Extreme Weather Policies
Extreme Weather Policies
At Geelong Golf Club the safety of our staff and visitors is our top priority. To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all, we have established clear policies and procedures for responding to extreme weather conditions, including lightning, high winds, fog, and extreme heat. These guidelines are designed to keep all patrons safe. Please take a moment to review the information below to understand how we manage these situations and what actions may be required during your visit.
Exteme Heat
This procedure sets guidelines for staff and visitors at Geelong Golf Club when operating in heat wave conditions, this procedure is designed to avoid any heat related injuries or incidents.
| Ambient Temperature | Golf Course | Driving Range |
| 45+ |
|
|
| 40+ |
|
|
| 36-39 |
|
|
| 30-35 |
|
|
High Winds
This procedure sets guidelines for staff and visitors at Geelong Golf Club when operating in high winds. This procedure will minimise risks associated these conditions. The Beauford Wind scale is utilised
to determine the course of action at Geelong Golf Club.
| Beauf Scale. | Term | Units in Knots | Units in KPH | Description |
| 0 | Calm | 0 | 0 | Smoke rises vertically. |
| 1-3 | Light winds | 10 knots | 19 kph | Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind. |
| 4 | Moderate winds | 11-16 knots | 20-30 kph | Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved. |
| 5 | Fresh winds | 17-21 knots | 31-39kph | Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters. |
| 6 | Strong winds | 22-27 knots | 40-50 kph | Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires; umbrellas used with difficulty. |
| 7 | Near gale | 28-33 knots | 51 -61kph | Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt when walking against |
| 8 | Gale | 34-40 knits | 62-74 kph | Twigs break off trees; progress generally impeded. |
| 9 | Strong Gale | 41-47 knots | 75-87kph | Slight structural damage occurs -roofing dislodged; larger branches break. |
High wind risk is from level 6 on the Beauford Scale (40-50 kilometre per hour winds) onwards If wind gusts exceed 62kilometers per hour (level 8 of the Beauford Wind Scale), immediate suspension of on course play will occur. Staff will use the emergency siren installed at the facility to alert visitors to return to the facility. Play will resume once wind gusts move below this level on the scale.
Lighting Storms
This procedure sets guidelines for staff and visitors at Geelong Golf Club when a lighting storm occurs, this procedure is designed to mitigate serious injury or death to staff & patrons.
Geelong Club uses 30/30 Rule when a lighting storm occurs:
- Where the flash to bang count is 30 seconds, indicating that the lightning is 10km away. This is associated with significant risk that the strike could be in the area.
- Immediate suspension of on course play will occur. Staff will use the emergency siren installed at the facility to alert visitors to return to the facility and wait indoors.
- When 30 minutes has passed since the last sighting of Lightning. The course will reopen for play.
Fog & Low Visibility Conditions
This procedure sets guidelines for staff and visitors at Geelong Golf Club when a for occurs, this procedure is designed to mitigate serious injury from golf ball impact.
- If a fog delay is required, no player is to tee off until the fog had suitably cleared. Visibility of 250m plus is an appropriate amount to restart play.
- Once play can resume. the amount of time reamining until the afternoon field will be calculated. If practicable, a shotgun start may be considered to clear the backlog of players (18 groups maximum). There should be no changes to the PM field post fog delay.
- Staff will monitor Bureau of Meterology forecasts to communicate potential fog delays in advance where possible.
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