Golf Course Tells Canadian Government Goons To Suck It, Defies Shutdown Order, Golfers Fined

While you’ve been busy enjoying a few spring rounds of golf to get the game tuned up for the scramble season, across the northern border in Ontario, Canada there’s a war raging between golfers and the Canadian government over COVID restrictions. New stay-at-home restrictions were issued in the province in mid-April, and those restrictions included the closure of golf courses.

The provincial government said the restrictions were due to “continued and concerning growth in COVID-19 case rates, the threat on the province’s hospital system capacity (and) the increasing risks posed by COVID-19 variants.”

Fully fed up with the ridiculous closures, a southern Ontario golf course, The Bridges at Tillsonburg, opened their doors April 24 and told golfers they weren’t going to follow the order. Golfers filled up the course’s booking system, and it didn’t take long before the government goons hammered the course with charges under the Reopening Ontario Act that could result in a $10 million (CAD) fine.

Golfers exiting the Bridges at Tillsonburg golf course are being pulled over by OPP and ticketed under the Reopening Ontario Act. https://t.co/gnU51A9a21

— CTV Kitchener (@CTVKitchener) May 2, 2021

Still, the course isn’t backing down, and golfers are loving it. This past week, Tillsonburg was fully booked for four straight days and was scheduled to be fully booked through Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the government goons were surveilling those who were playing golf — police were literally watching people play golf — and have charged 19 golfers with defying the Reopening Act, which could result in a $750 fine for playing a round of golf.

More from Tillsonburg: @OPP_WR announces it has charged a total of 19 individuals at The Bridges at Tillsonburg. OPP calls it "an ongoing investigation." pic.twitter.com/hJcl5fF6GM

— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) May 3, 2021

Now comes the really interesting development. A provincial politician says talks are underway focusing on which outdoor activities can resume. “What the scientists have told us is that outdoor activities generally, if you can socially distance, keep that two metres apart, and when you can’t, mask appropriately, that having the opportunity to be outside, to get some exercise, is excellent and it is good for our mental health,” Solicitor General Sylvia Jones told a Canadian TV station Friday.

Would you look at that? The golfers fought back and suddenly the goons are holding discussions on which activities they’re willing to allow. It’s not just golf that was closed down. The government goons closed down picnic tables, shelters, disk golf, and all sorts of other sporting activities held outdoors.

The goons even tried to close playgrounds until people lost their minds, causing the goons to reconsider.

As for golf in Ontario, golf journalists are starting to feel brave and the likes of Canadian golfer Brooke Henderson from the LPGA are speaking out. The pressure will ultimately crush the government goons. It’s just a matter of time.

I just spoke to a staffer at The Bridges at Tillsonburg, the course that is defying the Ontario order to close. Golfers are out on the course, and aside from a news truck out front, there is nothing unusual happening. Tee sheet is sold out today and tomorrow.

— Bob Weeks (@BobWeeksTSN) April 24, 2021

The Bridges at Tillsonburg golf course has been charged for defying provincial COVID-19 restrictions and operating during the extended shutdown @570NEWS pic.twitter.com/q3nW0Lw9xV

— Erin Anderson (@erinbailey_a) April 30, 2021