For many, golf is more than a game. It’s part of a life regime, a fixed weekly routine that not only recharges batteries but also fulfills the need to interact and socialise inherent in humankind (well, for most of us anyway).
Unfortunately, golf has once again been put on hold during the on-going Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0, in force in some states since January 23 and set to continue nationwide until February 4. Given the huge spike in Covid-19 cases over the last two months or so, it’s hard to argue a case for golf and other sports that involve people congregating at a venue to be allowed to resume … golf’s natural social distancing traits notwithstanding.
But golf sets itself apart from most other sports in that it is a multi-billion ringgit industry in itself. Doing the minimal necessary math, the golf industry provides a living for tens of thousands of Malaysians across its various segments such as golf clubs/resorts, equipment/accessories, retail/wholesale, professional golf events, corporate golf and academies/golf instruction. These in turn support businesses such as turfgrass maintenance, event management and, of course, golf media.
Lockdowns in any nation, given the unexpectedly long duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, now have to strike a balance between the need to save lives and the need to sustain livelihoods. Which is why MCO 2.0, whether one agrees with the approach or not, has been significantly more lenient than the first version enforced last March in the early days of Covid-19.
Hence the green light given to golf retailers to reopen selected outlets, thus supplementing income from online sales which is still a long way from sufficient to support companies built on a bricks-and-mortar model.
Golf clubs were, however, left out of this leeway. We know of at least one club that put in an official request to the government to be allowed to operate on a reduced capacity during the MCO, that being turned down in no uncertain terms.
As we saw during last year’s MCO 1.0 which lasted seven weeks, clubs with small membership bases and those which rely mainly or solely on walk-in business are struggling during this period of reduced revenue, burdened with the usual operating costs.
Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) vice-president Nor Afendi Mohd Razlan noted that golf clubs are in a ‘twilight zone’ of sorts when it comes to requesting for government aid.
“Golf clubs do not fall under either the Ministry of Youth & Sports or the Ministry of Tourism. Hence, we do not qualify for any financial aid or subsidies from them,” noted Afendi, who is also the club manager of Glenmarie Golf & Country Club.
Thankfully, the signs from the powers-that-be indicate that the current MCO will not be extended beyond February 4 and will be replaced by a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), similar to last year’s where golf was allowed to resume subject to various SOPs. While it’s hard to say for sure what will happen, hope springs eternal in golfers – but let’s make sure that we are 100% SOP-abiding when golf swings around again.
In the meantime, if for no other reason than as a gesture of respect to our Covid-19 frontliners, let’s accept that golf will have to take a backseat.
Borrowing the title of a hit Janet Jackson ballad from the 1980s … Let’s Wait Awhile.
