Corona Virus Change In Our Course Local Rule

Thoughts on this? Our course will be raising the cup 1" above the ground so no one has to touch the flag or reach into the cup. This will go into affect tomorrow at our course in SoCal. If your ball touches the cup it is considered holed.

Not crazy about the rule, but better than shutting down the course. Interested in your thoughts or if your club is doing anything similar, different.

There are tons of other clubs doing that. I've seen reports from multiple spots in the US and even in Australia. Don't think it is a big deal.

FWIW, one of the notes I got specifically asked that players were generous with gimmes and that anything inside the leather was to be considered good.

I think it is a great idea. I have been putting 2 tees in the ground about a foot from the cup and putting to those instead of the cup. I never thought of it before but those cups must be pretty nasty in general after a day of golfers putting their hands in them.

Actually a really good idea. We have mandatory flags in and they removed the rakes from the course - playing LCP for the time being in the bunker. Mandatory single carts if you have to ride.

Same here. No lifting flags, no rakes, ball washers oob and no hand shakes.

Honestly people dealt with it really well in our opening event Saturday. Air fist bumps or elbows - really no huge deal tbh.

Plus if the option is having the course completely closed? I'll take what I can get and be darn thankful.

Lot's of courses in the Greater Seattle area are cutting the cup with 1" of the liner above ground with the rule that if your ball touches the cup, it is holed. I understand the reasoning and respect why it is being done. I think it is a great idea given the circumstances that allows us to continue to play the game we love.

That said, I don't love the rule lol mostly because it removes one of the core skills of the game and takes away some of the fun/challenge. I would like to think that it will help speed up play but who knows. On the other hand, I am extremely grateful that golf is still available to be played!!! I'd much rather be on the course firing at pins than sitting inside staring at a screen, or rolling putts inside. If this is what golf looks like for the foreseeable future, then I will take it 100 times out of 100 to continue playing while we are under the quarantine / social distancing rules.

Stay healthy WRXers!

They removed all rakes (bunkers are tough now) and they put a foam do-hickie ( like pipe insulator) around the pin so the ball stays up for easy removal. All doors are open in the club and hand wash is everywhere but only in to pee. Otherwise we are outside only and we are never within 6 to 10 feet of anyone else.

still expect the government will stop it soon. But really, if you take a dog out for a walk I see no real difference between that and walking a course.

Seems like we went the pool noodle route as well, probably easier on the grounds crew is my guess. Worked fine, didnt even think about it after the first couple of holes.

dcmidnight, my home club did the same thing yesterday. At first they were going to raise the clubs but it would be a nightmare for green mower so they used those foam noodles. But they are thinking about using 2" PVC cut to around 2 1/2" long. Similar to what Pinehurst Resorts had posted.

I like the PVC or Foam idea more. That way you still gotta really hole the putt. Love all the of the creativity to keep people on the course.

Edit to my earlier post... played a round on Friday and that course had true cups cut but with the pool noodle / turf mat cut for inside the hole so you could still "hole out" putts. I liked this way better than the raised cup. Now that is what I am checking for on courses websites before booking a tee time lol

Our course put the cups in upside down and pin still in, has the same result as the pool noodle once the ball is holed. I would hate having the cup 1" above the green as that makes putting way less skillful and that;s where I pick up strokes on my buddies.

Last Thursday, we raised the cups up. I ended up holing out from about 100 yards. Ball landed a foot past the pin, and dinked off the raised cup. I counted it as a 2, I'm 99.9% sure it would have gone in anyway, though.

I didn't hear anything!

Guarantee that would be the consensus of the other three guys I'd probably be playing with, lol.

Hey a rule is a rule - nice birdie! ;-)

You think you ever caught the flu or a cold from the cup before all this?

You think I don't get a flu shot or that a regular flu/cold is as contagious?

More contagious much less risk in terms of SOI.

I can't say I ever caught the flu or a cold from a rake or a flagstick or a cup. I know I've never caught the flu from anything golf related.

I honestly don't have notes on exactly where and when I've ever gotten sick before. I am impressed you can pinpoint your exact moments of being infected though. Point being, this virus is more contagious than most and I am not trying to spread to anyone else.

I have had flu exactly once. Easy to remember I wasn't playing golf in January when I got it that year.

I honestly don't get your point. We have never dealt with a contagious virus like this. I am out playing for fun, shooting mid 70s, not going to be playing on tour any time soon. If I prefer to not putt out right now, because putting my hand in a cup that potentially another 100 people already have done that day, why does that bother you? Not to mention courses all over the country (if open) are trying to avoid this exact situation by raising cups or putting another cup inside to shallow it.

Fort Worth city courses have removed the flag sticks to avoid common contact, but haven't done anything to keep the ball from going in the cup. Should leave pins in and tell everyone not to touch.

Its similar around here but now most public courses are closed. Only a few private are still open but not for long. They also said to "rake" bunkers with your feet and not to touch the rakes.

Where are you located? I’ll head over there to play?