Coronavirus: Wales Golf urges Welsh Government to lift restrictions

Llanymynech Golf Club, which sits on the border, has 15 holes in Wales and three in England

Wales Golf has urged the Welsh Government to lift a ban on playing the sport as the country battles Covid-19.

Under level four rules in Wales, golf clubs have closed.

The sport's governing body says Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford should allow golf to be played, as is the case in England and Scotland.

An open letter states: "As an outdoor sport with detailed safety protocols in place it offers an ideal opportunity for participants to exercise safely."

However, the Welsh Government says golf clubs, like other sport leisure facilities, will stay closed to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

"We moved into alert level four in the face of worrying new information about the fast-moving mutated strain of the virus which is circulating in Wales and evidence of sustained pressure on our NHS," a Welsh Government spokesperson said.

"At alert level four everyone should stay at home and most businesses and premises are closed. This includes golf clubs and other sport leisure facilities to reduce social mixing."

After the first lockdown in Wales, which began in March, restrictions on golf clubs started being lifted in May.

But under rules brought in to combat a new variant of coronavirus that "can be found in every part of Wales", golf is suspended.

In the open letter, Wales Golf chief executive Richard Dixon wrote: "I recognise that at this incredibly difficult time you are faced with many challenging decisions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"However, I write to request that you reconsider the closure of golf courses under the level four restrictions which came into force in Wales on 20 December.

"Wales Golf worked extensively with the rest of the industry and the Welsh Government last summer to establish a set of protocols which would allow the safe resumption of the sport.

"We were delighted that as a result of this work golf was one of the first sports in Wales to resume once restrictions were relaxed.

"Golf clubs across Wales have fully lived up to the requirements placed upon them to enable players in Wales to play their sport in a safe environment."

Dixon added: "It is notable that both the UK and Scottish governments, recognising the benefits described above, will allow golf courses to remain open under their own tier four restrictions."