Future of local golf competition depends on Golf NSW update

The course is currently open, while the clubhouse is closed, and for the time being competitions are allowed to run.

But club treasurer Hal Rikard-Bell said the committee is currently expecting a statement from Golf NSW about the future of its regular competitions.

"The competition could probably go either way," Rikard-Bell said.

"If it did continue, competition would probably have to be played in pairs to meet the social distancing requirements.

"We're uncertain of that at the moment because we need a directive from Golf NSW."

Last Saturday's was the first competition to be played at the club since the new coronavirus restrictions came into play.

These restrictions were developed by Golf Australia, and include:

Rikard-Bell said the club was unsure what to expect in terms of turnout ahead of the competition, which ended up being modestly attended.

"We weren't sure how that would go, we thought it could go either way," he said.

"It could've been a big field because everyone was desperate to get out, or it could've been a small field because a lot of people were going 'I really shouldn't be out with people'.

"And [lower numbers was] the way it seemed to play out on Saturday."

As the numbers have decreased in the only competition since the lockdown, Rikard-Bell said he would not be surprised to see Golf NSW prohibit them, as Golf Victoria did.

"New South Wales and Victoria seem to be fairly similar in their approaches," he said.

The other contributing factor to the lower numbers, Rikard-Bell suspected, was the closure of the clubhouse.

As all indoor pubs, sporting areas, and community facilities have been forced to close since March 26, the clubhouse has not been open to patrons and has instead been providing takeaway food only.

Due to this restriction, "a lot of the social aspect for people probably isn't there anymore", Rikard-Bell said.

Should the competitions also be cancelled for the foreseeable future, he expects the course to remain open to those playing social golf, though there will likely be restrictions on playing numbers.

The precautions taken to protect the community against the coronavirus by Golf NSW and Golf Australia have been "pretty reasonable", Rikard-Bell said.

"I think Golf NSW have done a good job to date. There's been lots of communication and regular updates, so I can't complain about they've handled it."

The safety measures, he added, were particularly important considering the vulnerability of a small town like Crookwell with limited medical resources.

"Obviously, if it gets into a community like ours it'd be terrible, because we don't have the resources to treat the serious cases," he said.

Further updates will be posted to the Crookwell Golf Club's Facebook page.