I personally do not agree that retailers should be allowed to continue to sell non-essential products online. This is placing more people unnecessarily at risk due to contact in warehouses, in distribution centres and during the act of delivering the products to people’s doors. This absolutely applies to golf equipment as it certainly comes under the bracket of non-essential during this period of lockdown.

However, there are other reasons I urge you to resist the temptation of alleviating the boredom of being at home by making an online impulse buy.

First, if you do not get fitted for the product then you could well be wasting your money, no matter how much of a bargain it may seem. Also, lots of outlets online, especially on sites such as eBay which are full of counterfeit products.

Finally, as a business that provides many services to the local community your support is crucial to our survival – now more than ever. We employ members of staff who depend on us for a wage. We do not pay that wage, you the customers do by supporting our business.

So please be patient, we want to serve you...and we will. Can’t wait to see you and help you when the day of freedom eventually comes!

We as the Pro Shop team, have been very lucky at Hockley and have been well supported over the years with some of the most loyal members anywhere, and this allows us to offer a good service and member’s facility. I think the next few months will be the most challenging we could ever have imagined, and we will greatly appreciate your continued support after this period.

I thank you and wish you all well over the coming weeks and months.