PRO TALK
Challenging
TIMES
David Boote shares his experience of navigating professional golf through the COVID minefield...
This year I have had over 70 negative PCR ‘fit to fly’ tests and even more lateral flows when home!
As I wait at Heathrow Airport before flying to Marseille for the final stretch of events in Challenge Tour season I’m thinking about how fast this year has flown by. After the lockdowns of 2020 and the lack of winter golf, there were times when we wondered if the tour would ever get back to normal. Somehow we are now already 20 events into a 26 event season and, given the restrictions
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imposed by the pandemic, the players have been incredibly lucky to continue to travel and play around Europe. The Tour set us a demanding and impressive schedule and has been very efficient in ensuring we meet quarantine regulations, helping with travel exemptions, coming back from red list countries like South Africa and creating tournament ‘bubbles’ whenever possible with thorough
covid testing regimes. This year I have had over 70 negative PCR ‘fit to fly’ tests and even more lateral flows when home. You get used to it being part of the lifestyle. but hopefully it will not continue too much longer and we can all get back to normal. It’s definitely been an extra worry, particularly when we get home to see family and friends, but with the majority of players now having been vaccinated it is the hope
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