01 Jul 2020 | Participation |
COVID-19 Coaching Guidelines
by Golf Australia
As the federal and state governments implement their respective staged approaches to returning to normal life in this COVID environment, both Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia have provided the following coaching guidelines for centres to utilise throughout the easing of restrictions.
These guidelines are recommended for centres running both our junior introductory program MyGolf, and our adult introductory program Get Into Golf.
General Hygiene
Staff and volunteers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments and should display a heightened regard for the sanitation of surfaces. Clubs and facilities can implement changes to regular operations to reduce the risk of COVID-19. These include, but are not limited to the following:
Placing social distancing signage around the clubhouse along with hand sanitisers
Sanitising clubs and equipment before and after use
Remove cash transactions and encourage parent/guardians to register online or via card facilities at the club
Remove small pins from practice putting greens
No hand shaking
Please note, that if clubs/facilities are not confident in ensuring adherence to COVID-19 hygiene principles then consideration should be given to not offering these options to participants. All coaching is to take place outdoors. It is important to avoid direct contact, using alignment sticks or other equipment for re-alignment.
Participant Numbers
Each centre must align with their state or territory government restrictions as to the maximum number of participants permitted per program, including the deliverer. The Australian Institute of Sport have stated that community sport and recreation activities should limit parents/guardians present to the minimum required to support the participants and observe social distancing guidelines of 1.5 metres per person.
Management of Those Unwell
As per government health guidelines, clubs and facilities are encouraged to advise participants and parent/guardians that they must not visit the golf facility if experiencing any cold, flu or fever type symptoms. Additionally, we recommend that these persons should seek to get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Access
Participants should arrive to the facility no more than 10 minutes prior to the lesson. It is recommended for participants to remain in (or next to) their cars until close to the starting time of the lesson. Upon arrival, participants should be directed to a meeting area whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines. At the conclusion of the lesson, participants should depart the facility as soon as possible.
Golf
Golf is a sport that lends itself naturally to social distancing, with players rarely within 1.5 metres of each other, and low density over a larger playing surface than most other sports. The sport is uniquely positioned to be played during times of social distancing and is set up well to cater for all government requirements through the COVID-19 period. It is important that guidelines continue to be followed to ensure our sport can continue to be played during the COVID-19 recovery period.
Quick Guidelines
Check state policies as to the number of participants permitted per program (see under resources heading below)
Provide hand sanitiser (or soap and running water) for participants
Avoid direct contact, using alignment sticks or other equipment if necessary
Participants to bring their own clubs or sanitize clubs between uses
1.5m distance between each participant and deliverers
Participants to arrive as close to the lesson time as possible
No hand shaking
Participants to tee up own golf balls
Either set up payment online or directly at the facility – no cash
Provide access via automatic doors if possible/required
Encourage participants to not attend if feeling unwell
All coaching to take place outdoors
Important Resources
State and territory coronavirus advice
Posters