Here’s an offer that’s fit for a tee: Free golf for front-line workers.
Following discussions with its membership, the Carleton Golf and Yacht Club in Manotick has reserved free Sunday afternoon tee times for those who have worked closest to the action to keep the population safe during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Health care workers including paramedics, hospital staff, employees in long-term care and assisted living facilities, along with those employed with police and fire departments and in Covid-19 testing laboratories, are all eligible.
The policy, with the course open to front-line workers from 1-3 p.m. on Sundays, begins June 14 and extends through the end of August. Advanced booking with the club’s pro shop is required.
“We’ve worked on finalizing the details for the past couple of weeks,” Carleton head professional Gord Percy said in a telephone interview Monday.
“We have a lot of members who work, or have worked, in various first responders’ departments. It was clear the club wanted to offer something to help.”
Percy says the neighborhood surrounding the golf club – a private facility 45 kilometers south of downtown Ottawa – includes many front-line workers who would be in position to take advantage of the opportunity to relieve some stress on the greens.
“A lot of people near here work with the police department or the fire department or in hospitals and we just thought it was an idea to help give back.”
According to Percy, the response from the club membership has been “positive, really positive.”
Percy says Carleton membership has been supportive of larger causes in the past. Typically, golfers have bought into the Red Friday movement, wearing that colour in tribute to the military.
In general, there has been a rush back to the fairways ever since golf courses in Ontario were officially opened midway through May as part of the first stage of the government’s re-opening plan.
“We opened on May 16 and our tee sheets have been full,” said Percy. “We’ve never seen anything like this. We’re booked solid for 12 hours most days.”
Depending on the response to the offer, Carleton is open to making changes to the hours of the free golf for front line workers policy.
