When will golf be returning? Experts offer hope

But is good news for golfers just around the corner?

Well, the answer to that is, 'hopefully', with Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to share a "roadmap" in the coming weeks to outline the steps that will take England out of the present state of lockdown.

Cretingham golf course, in Suffolk (Image: Archant)

The case has been made for golf in recent days by England Golf and the All-Parliamentary Group for Golf, which updated its COVID-19 Secure Golf in the United Kingdom paper, submitting the letter to the PM, and the Chief Medical Officers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Featuring input from epidemiologist and Principal Advisor on Physical Activity for Health to the four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers, Professor Charlie Foster, and Chief Medical Officer to the European Tour, Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Andrew Murray, the paper promotes the steps taken by the golf industry to deliver a safe sport, while also demonstrating the academic and scientific research on the benefits to physical and mental health.

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Professor Foster said: “As the paper shows, golf can be played safely, and it should have a central role in the government’s thinking when it comes to helping people exercise now and as we come out of pandemic restrictions.

“I have therefore recommended that an expert in physical activity join the SAGE advisory group to ensure there is consistency across the sciences represented within it, and to provide advice on allowing physical activity to return as restrictions are reduced.”

Hopefully golf will be one of the first sports to return to some sort of normality as lockdown eases.