Midlothian golfers hit with playing ban in East Lothian after late level change

Golfers living in Midlothian are set to join their Edinburgh counterparts in being hit with a Covid-19 playing ban at clubs in East Lothian.

Some clubs in East Lothian have already informed Edinburgh-based members they are not permitted to book tee times for the time being and that is also now set be the case with Midlothian members

Both East Lothian and Midlothian had been due to move from Level 3 to Level 2 areas on Tuesday while the City of Edinburgh remained at Level 3.

That had led to a number of East Lothian clubs informing members in Level 3 areas that they will not be permitted to book tee times or use practice or clubhouse facilities for the time being.

Midlothian members, meanwhile, had been allowed to book games as normal, but a late change of plan by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to keep it in Level 3 has now led to them facing the same disappointment.

The Scotsman understands that at least one East Lothian club was preparing an email last night to send out to members in Midlothian to inform them of the dramatic 11th-hour development.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that golf clubs and other golf facilities in England may reopen from 2 December after a month-long lockdown by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The announcement paves the way for golf to return at all Covid-19 alert levels within the Rule of Six, permitting fourball play without restriction on the number of households.

Coaching, fitting and ranges will also be allowed to open, as will indoor hospitality facilities in tiers one and two in England.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.