Should courses remain open during Covid-19?

[wkndhckr]

I'm pulling out my giant spoon to stir the pot here. Apologies if it's already been debated.

Should the courses remain open through the pandemic? They've made small but effective changes to the game to reduce risk. Do you all think it is enough? Is anyone frowning on those that are playing if the course is open?

We all love golf and hate the situation but curious to hear opinions.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I'm about as cautious as they come when it comes to germs and I think the measures they've put in place here in NY state should sufficiently derisk golf for me. Pay boxes or pay on line, closed clubhouses and locker rooms, No touch flags, no rakes, no ball washers, spaced out tee times, keep 6 ft apart, one rider per cart or just walk, don't touch a ball that's not yours. Keep some hand sanitizer in pocket and use it regularly, don't touch your face. Should be just fine.

[MiniTourPlayer20]

I believe they should stay open. I live in WI and all state park fees have been waived but golf courses are closed. What is the difference in you taking your dog for a walk through a state park than you walking through a massive piece of land chasing a white golf ball around?

 

As long as courses close the club house and do all transactions over the phone and limit groups to a few people with walking only, there should be no issue.

[wkndhckr]

I'm on the fence about the whole thing. Last week my county went on a stay at home order but golf courses were told they could remain open. I did end up playing solo with my pull cart and didn't putt withing 3 feet.

[ThinkingPlus]

IBTL

[llewol007]

Me as a golfer would totally want that but me as a respiratory therapist says we really have to look at the seriousness of what is going on. The main reason I say that is that any leak in the system will keep the exposure going. I liken this to the design of the titanic. The worlds unsinkable ship. The builders in a rush to get the ship out to sea decided not to seal off the hulls to the top completely and guess what happened there. Same thing can easily happen here where a golfer A who has it and shows no symptoms can transfer it in passing and suddenly golfer B takes it home to where he has elderly inlaws who live with them. And I know many out there will say "well you cant quarantine everyone and that is true but if we can just slow this thing down a lot more than what we are doing now, it helps towards finding an apex. We are still in an upward trend and that is scary. It is now a pandemic that many countries are dealing with. With the good news in China that their rates and curve have trended downwards but that was the whole country on lock down. Other countries including ours that have not taken whats going on seriously enough, will see the amount of confirmed cases keep on going up. Many people blame our Top leader but Ive seen it enough where even when we tell people not to come to the hospital to visit their sick loved one in isolation, still show up to visit their sick loved one in isolation. The reason why the numbers keep going up and its sad to see is what is going on in New York and Florida where our younger generation as well as many older age groups felt the need to group themselves, throw parties, go to the beach like nothing is happening. Makes anybody on the front line shake their head in anger. Any exposure to somebody else can keep this thing going. If you and your buddies go golfing. You just happen to shake each others hand, sneeze in a persons direction, touch the damn same steering wheel or score card or anything etc. can transfer the virus from one person to another. As crazy as it sounds, ask the people who did not know they had it and how many people the exposed it to who now have it. Cant chance it. As soon as this thing is contained and tests and vaccines as well as confirmed treatments are being used to combat this thing, lets be happy with not having to deal with this first hand. Too many people unfortunately do not get that option. I cant wait for the golf courses to officially open but for now am okay with waiting. Stay safe out there Golfwrx.

[grm24]

Just a matter of time like all of the other threads on this same topic.

[ThinkingPlus]

Yep. The breadth of forbidden topics increases daily.

[golferseth]

I believe with the flipped cups or raised inside of the cup, no rakes, not touching the flags and only allowing walking would be the way to go to allow people to still get their exercise and stay sane.

[Boricua Golf]

The golfer in me says yes, the reality of it is that COVID-19 is for real, I understand that courses are massive pieces of land, but it is not about us, it is about those we care about, we may be carriers and not show symptoms, however, it WILL spread to those around you...do we really want to take that chance???, I think not!!!, that said, my wife is a nurse at Fort Belvoir, VA and she sees this thing first hand and it is not fun..I am currently in Afghanistan on a contract, and it is really tough here, we have Military Police enforcing "social distancing" and even Dinning Facility procedures have changed dramatically, it really feels like we are in jail, but with benefits (not many since all the establishments are now closed), please stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy time with family, I know is tough not to play out beloved game, trust me I know!!!, take care all..

[MaxBuck]

I'd certainly like it ... but I understand if it can't happen.

[mallrat]

As a golfer I like it. As an Asst Super, it’s nice to still have a job and something to make my mind off this virus

That said, after what I’ve witnessed the last 2 weeks, no, courses should be open. Most people are ok about their social distancing, say 60%. Some are good most of the time, say 25%. Some just don’t seem to care, the rest. They touch the flag sticks, don’t come anywhere close to keep 6 ft apart and don’t really seem to care about those who do. IMO, those few are going to ruin it for all others.

 

[produff26]

For me, A NYC resident, playing golf is much safer than going to the supermarket or taking the subway!

[MountainGoat]

Yes.

[Itsjustagame]

It's not possible to really shut yourself in the house.

We have no grocery deliveries in our rural area.

Have to eat/grocery shop or pick-up food from take out restaurants.

No mail delivery at my house.

Have to go to the post office now and then.

Had a leaking pipe last week- had to go to the hardware store.

My 95 year old mother is in an assisted living facility and they are confined to their rooms. Can't go in but can "window visit".

It seems to me that with proper thought/preparation golf is safe if the CDC guidelines are to be believed.

 

 

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[davep043]

This is a problem I see, at a private club. We have groups of friends, and they'll stick around for a little while after playing to settle bets and talk trash. The club has no chairs outside, we're not "facilitating" a gathering beyond keeping the snack bar open, but people will want to gather. And when we gather, at least a few of us will forget to keep appropriate distance. Its just difficult to change behavior, and it does increase the risk of transmission.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the risk to the greens staff. They need to maintain their distance from one another, and they need to be sure everything they touch is cleaned appropriately. I know our management is taking precautions, but the human element ensures that no precautions are foolproof.

I hope the courses stay open. I hope that the members will follow the recommended precautions, better than we did this past weekend. I hope the staff are also following the appropriate precautions. I hope it turns out to be a good decision.

[klebs01]

I went for a walk an the paved trail at Lapham Peak State Park on Sunday and it was more congested than an golf course could possibly be. Evers needs to allow courses to open.

[Noles]

The pot is moving faster than your giant spoon can move. Been discussed ad nauseam.

[Hawkeye77]

LOL, you can't miss them!

There are about a dozen threads on it, most with big red stickers, in this sub-forum alone.

[Fuscinator]

Were the risk only to oneself, I'd be fine with them staying open, but it's a contagious disease that kills people. You're not just risking your own safety when potentially exposing yourself. Regardless of precautions taken (and I was impressed with the thought that's gone into it), mistakes can be made. The fallout from those mistakes can grow, exponentially, so I don't think it's worth keeping them open.

[Hawkeye77]

Looks like the golf petition threads have been locked up or disappeared, those seemed golf-specific and okay to me anyway, but people just couldn't stay 100% on topic, and I see some other effort really not specific to golf was "inspired" and shut down pretty quickly (although without deleting it the guy still gets all the benefits of tagging it to this site). I guess it's a fine line on the politics and so many people take advantage it's probably tough to cut a break to the golf-specific ones. We are lucky in Iowa ------- so far.