My Head and Heart Argument

I have a head and heart argument going on here! As a keen golfer, I want to get out and play golf as soon as possible. As someone who had worked hard this last decade to make golf a more inclusive sport, dispelling the stuffy old men on the tee casting nasty little quips vision. Traditionally golf has been seen as an elitist sport, it’s taken many years of chipping away by myself and many others in the industry to change this perception, for all golfers. And the tide is slowly turning. Come the 29th March golf is in the first tranche of sports being listed as acceptable to be played. And whilst I completely understand the health benefits of playing golf, both mentally and physically, this desire to keep putting golf under a different umbrella is wearing a bit thin. We are trying to encourage all people in to golf, by keeping the doors open for all to get involved in the future and stop making news by trying to buck the system I, like most golfers, want to play golf. We have a way forward now, a careful considered pathway to not only protect our NHS, ourselves, our golf and our nation, but to give us something to look forward to. Lets embrace this news and start planning for a better, longer future. After all, we’ve (hopefully) been through the worst. I for one don’t want the country to open up too quickly, as it did last time, only to be taken straight back into lockdown later in the year. The punchy government advert on television saying ‘look into my eyes - are you doing your bit’ I honestly cannot say that I have 100% of the time. It is almost impossible to do this. Too many shoppers crowding around, too many people not listening to their symptoms, too many people walking in crowded parks and more recently a group of golfers being tweeted about being seen playing on the putting green. The minority spoiling it for the majority. I appreciate it is not what most golfers will want to hear, but a little more patience is required here. And a huge amount of hope that by letting the English government guide us, we can manage this together. There is naturally no accounting for new mutations of this vile disease, we can only manage it by doing our bit - as we have been asked to do. Golf is special. It is special to each golfer. Just as cycling is to a cyclist. Just as fishing is to fishermen. But golf shouldn’t be seen as elitist. That, to me, is going backwards. I did this slot with BBC Sports at 1830 last night 22nd February, after the roadmap was released by Boris Johnson.