Mount Martha Public Golf Course busier than ever as players continue to scramble for tee times
Happy players have flocked back to courses across the Mornington Peninsula. They say most of the new regulations put in place under coronavirus restrictions are easy to follow — but one has them hot under the collar.
South East
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After seven long weeks golfers are back on the greens at Mount Martha.
The council-owned course was buzzing from 7am as eager early birds arrived for the first tee time.
Lindsey Cunningham hit off with his regular four at 7.17am.
“It’s great to be back,” he said.
“The start was a bit wet but I have all the gear and the sun came out eventually.”
“I’ve been practising my swing at home so I actually had a good round. We played Stableford and I got 35 points which is pretty good for me.”
The Mt Martha man, 86, has been a member at the club for about eight years.
He plays four times a week and was planning on returning later today to play another nine.
He said following the new rules had not been a challenge.
“Some changes have actually made the game easier,” he said.
“Because we can’t rake the bunkers we're allowed to smooth the sand with our foot and move the ball to a more favourable lie if needed – no one is complaining about that.”
Brothers Max and Graeme Burton were relieved they could resume their favourite pastime but warned they wouldn’t forget that Victoria was the only state to ban golf during the coronavirus lockdown.
“We’ve been growing beards in protest to Dan Andrews,” they said.
They were also disappointed they weren’t able to share a drink with their playing group once the round was complete.
“Even the chairs and tables outside have been removed so we couldn’t sit and debrief afterwards,” Graeme said.
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Mr Cunningham also questioned why drinks were off limits.
“We can now gather in groups of 10 outside so I don’t see why we couldn’t have a coffee on the deck,” he said.
The club’s golf operations manager Peter Solis said the restart had gone smoothly.
“It’s been really busy. Every tee time is booked solid which is unusual for us at this time of year,” he said.
“The players have been really good about following the new rules and except for a few gentle reminders to people we haven’t had any issues.”
He said managing the flood of bookings via phone had been challenging.
“We’re looking forward to moving into the 21st century and getting an online booking system!” he said.
NEW RULES FOR GOLFERS
* One person per cart booking.
* Bunker room and bar closed.
* Club facilities still closed.
* Play and go.
* No congregating on the deck or around other areas.
* No drinking in the car park.
* Social distancing rules apply at all times.
* No touching flag poles.
* No raking bunkers.
* No Cash Transactions.