Golfers back on course in Todmorden but sport not quite in full swing yet

Only two players are allowed per round, while government guidelines on social distancing and hygiene are being adhered to.

Andy Wade, who is Rabbits Captain at the club, said: “We’ve stuck very carefully to the government guidelines.

“We’re not touching the flags, the holes have a little shelf so you don’t have to put your hand right in the hole, you mark your own card. So golf is a non-contact sport in many ways.

“It’s been very busy. Not only is it a game our members love but on the back of having to be indoors, it’s very healthy for the mind.

“The fact you can get outside in the open, we’ve had members out there throughout the day.

“But people have to book through our booking system so people can’t just turn up.”

When asked how long he foresees the current restrictions being in place, Andy said: “You take your lead from other countries, for example Ireland, who were the first to open their courses when restrictions were eased.

“In different countries, there’s different conditions, so you also take your steer from Golf England to make sure everything’s as safe as possible.

“We’d normally play competitions, three balls and four balls, which we can play with two theoretically, but for the moment we’re just happy to get everyone back playing and we’ll see what happens.

“We’ve had a lot of enquiries from non-members, and we are very much open to non-members playing. We’re very inclusive.
“I think a lot of people want to get out and exercise at the moment, and a lot of people have been coming to golf courses around the area.

“Unfortunately we’ve had to turn them away because we’ve had to keep to the rules but we would like to see non-members keep inquiring and when the restrictions are relaxed, we’d love them to come and play.”