Amidst the drama and excitement of getting back out there, you may have forgotten about your gear – but there are some very important adjustments to make and guidelines you need to follow.
Hannah Holden, Equipment and Instruction Editor at National Club Golfer, has laid out some guidelines to make sure you don’t find yourself in a spot of bother.
Golf equipment vs Covid: Clubs
Do not even touch other players’ clubs. Simple as that.
We’ve all been in that situation where we’re playing a friendly round and borrowed a putter because we left our own in our bag after finding trouble near a green. Just don’t.
Stick to your own and keep them clean. (I know you’ve got a stash of anti bacterial wipes at home already so you might as well make use of them.)
Golf equipment vs Covid: Balls
Same rules. Touch your own and no one else’s.
Don’t leave yourself in a situation where you would need to even think about touching someone else’s golf balls.
Found a Pro V1 in the woods? Great! Well, any other time it would be. Leave it there.
So make sure you have plenty of balls in your bag because the rough is going to be a bit thicker than normal. Why not use this as an opportunity to treat yourself to some new balls? It’s up to you if you’d rather look for a Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway or Srixon in the trees…
Golf equipment vs Covid: Tees
I know it’s tempting, particularly on a par-3, to grab a broken tee left on the tee box and use that. But that needs to stop. You have no idea who has touched them.
In fact, while we are on this point, just don’t leave broken tees on the ground full stop. Take them with you and put them in the bin when you get home.
Don’t worry if your stock is running low, you can buy shed loads of wooden tees for next to nothing.
Or, if you want to be more environmentally friendly, why not give these 100% sustainable bamboo tees from Ocean Tee a try?
Golf equipment vs Covid: Trolleys
It seems that hire trolleys will remain off-limits for the foreseeable future so maybe now is time to upgrade to one of your own?
There are plenty of impressive options from both Motocaddy and PowaKaddy.
If you need to buy one, I really like the Motocaddy M3, which starts from £749.99, and the compact Powakaddy CT6, from £649.99. Both brands have impressive push model options, too.
If they’re a bit out of your price range and want something simple, try the Masters 1 Series, which will give you change from £40.
Golf equipment vs Covid: Rakes
OK, not something you’d normally have in your bag but England Golf have already stated all rakes are to be removed from the course.
If you want to play your part in keeping the course neat, why not add one into your own setup? You can get full rakes for next to nothing in the supermarket and Amazon has one you can attach to the end of your club.
But remember, as with everything else, don’t let anyone else touch your rake.
Golf equipment vs Covid: Anything else?
Other items that won’t be available include ball cleaners so my advice would be to carry a damp towel or flannel on your bag.
Also, remember all bins have to be removed from the course or covered and not used so make sure you take a bag of some sort to stash your rubbish while you play.
And don’t touch the flagsticks!
Enjoy your round. And remember: Play Safe, Stay Safe.
