Golf courses will get a chop and a mow next week, although the details are still being worked out.
After pleading for the best part of two weeks to get an exemption to the lockdown, New Zealand Golf found out on Thursday afternoon the Government would allow some maintenance to be done on the more than 400 courses across the country.
The details on what can and cannot be done on courses is being worked on over the Easter period and will be released in the coming days.
Minister of Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson said all non-plantation nurseries, stadia turf and golf and bowling club turf maintenance would be included in the exemption.
Robertson understood the implications if the maintenance did not occur regularly, including for community organisations, which is why the Government has moved quickly to make the decisions.
NZ Golf chief executive Dean Murphy said last week millions of dollars were at stake if courses went unattended in the four-week lockdown period.
Greens needed to be tended, if not, turf disease might spread. Some clubs might not recover, and most clubs will have to spend some weeks getting their courses up to standard even after they came out of lockdown.
