30 August 2021
To: All Golf Clubs, Courses and Facilities
CC: District Associations
Good afternoon all,
Golf and Alert Level 3 – Guidelines Not Yet Confirmed
The Prime Minister has confirmed this afternoon that all of New Zealand (south of Auckland) will move to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 August 2021.
Post this announcement today, the government has advised the updated guidelines for sport and recreation at Alert Level 3 will be confirmed overnight tonight. We will then be advised of what this means for golf on Tuesday morning. We were expecting earlier advice but we will now have nothing until tomorrow.
Indications are that the regulations will be similar to the last time we were at Alert Level 3 however as per our last advice, this is still to be confirmed and there may be changes. We advise golf clubs to plan with caution for any golfing activity at Alert Level 3.
As soon as we have the updated rules from the government we will immediately be in touch with all clubs and facilities.
Golf and Alert Level 4 - Reminder
The Prime Minister has announced this afternoon that the Auckland region will remain at Alert Level 4 for at least two more weeks and Northland will be at Alert Level 4 for at least a few more days.
At Alert Level 4, the implications for golf remain:
- All golf club facilities are to remain closed.
- All golf courses are to remain closed for the playing of golf.
- Only essential golf course maintenance can be undertaken.
The specific rules for Sport and Recreation at Alert Level 4 can viewed at this link: https://sportnz.org.nz/covid-19-response/alert-level-information/
Essential Turf Maintenance – Reminder
At Alert Level 3 and 4, golf course maintenance can be undertaken for minimum operations necessary to maintain condition or value. This directive is under the Government’s Workplace Guidelines as published at https://www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/operating-at-alert-levels
Where essential maintenance is undertaken, a golf course must:
- Minimise, or eliminate if possible, physical interactions among staff.
- Ensure appropriate health, hygiene and safety measures are in place.
- Restrict activity to only what is essential during the Alert Level 4 period.
If you have any queries please be in touch.
Nga mihi,
Dean Murphy
Chief Executive
Golf New Zealand
www.golf.co.nz