SEVERAL south-west clubs are excited their sports will return on Wednesday after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced relaxed coronavirus restrictions.
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But he has called for players and clubs of the number of returning sports to take a cautious and commonsense approach.
From 11.59pm on Tuesday night the state's restrictions will be relaxed allowing gatherings of up to 10 people for outdoor exercise, meaning a number of sports can resume.
Popular outdoor sports such as golf, lawn bowls, athletics and triathlons can return in a limited form while adhering to physical distancing and good hygiene practices.
Football and netball training have been given the green light by Mr Andrews as long as there is common sense around hygiene and physical distancing and only in gatherings of 10 people.
But a return to playing is still a while away with the state government's first "safe, cautious and appropriate step" towards normality expected to run until the end of May.
Mr Andrews encouraged sports to make their own plans around participant safety.
Several clubs - including Warrnambool Bowls Club, Warrnambool Golf Club and Port Fairy Golf Links - have put plans in place as they return to playing.
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Warrnambool Golf Club manager Ashlee Scott said the club was excited to welcome back players onto its course but would strictly adhere to its plans for safe play.
"The plans we have in place will include social distancing and good hygiene such as one person per kart and bringing your own sand bucket," she said.
"Everyone will need to pre-book their rounds of golf then come to the club car park, go straight to pro shop, report in, play their round of golf and then go home again."
Warrnambool Golf Club encourages players to book before heading to the course for normal or competition, which starts again on Saturday, rounds.
Port Fairy, which will reopen at 7.30am on Wednesday, has similar plans in place around social distancing, hygiene and how to book and play rounds.
It has also urged players not to touch the flags and the hole cups have been adjusted for safe retrieval of balls.
Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for members who can't access the course on weekdays and will be in groups of four.
The club's stableford open gender competition is set to resume this Saturday.
Warrnambool Bowls Club bowls manager Paul O'Donnell said they were still waiting on Bowls Victoria guidelines to be released on Tuesday but expected a number of Bowls Australia's rules to be adopted.
He expects the guidelines to allow 10 people, adhering to social distancing, per green and implementing strict hygiene practices for equipment such as mats and kitties.
O'Donnell said it was a big positive for players across the region to step foot on greens again.
"They would be rapt and all the (Warrnambool) bowls members and other bowls clubs members' are dying to get back out there," he said.
O'Donnell said with restrictions easing the club could also start planning to play its mixed pairs tournament in the coming weeks.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
