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In the second in our series with Ireland’s sports leaders, Mark Kennelly, CEO of Golf Ireland, discusses the challenges posed by the current crisis and the opportunity presented by the return of the game on May 18.
What was the time when you realized this was challenging on a completely different scale?
We made increasing sense in monitoring the international situation until February. Then the first case in Ireland occurred on February 29, so we were thinking about the kind of measures that should be in place in golf to ensure that it could continue safely.
On March 11, we sent advice to our clubs to change the way they handled themselves at the club level to ensure public safety and apply appropriate health measures. Then on March 24th, before full closure was implemented in Ireland, we advised our clubs to close. So we had been preparing for severe restrictions at least until February and March when it became clear that this was turning into a pandemic.
Has anything in your past professional experience been helpful in dealing with this?
Nothing can be compared to a pandemic. A hundred years have passed since we have had something on this scale in the world. I am relatively new to the sport. I just started here at the end of last year. Before that, I worked in the government and would have worked in crisis management for several years, including the economic and banking crisis of a decade ago. I don’t think anyone can say that they have experienced something on the scale that the world is experiencing now. ”
How serious do you think the financial losses will be for your organization and your sport?
It’s too soon to say that. Much depends on the trajectory of the disease in the coming weeks. If the current government’s roadmap can be met, then we have a good idea of when the various sectors can return to normal, or something like that. We surveyed all of our clubs in April to try to get an estimate of the financial impact on them. When we put all that together, it indicated a loss of about € 65 million, which is very substantial and probably quite conservative.
We had estimated that on the basis of a ten-week lockout, but it appears that the clubs’ income generating activities will be blocked for just over ten weeks. So while golf will return on May 18, the revenue generating elements will be a little later. For example, the income of visitors, the fees of society, the income of bars and restaurants, all that is far away.
It is not exclusive to golf, but it is very pronounced in golf, as the blockade occurred at the worst possible time because it was the beginning of the playing season and the time of year when clubs start to generate income through companies, member subscriptions and the like. . Then all that stopped.
Golf visitors from abroad generate green fee income of more than 20 million euros for golf clubs, so the prudent approach is to assume that this will not happen this year. If we are realistic, the possibility of international golf happening this year is very remote. We are seeing an overall decrease in green fee revenue of approximately € 30 million and golf tourism also has a huge multiplier effect in the tourism sector. All of that is also effectively gone.
How have the government helped and oriented the crisis?
The government has maintained close contact with sports organizations. Minister Brendan Griffin and his department, and Sport Ireland, have been in contact weekly, if not more frequently, to assess the impact and support us. Public funding for sport, although Sport Ireland has continued, that has not been reduced. That is all very welcome. I know that when the time is right, the Minister and Sport Ireland will make a presentation to the government to rebuild the sport when all this is over and we hope that golf is part of that. We welcome the roadmap released last week, not only with what it means for golf, but also for other sports that can start gradually. It is an acknowledgment of the mental health benefits of sport and we are very fortunate in golf to be among the first to return.
How would you rate morale among your members?
We have to be realistic. The figures I have given tell the story of the huge financial impact and that is very worrying for golf clubs. We keep in close contact with them and the survey we did was quite detailed. Golf clubs are very resistant. The fact that golfers can return to restricted play in their clubs as soon as will help morale. Our members play because they love the game. That does not hide the broader impact it has had on our sport and we will have to work to repair it. ”
Some golf courses have already closed forever. Is it inevitable that more will follow their example?
I hope it is not inevitable. It is a very small number of clubs that have announced their closure. I don’t think any of them are due solely to the COVID-19 pandemic, although that has worsened the situation for all clubs. Club support is a very important part of what we do as a national governing body. We will work to help clubs navigate rough waters in the near future and hope that there will be some support from the government in rebuilding sport and society. I don’t think it’s inevitable that we lose more clubs and we don’t want to.
Do you see a foreign model in your sport or in another place that can be applied here?
We are part of many international golf networks. We work closely with Royal & Ancient, which is the world governing body. We work closely with the National Governing Bodies in England, Scotland and Wales, so we would be in almost daily contact with those bodies. We are also in close contact with the European Golf Association and have already learned the types of procedures and measures that other bodies have implemented to facilitate the safe resumption of golf elsewhere. Since golf here is likely to resume before other countries, we will share that experience in return.
What is the prospect for the return of competitive golf at the national level, both in in-house clubs and in larger GUI events?
Although we have not finalized our protocols for the return of golf on May 18, we have indicated that we will advise clubs not to organize internal competitions in the early stages. That is simply because we do not want a large congregation of players at certain times in clubs and that is what usually happens. Saturday and Sunday competitions tend to attract large numbers of people that way. Part of our protocol will establish how golf restrictions will be eased over time along with the government’s roadmap.
We would see a return to internal club competition that happens fairly quickly, not in Phase One, but very soon after. In terms of inter-club, it will be later in the summer. It may be a little later than what would normally happen, as long as the reduction of the restrictions occurs in the way that the government has established. We would certainly see the scope for inter-club competitions later in the summer and perhaps through the fall. As things stand, people won’t be able to travel more than 20 kilometers until July 20. After that we are quite optimistic.
How likely are we to see an Irish Open played this year?
We are not directly involved in the execution of the Irish Open, but, from what I understand, the European Tour, because it is one of the Rolex Series events, we hope to reschedule it for later in the year. As I understand it, that commitment remains. I have not heard any concrete proposal or time for that, but it is very difficult to see how it could happen on the basis that we all know and love with the assistance of 20,000 people a day. I’m not sure if that is realistic in the fall. I hope it is proven wrong, but perhaps they hope to keep it more restrictive. When you enter autumn, daylight becomes a problem and becomes more challenging compared to the original date in late May.
What is your message to your members / clubs / units right now?
Our primary message to our members is to continue to place public health above all else, but also to enjoy the opportunity given to them to resume golf in their own clubs and in a safe and responsible manner. Having the privilege of being one of the first sports to resume also places a great responsibility on golf to show how the sport in general can be organized and executed in a way that protects public health. We absolutely believe that this can and will be done ”.
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