Golfers will be banned from hitting the fairways during the new lockdown.
There will be fury on the fairways as the order is about to come down from Government that all golf courses must shut under Level 5 with immediate effect.
The putters of the country could play during Ireland's first lockdown when most other sports were banned, but only if they lived within 5kms of their clubs.
But the Irish Mirror can confirm that the Department of Sport has decided the game will be out of bounds for the next six weeks.
A source close to Minister for Sport, Catherine Martin, who has responsibility in this area, told the Irish Mirror: “no golf, sadly.”
And a spokeswoman for the department then formally added: “We can confirm that golf courses must close under Level 5 restrictions.”
The exception during the first lockdown was welcomed enthusiastically by golf clubs and members with packed fairways and a surge in membership reported all over the country.
Many picked up a club for the very first time and a huge number of young people took up the game.
Advocates of the game pointed to the social distancing safety of playing a game in a space that is often over 200 acres in size.
And they argued that the mental health benefits were massive for the 400,000 people that play golf regularly in Ireland.
Northern Ireland introduced their own new Covid rules last Saturday, but golf made the cut there and the clubs are still open under strict restrictions.
The Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) has not issued any advice to clubs in the Republic of Ireland yet and golf club managers the Mirror spoke to said they were awaiting guidance.
