COVID-19 and local golf (NO POLITICS)

[cdnglf]

 

Golf discussion please. We don’t need some random golfwrx poster’s uninformed opinion of “Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist and public health expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center”

 

 

 

[BMC]

I gave no opinion about Dr. Lawler. You're making things up.

[cdnglf]

Sure

[Man_O_War]

he said "my club"...it's private. they have the suckers prepaying so they are good lol.

 

public courses on the other hand... wide open now

[Nels55]

You may well be right in your opinion but if you are wrong and you are not careful you could die or cause others to die. From everything that I have read it is my opinion is that this is not just another strand of the flu/cold and having an opinion that is wrong in my case will not cause any real harm while unfortunately in your case your opinion could effect others depending on your actions.

[DFinch]

We met today (men's club board, public course) to have this exact discussion since our season usually starts in March. Opinions ran the gamit, just like everywhere else. We settled on a tentative start date of April 4th with ongoing evaluation as things develop. Several wanted to push it to May or even June. I personally feel like the golf course is one of the safer places to be (way safer than Costco) but I would imagine if we do start the season a percentage of people will choose not to play, possibly to the point we can't put a game together. We'll see.

The course itself will remain open for public play, which was a strong part of the argument for not pushing the start date way back.

 

 

[sailfishchris]

Played yesterday and today at Bethpage State Park- Yellow yesterday and Green today-crowded. Figure get some rounds in before everything shuts down. Might have to set the Old Vector up for some sim time

[Chanceman]

I figure I can play a round of golf without touching anything but my clubs. 1/ as said above local rule in bunkers to place ball without penalty so no raking 2/ gimme 2 putts on every green and gimme 1 putt from inside 10 feet. That way I can walk from my car to first tee, say hello to the mates, tee off and finish without touching. Problem comes at the after round. Big decision. Each to their own.

[mallrat]

One thing to consider is course conditions. While courses may stay open, somehow, the employees may not be there. I work at a course and we are wondering what our path is forward. We think 3 of us (super, Asst, 2nd Asst or me) will continue with minor maintenance. However it is very unlikely if it gets bad, that we will run a full crew.

[RSinSG]

I’m playing in a charity tournament next week at the Classic Club in the Palm Springs area. The only modification is the banquet was cancelled and we’ll be getting box lunches which sounds like an improvement to me.

[BIG STU]

Well a few things have changed since I last posted. Now this is what I call on the surface. The course that I am at now at plays a shootout every Saturday morning. Now this time of year we have a mix of locals and Snowbirds. Everyone was talking about Coronavirus yesterday. Some of the Canadians are talking about going home next week because they are afraid if the virus spreads they are scared they can not get back into Canada. Then again some other folks were talking about they had flown in from JFK Friday night. One guy who is a contractor from NY was talking about some of the idiots on the plane. Said some were wearing Home Depot type masks which he pointed out was good for stopping sawdust etc but useless for stopping germs. Another guy from up North somewhere stated they had his course closed until further notice because of the virus. But still as far as Golf on the Grand Strand as of now has not seemed to slow up any at all

[acem]

All local courses are shut down..... For a minimum of 2 weeks.

[MountainGoat]

I received two emails within minutes each other, one from an adjacent county municipal golf network and the other from my local course. In similar language, both said that they were staying open and undertaking efforts to protect golfers. They asked patrons to do the following:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.Stay home when you are sick especially if you are experiencing symptoms such as high fever, cough or shortness of breath or if you have been exposed or in areas where there has been a high incidence of the coronavirus e.g. China, Italy, cruises, etc…Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. I certainly hope they stay open, because if they close, I'll have absolutely nothing to do.

 

[Philomathesq]

Just received an email from the Texas Golf Association. All scheduled events are still a go.

[disco111]

Just got an email from my wife..............."No golf for you for at least 2 weeks, you ain't getting sick and bringing it home to me!"

[MountainGoat]

Guys, please remember that this is a thread about the effect of Covid-19 on local golf. It is not a place for analysis of the pandemic or debate about who is to blame. If it continues in that direction, I'll ask to have it shut down.

Useful contributions include but are not limited to the following: 1) Are your local courses staying open? 2) If open, are they crowded or empty? 3) If open, are they overwhelmed by kids out of school? 4) Are any precautions being taken? 5) Are tournaments being cancelled in your area? 6) Have people stopped shaking hands after a round? Etc.

Thank you.

[caniac6]

I went to the range yesterday, and the course was very crowded. I used hand sanitizer after leaving the clubhouse, and after getting in the car. Other than that, it seemed like business as usual.

[uglande]

There's no issue on the course, really. But having staff continue working in the clubhouse environment, interacting with customers/patrons, etc., will be the issue. If you belong to a private club, it would make sense, at the very least, to allow players on the course and maintain hours for grounds crew and maybe a starter to take tee times, etc. At public courses it's going to be a real challenge and it wouldn't surprise me if they shut down at some point. Things are getting bad quickly and a more comprehensive lockdown like in Italy, France and Spain is not unrealistic at some point (at least in some areas).

[Medson]

Another useful point is to say where you are. Posting bunch of “local courses are shut down” doesn’t help. Name the region or courses.

[6x6]

I live here and there are some upset guys who play 5 days a week. Due to some long distances between greens and tees on the courses, pace of play issues which can be problematic, walking is discouraged. In fact you have to get permission from the pro shop first. So, only two carts allowed and if you’re a single paired with a threesome you’ll be sharing a cart. I think with the age demographic here, thinking of the pro shop staff etc, that was their thought process behind the closing. Funny thing is for residents you wouldn’t have to check in at the pro shop. Nearly all have their own cart, you get your tee time online. You’ll be debited automatically whether you show up or not. Currently if you don’t physically check in with at the pro shop you’re acct isn’t charged. You’d only need a Marshall/starter with the tee sheet to keep things moving in order. They have said the maintenance guys will continue their work on the courses during the closure.

One big positive of the closings is the course conditions should greatly improve. With all the play these courses get, the heat and other issues, the turf will surely be better off with a month rest.

Me, I’m playing offsite on Tuesday and probably Thursday. So, other than having to drive my car 20-25 mins to other courses rather than drive my golf cart one mile no big problem.

 

[duffer987]

Thanks for the on the ground POV :-)

Obviously you know better than me, but ya I cannot even think of a 9 hole loop you could get in with consecutive short tee-green-tee transitions to walk. You're usually crossing a road every half-dozen or so.

[Serenity Now]

All upcoming events sponsored by the SCGA have been cancelled. We have had so much rain in the last week that our local course is empty except for us hard core walking Gore Tex'ns

I am supposed to go to Bandon next week and have fingers crossed. Strange times. No more handshakes or fist bumps. Elbows only and leave the pin in

[Pulledabill]

Here in Oregon, I am not aware of any course closures.  I did hear that the OGA (Oregon Golf Assoc.) cancelled all tournaments at this time.  My local driving range sent out email stating that they are open, but no cash (card only), and no lessons until further notice. 

[Big Ben]

Agreed! I did end up playing 27 chilly holes and it was so nice just to be outside away from this hype. If we do get locked down I plan to re-shaft my Wilson Staff Model Blades with graphite and review the process with pics. Better than Mad Men reruns!

[tad950]

The NCGA cancelled all all tournaments and NCGA sponsored events until April 18th. That includes two back to back trips to Bandon. But we do have the option to go up on our own. Our rooms and tee times are still in place. There will be no NCGA personnel at the resort. If I decide not to go, I will be issued a full refund. I’m still thinking about going. It’s probably safer in Oregon than in the Bay Area. Who knows, in a couple weeks they might be turning cars with California plates around at the Oregon border.

p.s. I was initially going to cancel, and use that time to go skiing in Tahoe. I have an Epic Pass and haven’t been able to use it much this season because it really hasn’t snowed much until this past week. But on Saturday I saw a notification that all Vail Resort properties were going to suspend operations at all their resorts beginning today. For a minimum of 7 days. Maybe everyone is trying to get it through my thick skull that travel it not the best thing to do right now.

[Big Ben]

This is going to suck if they lock us down! If they do mandate it I will abide however. No reason to push it for the good of society.

[woods991]

I am in Cleveland and the Governor of Ohio just mandated that all bars and restaurants to close at 9 pm with no reopen time detailed yet.

 

[duffer987]

If Ireland, repeat IRELAND, can close down its pubs (all that undrunk/undrank Guinness), than the vast majority of the rest of us will be able to make due with any temporary measures we need to abide by ;-)

We have a 7:30am teetime next Saturday and if Bay Area courses start closing, so be it. If the worst thing that happens to people here is not being able to chase a little white ball around for a month it just puts us in the same boat of the more Northern states courses trying to come out of a late winter.

[bsuwara]

That definitely carries more weight than any government advisory ...

[bodhi555]

Our place was closed today, nothing to do with any plague, just as it was too wet and 2 or 3 greens were flooded. I decided to go to a local range instead, that was open as usual, and just as busy as any other Sunday.

Obviously have no idea what sort of quarantine we'll end up with in the UK, but as long as I'm healthy and there are places to play I expect I'll carry on. I play solo about 50% of the time anyway when I'm practicing, so assuming I can get out I'll be nice and sharp for things getting back to normal.

If there's nowhere to play I will have gone stir crazy after about 3 days I expect. Especially if the pub is shut as well.