Woolton Golf Club
COVID 19: Woolton Golf Club members and staff update
March 17th, 2020
Please remember, above all else at this time, we are concerned about the folks who are our members and staff. Should anyone feel unwell and believe they need to isolate themselves please remember that we are all here to help, that’s what being a club member means. Call the office and we will make sure you are supported – whatever we can do. All the Board (and we suspect all the members) will help out with whatever needs doing to support members in this situation.
The Board are continuing to monitor and assess the large volume of information being published daily by HM Government and the NHS in relation to the COVID-19 virus. We are also reviewing information from England Golf and the PGA, as well as other local clubs.
Clearly we want to do all we can:
To maintain the safety of all our members and staff
To support the government in trying to reduce the rate of spread of the virus
Within the constraints of (1) and (2) – continue to allow members to get out on the course and play the game they love.
We held a Board meeting on Monday evening (16th March) specifically to review the current position and to agree some temporary guidelines for members and staff to support 1-3 above.
A: General
It is essential that if you feel unwell or have any of the symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus you must stay away from the club and follow the current NHS advice. You should also contact the office so that we can complete tracking awareness documentation.
We would ask all members to think carefully before they visit the club and ensure that they have prepared and taken all appropriate measures to minimise their personal risk, and the risk to other members and our staff.
B: The Clubhouse
The clubhouse will remain open for food and drink (see below), for the office, and for locker room access. All surfaces such as door handles, taps, door touch plates, hand dryers, light switches, etc. are being cleaned down and sanitised throughout each day and overnight. We have ordered additional hand sanitisers and these will be installed throughout the clubhouse as soon as we get them.
C: Clubhouse Access
From Friday this week (20th March) the security barrier on the driveway will be opened and will remain open day and night. This will remove the need for members to key in the security number at exit.
The door to the buggy store (also on a security lock) will be opened by Dave Thompson at the start of each day and will be locked closed at the end of each day – for the same reasons.
The front door to the clubhouse will be out of use for the time being and everyone will be directed to use the back door. During competition times the back door will remain open to reduce the need for hand contact. The doors to the locker rooms will also be kept open during the daytime.
From Friday this week (20th March) the snooker room will be closed – no further games to be played. This reflects the increased risk to players touching cues, rests, and balls as part of the game.
D: Bar and Kitchen
The bar and kitchen will both remain open although the hours of operation may be restricted as events or competitions are postponed or cancelled. We will advise you further of these changes as we progress – probably with week-by-week emails and opening times on noticeboards.
The coffee machines will remain in operation; we will put hand sanitisers next to the machines for members use, and we will get staff to clean the machines as part of their enhanced cleaning rota.
For the time being we will continue to use glasses for bar drinks.
In particular we ask members to follow the guidance from HM Government on social contact and gatherings when in the bars/lounges.
E: Cashless Operations
Fortunately we are just about to implement a change that will allow all members to purchase items on the food menu, from the bar staff. They can then pay for their food using their WGC card or credit/debit card, or cash. Once this is in operation we ask that members avoid using cash as far as possible so that our staff do not have to handle the physical cash.
Similarly Dave Thompson has asked that all members be prepared to use cards to pay for items in the pro-shop – including competition entry fees.
Overall we must avoid the use of cash throughout the club.
F: Play on the Course
When playing either in competitions or socially please:
-Don’t remove flag sticks – leave in the hole
-Pick up your own ball, do not pick up your playing partners ball
-Consider carrying hand sanitiser and using during your round
-Maintain a sensible distance from your playing partners
-Don’t share equipment (as Rule 4)
-Don’t shake hands or kiss before, during, or at the conclusion of the round
-Wash your hands thoroughly when you return to the clubhouse
We will close the portable toilet at the end of the 8th green. We cannot ensure the same, enhanced level of hygiene in this facility.
All towels for use after showers will be removed from the club from Friday 20th March. Members are welcome to bring their own towels for use after showering.
G: Competitions
We will continue to schedule and play competitions – provided all players follow the instructions above (F).
For the time being we will relax the rules over withdrawing from competitions at late notice (this is currently discouraged). Should you either develop symptoms that prevent you coming to the club, or you decide you would rather avoid taking part in a competition that you have entered you may withdraw at any time. Please let Dave or one of the team in the pro-shop know if this is the case.
We are continuing to review the big scheduled events that are planned for our course this year e.g. the Captain of Captains event, the Men’s and Ladies Invitation events. Where events will involve many visitors to the club we may need to cancel or postpone nearer the time. We will advise via email and on noticeboards in the clubhouse.
From today (17th March, 2020) no cards to be entered through either the screen in the spike bar or the terminal in the ladies locker room. Please pass your cards to Dave in the pro shop and he will enter your scorecard. The Handicap team will still review the cards after they have been entered.
The Handicap committee will continually review the forthcoming competitions and will take decisions as required should we need to postpone or cancel any planned events. For now, please assume the competitions continue as scheduled.
H: Dinners and Social Events
All social events and dinners planned for March and April are to be cancelled or postponed. This includes: Race Night, Grand National Dinner, Mothers Day Sunday, and the Past Captains Dinner. Where possible we will seek to re-arrange these events for later in the year.
We will continue to offer the clubhouse for funerals, parties and other external events dependent on the clients following these guidelines.
I: Additional
As soon as the additional hand sanitisers arrive we will install one in the Artisans team room.
We will conduct team briefings with all staff to review this communication this week.
In conclusion – none of us wanted to be in this situation. After the winter we have just experienced we all wanted to be out enjoying the course and the clubhouse. We must work with the situation as it is. We wish you all well and ask that you take care.
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