If you were outside of the latest lockdown zone and wanted to head into Lang Lang for lunch, you would be breaking the government lockdown laws. However, if you wanted to have a hit at the golf club, you would be more than welcome.
The latest lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell shire has seen border battles heat up in recent weeks, however a unique situation has presented itself in Lang Lang. The town is situated in the Cardinia shire, but the local golf course finds itself in the Bass Coast shire.
The course lies just a few hundred metres outside the Cardinia border, meaning golfers are free to continue playing with the Bass Coast exempt from the lockdown, but general manager Tim Hewitt said it’s both a blessing and a curse.
“On one side, we’ve lost majority of our membership and player base who live in the lockdown area, but we are also in a position where we can still have people playing at the club with lesser restrictions,” Hewitt said.
After the first shutdown, Lang Lang saw a huge boost in players coming for a hit. Many other metro courses closed to non-members, but Lang Lang remained open for green fee players and numbers began to swell on course, with protocols in place to remain COVID safe.
The club has 390 members, with 80% of those now unable to enjoy a round at their home course until mid-August at the earliest. Despite the restrictions, Tim said they have seen a large uptick in memberships post the March lockdown.
“After the first lockdown it went bananas. With the metro clubs not allowing green fee players it helped us, we had a lot of Sunday social groups playing