Golf competitions remain in limbo waiting for L.A. County Public Health to revise guidance

There’s a lot going on for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. But it’s been more than two weeks of waiting for someone to revise the “Golf Appendix� that conflicts with the updated “Youth and Adult Recreational Sports Leagues� protocols issued Feb. 26. One permits competitions between two teams. The other prohibits all forms of “group� activities.

Representatives from the Southern California Golf Assn. say they have been assured multiple times it would be updated so that high school and adult golf competitions can begin, such as signing up foursomes. Nothing. Long Beach and Pasadena, with separate health departments, have already updated the guidance.

Craig Kessler of the SCGA said in an email, “Full on contact sports like football may well be going forth while high school golf, which is just about the safest outdoor recreational activity, will not unless and until LA County Public Health either amends that Golf specific Appendix or does what San Diego and other counties long ago did by doing away with a golf specific set of health orders in favor of hewing to state and local (county) generic orders that cover all of outdoor recreation for both youth and adults.�

A spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health said Feb. 27, “The following provision in the Golf Course protocol: ‘No group play or tournaments are allowed’ will be revised to reflect the recent change to the youth and adult recreational sports protocol.�

Golfers continue to wait.

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