when determining whether to allow some businesses to operate and the financial impacts these decisions will have on our communities moving forward.
It is our goal that golf can be one of the businesses allowed to open during the first wave of openings given its ability to include guidelines for our clubs to follow that will allow for safe operation while offering an opportunity for the physical and mental well-being of our citizens.
The Atlantic Allied Golf Associations will continue to respect and support the positions of the federal and provincial Governments and the Chief Medical Officers of Health as we look forward to the time when the golf industry can help our communities heal by playing its part in providing a safe and responsible recreational opportunity for our citizens while also getting individuals back to work.
We will continue to work together with our partner facilities to prepare for the 2020 season and ensure that, once golf courses are allowed to safely open, clubs in Atlantic Canada are organized and well prepared to operate with the health and safety of players and staff members as a top priority.
Sincerely,
Atlantic Allied Golf Associations
Lindon Garron
– Executive Director, PGA Atlantic
Jim Thompson
– Regional Director, Atlantic Chapter National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada
Jim Nix
– Executive Director, Atlantic Golf Superintendents Association
Tyson Flinn
– Executive Director, Golf New Brunswick
David Campbell
– Executive Director, Nova Scotia Golf Association
Sean Joyce
– Representative, Prince Edward Island Golf Association
th, Premier Blaine Higgs announced that golf courses will be included in the first phase of business reactivation in New Brunswick. In his statement, Premier Higgs confirmed that golf courses would be able to resume operations at their discretion under specified restrictions as provided by the Province of New Brunswick and the office of the Chief Medical Officer.
CLICK HERE for the latest COVID-19 Update from the Province of New Brunswick
CLICK HERE for a full “Guidance Document of General Public Health Measures During COVID-19 Recovery” as per from the Province of New Brunswick
CLIQUEZ ICI pour le “Document d’orientation des mesures générales de santé publique pendant la récupération de COVID-19” complet, selon la province du Nouveau-Brunswick
While we are pleased that our sport is part of the initial services to be re-opened in Phase 1 of the provinces’ plan, the re-opening of services remains a fluid situation with a number of details yet to come.
Golf NB is currently in consultation with the Province of New Brunswick, our member clubs, and partner associations to ensure the health and safety of players and staff remains a top priority as golf courses in our province open in the upcoming weeks.
Please stay connected to our social media channels and website for more information regarding the opening of golf courses for the 2020 season.
]]>
Golf courses named in phase one of Saskatchewan "re-open"
AUG 25 - Action at the Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur Championship from Wascana Country Club in Regina, Saskatchewan
“non-allowable” businesses and told to close. No courses were open to play but several across Saskatchewan closed their year-round restaurants or banquet services due to the spread of the virus. Moe said during the announcement the government is trying to find balance of health and safety.
“We have to find the middle ground that continues to keep our case numbers low and keep Saskatchewan people safe while at the same time allowing for businesses to reopen and Saskatchewan people to get back to work,” Moe said.
Every province across Canada had shut down golf except British Columbia. Courses could use their own discretion. The clubs were allowing play with conditions regarding social distancing and other measures, the same will be for Saskatchewan.
Courses will need to adhere to these mandates:
Physical distancing
One person to a cart (walking encouraged)
Raised cups with flags in
No walk-ons, all players must have tee times
Tee times 20 minutes apart
Rakes and ball washers removed
Public washrooms will be closed
Driving ranges and putting greens closed
Locker rooms closed
The Government of Saskatchewan has their five phase plan laid out here and distributed a “Re-Open Plan.” More golf course guidelines can be found on page 35.
Courses will need to keep their restaurants closed for seating, curbside pickup will be allowed. Eating and licensed establishments such as clubhouses are included in phase 3 of the reopen plan but no date was given. Public gatherings are still restricted to under 10.
Golf Saskatchewan, as part of the allied golf associations, has been working with the government (Canadian Society of Club Managers – Saskatchewan Branch, National Golf Course Owners Association Canada – Prairie Chapter, Professional Golfers Association of Canada – Saskatchewan Zone, and Saskatchewan Turfgrass Association) with the hopes of reopening the sport of golf safely during the pandemic. Golf Saskatchewan executive director Brian Lee said he’s pleased the announcement, but safety is still top priority for the people of the province.
“We are pleased with the outcome of today’s announcements. The Government of Saskatchewan’s Business Response Team was great to work with during the lead up to the announcement today. The allied golf associations look forward to working with the Government of Saskatchewan in the days ahead to ensure the health and safety of all the stakeholders and participants as our sport reopens, under the COVID-19 procedures and guidelines,” Lee stated.
Golf Saskatchewan’s provincial championship schedule has not been modified as of today, but will review our procedures and rules for our events in the coming days and weeks. The start of the official season was April 15, scoring for the new World Handicap System will begin when courses open.
Parks and campgrounds will be open on June 1.
Click here to view Golf Canada’s COVID-19 Resource Page.
Woods, Mickelson to stage charity match with Brady, Manning
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 20: Tiger Woods speaks with the media alongside Phil Mickelson during a press conference before The Match at Shadow Creek Golf Course on November 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images for The Match)
After feeling the sting of defeat the first time around, Looks like @TigerWoods is bringing a ringer to The Match (#PeytonManning).
I’m bringing a ? @TomBrady – Ready to hit ?’s? https://t.co/ilaqS05QQs
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 22, 2020
Turner said all donations and fundraising from “The Match: Champions for Charity” would benefit relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event will be televised on TNT, with social and digital content leading up and during the event available through Bleacher Report and House of Highlights.
The first match over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2018 was supposed to be pay-per-view, except that technical difficulties allowed everyone to watch.
It lacked some of wild bets both players had teased, and the trash talking was forced at times. Mickelson ended up winning the $9 million winner-take-all purse in a wedge contest under the lights when the matched ended in a tie.
Live golf was last seen on television March 12, the first round of The Players Championship as developments with the new coronavirus accelerated at such a rate that sports began shutting down.
The PGA Tour first decided not to have fans at the TPC Sawgrass, then cancelled its premier event, and then began cancelling or postponing all tournaments across each of its tours.
Woods was not at The Players. The defending Masters champion has not played since he finished last in his Genesis Invitational at Riviera on Feb. 16. Saying his back did not feel ready, Woods chose not to play the Mexico Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
Woods and Manning have played together in pro-ams on the PGA Tour.
The Palm Beach Post has reported that Brady, who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has joined fabled Seminole Golf Club in south Florida.]]>
Reactions to the cancellation of the 2020 RBC Canadian Open
TORONTO – The 2020 RBC Canadian Open, one of the jewels of the country’s sports calendar, has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PGA Tour announced the cancellation of the tournament on Thursday as part of its revamped 2020 schedule. The four-day competition was scheduled to begin June 11 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto.
Golf Canada and its partners are now in negotiations to use the same venue for the 2021 edition of Canada’s men’s golf championship.
“Overwhelming disappointment for our fans and disappointment for golf in Canada because the RBC Canadian Open has been such a celebration and such a high point for so many of us,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “We’ve been dealing with the scenarios and the prospect of this for some time but the obstacles were just so numerous and from so many directions.”
The Canadian Open, first contested in 1904, is the third-oldest continuously running tournament on the PGA Tour behind the British Open and the U.S. Open.
It’s the first time the tournament has been cancelled since 1944, when it missed a second straight year due to the Second World War. It was also scrapped from 1915-18 because of the First World War.
“We were set to celebrate our 125th anniversary for Golf Canada,” said Applebaum. “When you think about other reasons why it was cancelled, for the World Wars, it’s similar.
“Right now we’re under a federal quarantine act, and both a provincial and city state of emergency. It’s a global pandemic.”
The Canadian Open is the latest major annual late spring or summer sporting event in Canada to be wiped out or postponed because of COVID-19. The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and the Queen’s Plate in Toronto will not run on their scheduled June dates, while the Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament in Montreal, scheduled for August, will not be held in 2020.
The CP Women’s Open is still on the LPGA Tour schedule. It’s slated for Sept. 3-6 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.
Although the Canadian Open has been cancelled, the PGA Tour hopes to resume play this summer.
It laid out an ambitious plan to resume its season Thursday, starting at Colonial on June 11-14 in a televised event with no fans in attendance.
Under the PGA Tour’s new plan RBC, the Canadian Open’s title sponsor, would have its other event the RBC Heritage played without fans in late June.
“It is a bittersweet day for us as the sponsor of two tournaments. In a perfect world, both tournaments would be proceeding, ”said Mary DePaoli, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of RBC.
“We held out hope all the way, to the end, but the international travel restrictions, the quarantine measures that we’re all familiar with, and government mandates at so many levels were critical factors because we have to ensure the safety and the health of anyone participating in our tournaments.”
A cancellation seemed increasingly likely in recent weeks as the pandemic worsened. Three regional qualification tournaments set for mid-May were cancelled last month.
Also, the City of Toronto had cancelled its permits for all public gatherings up until June 30.
The edict didn’t apply to sporting events held on private property – like MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, the NBA’s Raptors and NHL’s Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, or the Canadian Open itself at St. George’s in the city’s west end.
However, city co-operation would have been necessary for parking and transit. The city’s edict also cancelled a two-night concert series planned for tournament week as The Chainsmokers and Keith Urban were going to perform at nearby Richview Collegiate Institute.
Although Golf Canada and RBC are already planning the 2021 Canadian Open, DePaoli says the fate of the concert series is still to be determined.
“We will make a decision on the inclusion of a concert series once we understand government mandates around physical distancing,” she said. “Our decision will start with what is permitted and what will society accept by way of gatherings.”
How this cancellation will affect the tournament’s long-term schedule is not yet known, although St. George’s was tentatively scheduled to host the Canadian Open again in 2024.
Applebaum says he’s especially disappointed for the PGA Tour’s Canadian golfers who enjoy the added support of playing on home soil.
“Obviously it’s not an easy decision and there’s very valid reasons for things getting cancelled or postponed,” said golfer Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., before the Canadian Open was officially cancelled. “It’s an event that I’ve been looking forward to all year, really.
“It’s so much fun to play in front of the Canadian fans, the support’s incredible at the RBC Canadian Open.”]]>
