Briars Club Update - March

I hope this email finds you healthy and doing well during these crazy and troubling times. We wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a very brief update on the constantly evolving situation here at the Briars Golf Club. At this point in time, Management is examining several potential scenarios for possible opening dates, available services, and safety precautions here at the club - based on current & potential government restrictions and guidelines.  

As you can understand, there are still many unknowns as to how drastic times may get with Covid - 19. Along with most businesses and golf clubs - we are taking this one week at a time and re-modelling projections based on whatever information/guidelines are available at the time.

The Board of Directors is scheduled to meet (virtually) on April 11th to discuss potential scenarios and we promise - as soon as information is available or if any decisions are made – the membership will be the FIRST to know.

As announced today: The government is ordering all businesses not covered by the updated Emergency Order to Close, effective as of Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. This closure will be in effect for 14 days, with the possibility of an extension as the situation evolves. 

This means the clubhouse and golf course will be closed until April 18th at the very earliest. Patrick and a couple of his employees will continue to perform essential work on the course when needed and our management team will be working remotely. 

Please be reminded that the Golf Course is CLOSED. Under no circumstances can we have anyone playing any golf as it exposes the Club and yourself to potentially severe provincial and federal fines. Also, we must remind you that if you're walking the course we ask that you all adhere to all physical distancing requirements that have been communicated by the government. 

FYI - the order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act re: outdoor recreational amenities is now live on e-Laws here:  https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200104

Note that the offence provisions, which are in the legislation, set out the following:

7.0.11 (1) Every person who fails to comply with an order under subsection 7.0.2 (4) or who interferes with or obstructs any person in the exercise of a power or the performance of a duty conferred by an order under that subsection is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction,

(a) in the case of an individual, subject to clause (b), to a fine of not more than $100,000 and for a term of imprisonment of not more than one year;

(b) in the case of an individual who is a director or officer of a corporation, to a fine of not more than $500,000 and for a term of imprisonment of not more than one year; and

(c) in the case of a corporation, to a fine of not more than $10,000,000. 2006, c. 13, s. 1 (4).

Separate offence

(2) A person is guilty of a separate offence on each day that an offence under subsection (1) occurs or continues. 2006, c. 13, s. 1 (4).

Increased penalty

(3) Despite the maximum fines set out in subsection (1), the court that convicts a person of an offence may increase a fine imposed on the person by an amount equal to the financial benefit that was acquired by or that accrued to the person as a result of the commission of the offence. 2006, c. 13, s. 1 (4).

Exception

(4) No person shall be charged with an offence under subsection (1) for failing to comply with or interference or obstruction in respect of an order that is retroactive to a date that is specified in the order, if the failure to comply, interference or obstruction is in respect of conduct that occurred before the order was made but is after the retroactive date specified in the order. 2006, c. 13, s. 1 (4).

The Briars Golf Club is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our members, staff and guests. We will continue to monitor Health Canada, the World Health Organization, York Region Public Health and other expert governmental/regional health experts to follow developments and receive guidance.

Take care of one another, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Briars Statement on COVID-19

I hope this message finds you healthy and safe during this scary and unprecedented time.  As you all know, there have been new developments and information coming forward daily, and some in some cases hourly (i.e. schools and select business closures, travel bans, NBA/NHL/MLB postponement of its season, and  LPGA/PGA TOUR postponement of events, along with regular updates and mitigating precautions from health and government officials, etc.). We continue to update our protocols and evaluate our operational activities prior to the opening of our course and the welcoming return of our staff and members.

Although our golf season is approximately 40 days away and we are operating with minimal staff, we wanted you to know that we have put the following measures in place now, to do our part in establishing basic infection prevention measures.

• We are requesting that all staff and Members that have traveled to ensure they have followed a 14-day self-quarantine, prior to visiting the Club.
• Staff that can work remotely are asked to do so as much as possible.
• Added hand sanitizer bottles in numerous areas of the clubhouse.
• Employees that are at work must thoroughly wash hands every 45-60 minutes while at work.
• Maintain social distancing with each other to the best of our ability.
• Appropriate respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes using your elbow.
• Avoid using other workers’ phones, desks, offices or other work tools and equipment when possible.
• All in-person meetings have been postponed and replaced with virtual meetings
• Do not share any food or drink.
• We are discouraging employees, members, and guests from handshaking/hugging.
• We will enhance regular housekeeping practices, including cleaning and disinfecting of surface’s, equipment, and other elements of the work environment.
• All employees and members are strongly encouraged and supported to stay at home if any symptoms are noticed which could be indicative of any virus of any type.

As you are aware, things are changing rapidly with respect to COVID-19. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenge together.

Prior to the start of our season, we will send you an informational email detailing the services available to members and potential protocols and procedures that may be required to follow at that time. 

We want to ensure you that the Briars Golf Club is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our staff, members and guests. We will continue to monitor Health Canada, the World Health Organization, York Region Public Health and other expert governmental/regional health experts to follow developments and receive guidance.

Take care of one another, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Martin Dempster: Why a golf course is one of safest places at the moment

Article by: Martin Dempster

Enjoy your game”, said a nice man as myself and a friend left the first tee at Aberdour on Sunday afternoon. I’d never seen him before in my life, but, of all the days for someone to say that out of the blue, it was actually quite comforting.

Given everything going on at the moment due to the coronavirus, I had a feeling that someone could actually have been waiting on that first tee to say we shouldn’t be going out to play golf.

If truth be told, I’d been put on edge slightly by someone highlighting on social media earlier in the day about the dilemma of having to pull out the pin or rake a bunker without touching them.

As a result of that, from start to finish I paid a lot more attention than normal to what I was doing on my way around the golf course. But, hand on heart, there was hardly anything that has left me with cause for concern about continuing to play over the weeks and months ahead.

I accessed the clubhouse with a swipe card and retrieved my clubs and golf shoes from my locker, feeling very comfortable about that. The only time, in fact, that I felt someone could have picked up on anything before actually getting out on the course was that I had to push a button to exit the locker-room.

As for those aforementioned concerns about pins, bunker rakes and also picking the ball out of the hole, they actually proved easy to overcome bearing in mind, of course, that golf is a game that, for most people anyway, already involves wearing a glove.

As is now permitted in the game, even in competitions, we left the pin in all the time. I normally take my glove off when I’m putting, but I didn’t on this occasion and had no worries whatsoever dipping my gloved hand into the hole. I also used that hand to pick up a rake on a couple of 
occasions.

Once or twice, I had thoughts going through my head – when placing a tee in the mat, for instance – but, honestly, there was absolutely nothing that left me thinking that golf should not be encouraged in the current situation.

It has built-in “social distancing”. Rarely do you ever find yourself crowded or with someone in your face on the golf course. And, of course, the maximum number of players you can have in a group is four.

To me, it has to be one of the safest places anyone could be at the moment and, by the sounds of things, the medical experts are of the same opinion. “You’re not in contact with a whole lot of other people,” Dr Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston told golfdigest.com.

“Sunlight and other environmental conditions can kill viruses like this, so it is probable that that is true for this novel coronavirus, as well. So I would say in the actual 
playing of golf, you’re not at much risk.”

Yes, of course, adjustments need to be made around the actual playing part and that, unfortunately, is probably going to see clubhouses a lot emptier than they would normally be, especially with some better weather hopefully just around the corner.

However, at a time when an antidote is badly needed, golf can be just that. As that friendly man in the group behind us at Aberdour on Sunday would say, keep enjoying your game!

The Briars Golf Club Announces 2018 'Try and Buy' Membership

Features Unlimited Play at one of the Finest Private Golf Clubs in the Area

(Toronto, Ontario) – The Briars Golf Club, located in Jacksons Point Ontario, announces an outstanding membership opportunity to attract new members.

The 'Try and Buy' membership includes a wealth of value including:

• Unlimited Golf 7 Days a Week.
• 7 Day Advance Booking Privileges
• Access to Driving Range and Practice area
• Ability to Participate in All Leagues and Events
• On Site Club Cleaning and Storage
• Championship Stanley Thompson/Robbie Robinson Designed Course
• Reciprocal Playing Privileges at 14 Other Private Clubs

In 1922, Stanley Thompson took a flat, uninteresting piece of land and turned it into a meticulously planned masterpiece golf course that, to this day, challenges both the novice and expert alike. Nestled amongst the lazy flow of the Black River and the majestic expanse of Lake Simcoe, The Briars Golf Club today boasts being “A Little Piece of Heaven” by those who have personally experienced its serene atmosphere and stimulating characteristics.

The Briars is a club where everyone knows your name, where a friendly greeting is always the norm, where you share laughs, food and camaraderie with any and all of the limited 390 members. With a 'capped' membership, the club ensures tee times are always available to members and their guests.

“Most of our members have been here for years. Says Frank Campanelli, Briars General Manager. “It's exciting to be offering new membership opportunities and to be welcoming some new golf enthusiasts to the briars family”.

The Briars is conveniently located only a short drive from the Greater Toronto area, although remains a 'hidden gem'.

“Many people don't realize just how close we are in relation to Toronto. Says Brian Allen, Membership Co-ordinator. “With the recent highway extension, our club is now much more accessible to the GTA and we don't expect these new membership options to last long.

For more information about the 'Try and Buy' Memberships call

or visit www.briarsgolf.com

About The Briars Golf Club

The Briars Golf Club is located just one hour from Toronto on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe. As you wind your way along historic Hedge Road, you immediately feel relaxed and understand the allure of this location.

Two Canadian design legends have combined to bring you a delightful dose of golf at its best. Stanley Thompson carved out the original nine holes in 1922. Robbie Robinson integrated a second nine in 1972, creating a seamless routing that may look fairly innocuous on paper, but will be appreciated for its subtle charms. The Briars is the epitome of the old-style course.

A great walking course, with its well manicured tree lined fairways and strategically placed bunkers, that narrow into undulating velvety slick greens, the Briars offers a challenge for all levels of golfers.