COVID-19: Golf the perfect game to play — while apart — during crisis

Most sports are shut down due to COVID-19. But there is one (fine) way you can hit a ball with a stick during a pandemic — golf. Geraldton man Stephen Pallett, pictured, enjoyed a round at a local golf club recently, while keeping to social distancing regulations. “I just enjoy the game, mate,” he said. “We’ve been able to play pretty much apart from week one through this virus. We’re not allowed to rake the bunkers and we score off our phones now, so we’re not all over each other.” He said he had been playing the game for “about 30 years”. Asked whether that meant he was getting pretty good, he laughed: “You never get good at golf. You pass, that’s all. (I’m) just a bit of a hacker, I just enjoy the game”. Despite the challenge, it was a rewarding pastime, he said. “What do you get out of it? Frustration, satisfaction, a bit of everything. It’s a bit like life ... you’re always learning something ... I just enjoy it, really.” Fitness and leisure were part of the package. “It’s good exercise, and you can have a beer while you’re doing it,” he said.