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With Ontario courses set to open, here's how golf has changed as province eases restrictions – CBC.ca

Published

4 years ago

May 15, 2020

Golfers and course operators in Ontario must have felt like they sank a hole-in-one this week.

Golf courses will be allowed to open on Saturday as part of an initial stage of easing restrictions on businesses in place since March 23 to limit the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

The Ford government gave golf the green light yesterday after weeks of business shutdowns and orders for people to combat the coronavirus pandemic by staying inside and avoiding contact with others as much as possible.

And while golf will return in time for the May long weekend in Ontario, it comes with new guidelines designed to maximize physical distancing and limit the number of contact points where the virus can be transmitted.

Lauren Zanini, director of golf operations at Echo Valley Golf Club in London, Ont., is elated that her course can finally open.

“It hasn’t been easy holding off, but we’re excited about this,” she said. “We’re used to being open in the beginning of April. So our goal now is to open up while keeping everyone safe.”

I think it’s good for people to get out. People are going stir crazy right now.– Lauren Zanini, Echo Valley Golf Club’s director of golf operations

Zanini said unlike most other sports, even pre-COVID-19 golf has a certain amount of physical distancing built into its existing rules of play.

“You’re outside. You can follow your own ball, and you don’t have to be with the players you’re playing with. You’re not confined to a particular space,” she said.

“I think it’s good for people to get out. People are going stir crazy right now.”

WATCH | Is it safer to be indoors or outdoors during coronavirus outbreak?

Andrew Chang asks an infectious disease doctor whether it’s safer to be indoors or outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic. 1:02

Zanini said golf course operators in London have used this spring’s downtime to swap ideas about how the game could be tweaked to keep players safe.

Many of those ideas are included in the guidelines the Ontario government released as part of yesterday’s announcement.

Here are some of the ways the age-old round of golf is changing in this COVID-19 age.

Call before going

Echo Valley is asking golfers to book ahead and arrive no earlier than 20 minutes before their tee time. Instead of the standard 10-minute intervals between groups, Echo Valley is doubling that to spread out groups and reduce the chances of golfers bunching up on greens or at the tees.

The clubhouse will be open, but Echo Valley is using a “staging” model where golfers move from the pro shop to the putting green and onto the first tee in timed intervals. At the clubhouse, only a limited number of people will be allowed inside at a time. Echo Valley has installed Plexiglas around the cash register, and golfers should be ready to pay by debit or credit card — no cash. The course is also adding online payment to its website so golfers can pay before they arrive.

“Even in the parking lot and on our practice greens, we’re trying to keep only one group on at a time to maintain social distance,” Zanini said.

This is part of the provincial guidelines, which call on courses to consider moving to no-touch payments as much as possible.

On the course

Golf allows players to spread out as they move from tee to fairway to green, so in most cases, physical distancing shouldn’t be difficult to achieve. Zanini said golfers are asked to use the same common sense they use while sharing a sidewalk and make an effort to spread out around two potential choke points: the tee and the green.

No more holes?

So what about reaching into the hole after sinking a putt?

At Echo Valley that won’t happen because each hole will be blocked with a chunk of cylinder-shaped foam that sits flush with the top of the hole.

“It’s kind of like a pool noodle,” Zanini said. “It just blocks the hole.”

If your ball rolls over the foam, you’ve holed out, meaning you got the ball in the hole. This is a twist on what the province recommends: elevating the plastic cup out of the hole so the ball doesn’t fall in. Any ball contact with the cup, and it’s considered a good putt.

As for the flag stick? The new rule at Echo Valley is don’t touch it. And again, the provincial guidelines are also calling for flags to be left in place.

Lauren Zanini of Echo Valley Golf Club in London, Ont., says golf is the perfect sport for physical distancing. (Submitted by Lauren Zanini)

“We actually already have signs asking people not to touch it,” Zanini said.

Instead of using cardboard scorecards handed out at the clubhouse, Echo Valley has put its scorecards online. Golfers are asked to print out a copy before they head to the course. Ball washers and wastebins have been pulled from the course to minimize touch points.

No cart sharing, limited bathrooms, other rules

Zanini said over the past few weeks the use of golf carts has been a topic of debate. The provincial guidelines say one cart per golfer. Also, the province calls for carts to be thoroughly sanitized between rounds, something Zanini said her staff is already doing.

At Echo Valley, outdoor bathrooms have been removed. Washrooms inside the clubhouse will be open and with enhanced cleaning protocols in place.

Zanini said much of this comes down to common sense.

“If people are going for walks in their neighbourhood, I don’t see why they can’t golf if they’re using their own equipment, and they’re social distancing.”

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Fernandez and Dabrowski headline Canadian lineup for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Published

8 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.

The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.

Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.

“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”

Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.

Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.

Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.

Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.

Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.

Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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Penguins re-sign Crosby to two-year extension that runs through 2026-27 season

Published

9 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.

The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.

Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.

At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.

Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar wins Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal

Published

20 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.

Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.

The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.

“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.

“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”

Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.

The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.

“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”

It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.

“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”

Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.

He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.

Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.

“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”

Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.

“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.

Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.

Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.

“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”

Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.

Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.

Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.

Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.

Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.

“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.

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