Tamworth Golf Club CEO Andrew Graham says it feels like they have been given a second chance.
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The club was forced to close it's doors for the first time in it's 127-year history on Tuesday after Golf NSW, on the advice of the NSW Office of Sport, recommended that courses be closed.
But by midday Wednesday the doors were open again and golfers were polishing off their clubs after the NSW Office of Sport reconsidered its position in regard to golf being an activity that can continue to be played in line with Public Health Orders.
The news was welcomed by the local golfing fraternity with the phone ringing off the hook for much of the day, Graham said.
"I think it's bloody great. Gets us out to have a bit of exercise," Dick Sherwood said.
An avid golfer and long-time Tamworth member, Sherwood said playing a round is his main form of exercise.
Bryce Daniels and Dan Purkiss were also among those taking advantage of the chance to get out and have a hit.
"I'm definitely glad it's still going," Daniels said.
He said it was important to have an outlet to get out and do something in these times of self-isolation.
"I would have been very cranky being at home all the time," he said.
The mental health aspect was in Graham's view one of the arguments for golf courses remaining open.
"I'm happy to cop the club (house) being shut because we don't want people to congregate," he said.
"But if you drive around... there's people walking everywhere, so why not allow people to walk around in the fresh air on a golf course if we're able to provide a venue to be able to do that."
And they can do that.
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"It's very very easy to follow the rules and get some exercise at the same time, with the rules we've put in place," he said.
"You can walk around this golf course, you can get in your car, you can drive into the car park, you can go onto the first tee and play 18 holes and not touch anything or anybody and easily stay two metres away from someone."
Nonetheless, he was admittedly a bit stunned by the backflip.
"It's so much harder to reopen something than to shut it. I thought now it's already shut it wouldn't surprise me if they just go you know what we're just going to leave it," he said.
Graham said it will be more or less back to normal as far as their competitions and social events, although as per government guidelines announced on Sunday there is a limit of two people per group.
There are also another couple of additional measures to those they already have in place. One is only one set of clubs per cart.
Wary of the uncertain nature of the situation, Graham stressed the importance to patrons of abiding by the Public Health guidelines. If they don't the club might find themselves shut down for good this time.
The Longyard is set to reopen on Thursday.
"Like everyone, we are feeling our way through this crisis as things change day to day. One thing we can guarantee, however, is that our dedicated team of staffers will continue working to maintain the course as much as permitted going forward," the club said on social media.
