The current health and economic impact of Covid-19 are wreaking havoc around the world and no industry is exempt, least of all travel. Local golf club closures throughout the Western world are occurring just as fast as stricter lock-downs are being announced by federal governments.
The travel industry is hardest hit with government restrictions, but Voyages.golf and its parent company Events Travel are in a good place to survive. We are an independent travel company that has been in operation since 1993, with over 25 years’ in the industry, our strategies and securities have been set up to endure over the long-term. Please see an announcement made by our founder and director regarding Voyages.golf’s position amid the pandemic, viewable here.
Update – see our latest announcement here – 24 April 2020.
The UK, USA & Australian governments have all announced that the Covid-19 pandemic will restrict international travel for the foreseeable future. The implications of the pandemic on individual finance losses, health system shortcomings and complete lack of travel options are likely to be felt for the next three months. The impact on the sporting world is unprecedented; every international sports event in the next three to six months is likely to be postponed or cancelled.
Australian Golf Digest’s article released on March 28 plays out the potential reality of postponements across golf’s majors, with The Open, US Open and Ryder Cup all in jeopardy of being played in their usual time slots. The article states that a potential extended season that blends 2020 and 2021 may be a reality to make up for all the cancelled golf events. Another looming issue is the US television rights and golf’s screentime; Americans make up the largest proportion of golf fans from any country, but the audience is dwarfed by other sporting codes such as NFL and NBA.
Golf Digest has comprehensively covered the global golf event cancellations. As of March 27, the PGA Tour has announced 9 event cancellations that include the Zurich Classic, Wells Fargo Championship, Players Championship and AT&T Byron Nelson, all scheduled to occur before May 31st. Postponements include the 2020 US Masters (new date TBA), and the PGA Championship (September 2020). The R&A is expected to make an announcement regarding the 149th Open Championship at Royal St Georges in the coming weeks. An update on the 149th Open and the Covid-19 pandemic can be found here. The LPGA, European Tour, The US Open at Winged Foot, and even the 2020 Ryder Cup in September 2020 are in doubt.
A silver lining? With 2020 travel currently hibernating, many golfers have looked to 2021, 2022 and 2023 for their travel plans. Many suppliers are looking to be flexible on their terms and conditions just to keep golfers on their books. Many golf courses have extended tee-sheet credits until 2022, whilst accommodation and airlines have announced credits for later in 2020 and into 2021.
It may be time to look to brighter days and a hopeful future. Many golf fans have turned their heads toward the 150th Open at St Andrews in July 2021. Others preferring American soil are looking toward the 2021 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club, due to take place in September 2021. At this stage, long-range events are attracting the eyes of many golf fans, and the early planning of many golf trips have commenced.
