Golf is one of those rare sports that can once again be played outdoors. In Ariège, many players are taking advantage of the good weather to play a few games since last weekend. Report at the Unjat ecogolf.
An air of recovery blows over the Ariège eco-golf course, at the Bastide-de-Sérou. The parking lot is crowded with cars. In front of the reception building, a group of friends is posed and discusses after their game, while respecting the distancing measures. “It was time !” Relieved, Jérôme is happy to come back here. But he still does not understand why golf was banned during this lockdown. “I find it hard to grasp the interest of not being able to play sports. Here, we are in the open air, we stay far from each other.”
Confirmed player, this fifty-year-old went four times a week to the Ecogolf Ariège-Pyrénées, before confinement. A habit that he intends to resume. “It’s important to maintain a social bond with your friends. We’ll see how it goes, but I came all the weekend of reopening. Strangely, despite a month without practice, the recovery went well “, he explains.
Bis repetita for Nathalie. She practiced this sport twice a week. Habits are back at a gallop. “Finding the ground is good. We hope that the situation will continue in this direction. I intend to come back here regularly, as before.”
The first weekend, between Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, the golf course welcomed around 110 people out of its 370 members. “People needed to let off steam,” said the president of the Ariège Golf Club, Jean-Alain Rives.
However, he was forced to deal with the health crisis. “We have made adjustments to limit contact as much as possible. For example, when a bullet falls into a hole, there is a mechanism that will make it go up on its own. At least no one touches the hole which is surely the hole. most affected place during a game. “
Hydroalcoholic gel is also given to each player. “The other important point to underline is the launch of the parties which was delayed by ten minutes between each of them,” he said.
During confinement, apart from the gardeners, the employees of the SME were on partial unemployment. This was the case with Valérie, back at reception since last Saturday.
The 3 hour trip is not enough
“It feels good to come back here. We finally miss work after a while,” she said happily. However, she felt a disappointment among some members … “They regret the 3 hours out.”
Indeed, Jean-Alain Rives had to halve the parties to comply with the new government measures. “Golfers can start from the beginning or from the end. On our course there are 18 holes. Once they have passed nine points the game must end.”
A real problem for most of the fans: “Obviously it’s already good to be able to play. We hope that this will change with the other reliefs within 15 days”, underlines Jérôme.
Christian is of the same opinion: “There is a feeling of frustration. We understand, of course, that we must respect the sanitary rules. But three hours, it goes too quickly.” Despite everything, attendance is picking up its pace, as it should in the Ecogolf Ariège-Pyrénées.
