Good day,
We hope this finds you healthy and happy during this unprecedented time. Covid-19 is causing us all to pause and reflect. We wanted to take the time to reach out, and to communicate a few key issues with you.
With the golf season rapidly approaching and the hope of spring around the corner, (anytime now!) many of you are wondering what the situation with Covid-19 means for our industry.
First and foremost, we want to assure you that your health and well-being and that of your staff and the public is of paramount importance to us. It is top of mind now and will remain so as we go forward together adjusting as circumstances warrant.
We are recommending that we all take serious precautions and establish new protocol as we prepare for what we hope will be another terrific golf season.
We have consulted industry experts, health officials, and courses currently open in Canada and the U.S. who have been perfecting processes, under the current health situation. We are also following the rules put in place by the Alberta Government and Alberta Health Services. After all of this, we have come up with some best practices to put in place which we hope will position us well.
Physical distancing is a must as we allow Albertans to come out and enjoy the game they love, while enhancing their physical and mental well-being from being in the great outdoors.
We will be releasing a comprehensive document in the days ahead which will include all suggested new measures to put in place. Here are a few for your review now:
- All staff handling cash or credit cards must wear protective gloves during all transactions.
- Encourage golfers and staff to replace handshakes with other touch-less forms of greeting.
- Do not permit the removal of flags when on the green so as not to encourage the spread of virus.
- Spacing out of tee times, no renting clubs or pull carts. When it comes to power carts, it will be one rider per cart unless two players arrive at the golf course in the same vehicle.
- All food/beverage sit down facilities closed.
There are several other measures we are recommending you put in place. The Alberta Government is presently recognizing the importance of our physical and mental well-being by allowing us to open with these new rules. Our open dialogue with the Provincial Government will continue and we will share any new information as it is received.
We want to do our part, to go above and beyond, to keep the sport as safe as possible while allowing for the enjoyment and love of the game experienced by so many Albertans.
We want you to know that we are here for you during this time. We will help assist you with any questions you may have. We have hired a communications team to help guide us through what truly is an unprecedented period. Send us an email if you have questions.
In short, we are going to get this right.
The physical and mental health of Albertans is important. Getting out to play golf is a great way to maintain that. We will be safe and we recommend following these new measures to ensure safety for all.
Our economy in Alberta is facing tremendous head winds. Let’s make sure we follow the rules so we can help be part of the solution and allow for some normalcy through this time. There are 42 thousand employees in Alberta who make their living from this industry and we proudly generate 2.4 billion annually to the Alberta economy.
We have a communications team in place to help with media inquiries and to assist where needed. We are also keeping our National bodies informed as we are all in this together - we shall emerge stronger and more viable than ever. As things are evolving daily, we will continue to keep you updated and send out information as needed.
Sincerely,
