The president of the French Federation, Jean-Lou Charon, evokes for Swing Women the current crisis linked to the coronavirus and the closing of golf courses for an indefinite period.

Jean-Lou Charon, president of the FFG

Jean-Lou Charon, president of the French Golf Federation. @FFG

Hello President, first of all where are you now and how are you doing?

Jean-Lou Charon: Very well thank you. I am confined to my home, in Brittany. With my wife, we left Lyon a few months ago to settle in Saint-Cast-le-Guildo, where there is also a very beautiful golf course, recently renovated. Before you, I was on the phone to take stock with our DTN, Christophe Muniesa, who is very busy at the moment you can imagine.

How was the closure of the golf courses decided last weekend?

This was done in two stages. First, there was the televisual address of the President of the Republic, who sent the message that activities bringing together the public had to be put on hold. Then the intervention on Saturday evening of the Prime Minister and the closure of public places accelerated things. We immediately closed the Golf National, in the Yvelines, and we recommended the closure of all golf courses. I say "recommended" because we do not have the power to interfere in the decisions of private golf courses. But we worked a lot this weekend to make a united decision with all the golf courses. We took this decision in consultation with the Ministry of Sports, but also all the players in French golf, the GEGF (Groupement des Entrepreneurs de Golf Français), the GFGA (Groupement Français des Golfs Associatifs), the ADGF (Association of Directors de Golf de France)…

Last Sunday, some courses were still open…

Yes, it's true, but since Sunday evening, they are all closed. This was a good feeling for some, who felt that one could keep an outdoor sport activity, because the risk of getting infected while playing golf is very low. But the government believes that public reception increases the risk of contamination. We have a duty of solidarity, our duty is to protect golfers.

Some golfers wonder about the logic of closing golf courses, but not shops and public transport. However, it seems a thousand times more risky to take the train, the bus, the metro, or even to do your shopping in a confined place than to play golf in the middle of nature. It is even still possible to run, to “practice individual physical activity” near home. Isn't there some inconsistency there?

There is a contradiction in any case, it is true. People do their jogging, cycle ... It seems much more dangerous to take public transport, the exodus by train of Parisians after the announcement of confinement has increased the risks for example. But when it comes to golfers, there is one important point that should not be forgotten. We have calculated that the average golfer rolls 27 km to get to a course. This goes against the recommendation of the public authorities, which ask to limit as much as possible the journeys by car.

Do you know how long the golf courses will remain closed?

This will obviously depend on the time of confinement. We left for at least 15 days, more potentially 15 more days…

How long can golf courses last economically?

It's hard to say, the golf courses are at a complete standstill. It depends on the balance sheets, the financial reserves of each of them. But it is certain that the most modest golf courses will find it difficult to endure a closure, even if only for three or four weeks.

Does this mean that some courses might never reopen?

It is up to us to find solutions so that this does not happen, in consultation with the public authorities. We can consider a system of aid, a calibration of charges, taxes ...

Do you remember an equivalent crisis for golf since the post-war period?

No. This is unheard of since World War II, where many courses were used as military bases. What is certain is that there will be a before and after this crisis, which today is health but which will be economic tomorrow. This poses many questions for the clubs, but also for the Federation. Will all golfers resume their dues or license next year? The year 2020 promises to be difficult. I will also soon convene by telephone a management committee to assess the situation.

Interview by Franck Crudo

 

https://www.ffgolf.org/

Read also, our interview with Jean-Lou Charon in March 2019:

Interview with Jean-Lou Charon: "The number of licenses is on the rise among young people"