That's it, it's all over.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As of Friday night Golf Australia advised, based on the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services guideline that all golf courses close until April 13, for now.
It was an announcement that had been anticipated throughout the golfing world, but also one that has far greater ripple effects to the sustainability of clubs.
Bendigo GC general manager Liam Carney said revenue had dramatically dropped and there were several ongoing expenses the club had to burden.
"It impacts clubs in a number of ways, green fees, memberships, general revenue from competitions all the way to spending money at the bar," Carney said.
"Revenue has almost now dropped to zero, but there are still outgoing costs such as machinery leases and utilities.
"We have turned off as many appliances as possible such as fridges to minimise power."
However, there was an even greater concern for Carney, the club's dedicated team of employees who keep the business operating.
"This impacts our staff, we have moved a lot of them into annual leave and we aim to use up as much of it as we can," he said.
"It's pretty hard-hitting."
The uncertainty of staff future and when courses will be able to open again has been felt at clubs across the region.
Down the road at Neangar Park GC, the club's president Phil DeAraugo said it was a "challenging time".
"People spend quite a bit of time on the course so it will definitely take some time to get used to," DeAraugo said.
"But this is a necessary measure all clubs must take and we're happy to abide by the government's guidelines."
The difficulties are the same at most clubs, as they strip back to skeleton staff to ensure the courses are maintained during the downtime.
"Our priority is to make sure there is a course for the members to come back to and all our staff understand that," DeAraugo said.
"We've put some staff on leave, they all understand what we need to do and hopefully the government wage subsidy will help take a bit of the pressure off."
Neangar Park GC has also put on hold the construction of its pitch and putt course that was in the process of being built.
"There's a hold on it for now. We are operating with skeleton staff who will work on the course to ensure sprinklers operate and there are no broken pipes etc."
Course maintenance will be one of the biggest tasks for clubs during the shutdown, with firm plans also in works at Axedale GC.
The club's secretary Owen Davies said there was a team of dedicated volunteers ready to assist.
"This is hitting a lot of clubs pretty hard at the moment," he said.
"At Axedale we have a terrific volunteer culture, where members go out to help the greenkeeper maintain our course.
"It all operates on a roster basis with no more than one or two on the course at any one time.
"We are going to solider on through it the best we can."
Regardless of the challenges ahead, he said the club had been in a strong position and had a solid start to the year, which included hosting the second annual Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am in January, won by Chris Wood.
"And on another positive note, our membership had been growing by around two per week, which unfortunately probably won't continue in the short-term as it's hard for people to commit to a membership if they can't play," Davies said.
"But when we can return to play, there are plenty of positive signs."
For many players, a round of golf represented more than just a number of strokes below or above par.
It was a sanctuary to get outdoors to clear the mind, stroll the fairways for exercise and no doubt a place to socialise.
Belvoir Park GC president Mark Perry said golf was integral to the club's members.
"It's a lifestyle for so many of our members, the Wednesday and Saturday competitions are part of their weekly routine," he said.
Despite the recommendations only coming into effect on Friday night, Belvoir had already ceased its competitions.
"We were proactive on it and we had a couple committee meetings and decided to stop holding competitions earlier than needed."
Golf Australia continues to work with clubs to provide the latest information amid the coronavirus pandemic.
