A London-area golf course is fully booked for Saturday in defiance of Ontario lockdown: ‘We’re just doing what we think is right’

A southwestern Ontario golf course is taking a swing at the provincial government.

The owners of The Bridges at Tillsonburg - an 18-hole facility about two hours from Toronto, just south of London - have decided to defy the current stay-at-home order in the province, which includes the shuttering of golf courses and most other outdoor facilities until at least May 20. The course's tee sheet was fully booked with rounds for Saturday.

We have implemented the necessary protocols to ensure our golfers are able to play safely," the course website read on Friday afternoon. We are excited to be open and the course is in fantastic condition."

Tyler Martindale, head pro at The Bridges at Tillsonburg, confirmed Saturday's tee times were full but added he would not be involved personally with day-to-day operations until golf is allowed to reopen along with government guidelines."

Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada and the United States where golf is not currently allowed.

We're not trying to make a political statement. We're just doing what we think is right," course co-owner Murray McLaughlin told the London Free Press.

The Ontario Provincial Police, in a statement to 104.7 Heart radio in Woodstock, said golfers who defy the stay-at-home order are subject to fines starting at $750.

Twenty-six million rounds were played in Ontario in 2020, according to Golf Ontario. While contact tracing has been limited through the pandemic, Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario's executive director, says his organization is not aware of any cases of COVID-19 traced back to a golf facility. There are approximately 800 courses in the province. The Bridges of Tillsonburg is not a member of Golf Ontario.

Kelly said conversations are ongoing between the game's stakeholders and the government, adding that while he was disappointed by the province's decision to close courses, he does not condone defying government regulations.

We know golf is safe and we continue to communicate this to the proper government channels, with the goal to have them open golf courses and other recreational amenities for the mental and physical well-being of Ontarians ASAP," said Kelly. We believe these channels are the right approach, and in the meantime we encourage everyone to follow current government guidelines."

Reaction was swift, and mixed, on social media.

• More need to follow. There is (zero) reason that this shouldn't have happened (Thursday) to allow outdoor amenities to open (Friday). Ford failed once again," Pat Humphries tweeted.

• Just to be clear: This is a brazenly stupid idea which could lead to heavy fines for club and golfers, not to mention setting back the lobbying effort on-going behind the scenes," posted Rick Young, president of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.

Premier Doug Ford did not address golf specifically in his Thursday media availability, but did say the decision to include outdoor recreation among lockdown restrictions was all about mobility." He encouraged Ontarians to get exercise by biking or jogging, but then stay at home." On Friday, a Ford spokesperson reiterated that message.

Golfers across the province have been pushing to reverse the decision to close courses after the sport saw a boom in 2020. Members of Ontario's medical community agree, saying outdoor facilities should be open during the pandemic with proper safety measures in place.

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital, says outdoor transmission of COVID-19 is very low."

We should be encouraging outdoor activities and facilitating outdoor activities," he says.

Adam Stanley is a freelance golf writer based in Toronto.