NEWS
European Tour boss hopeful of summer resumption
By Golf365
17 April 2020
Chief executive Keith Pelley is upbeat about the prospect of the European Tour resuming sometime in the summer despite announcing this year’s Scottish Open would be postponed as well as the cancellation of two other events.
While the PGA Tour plans to resume in June, its European counterpart has decided to scrap the BMW International Open due to be played from June 25-28 at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried in Munich because of coronavirus.
The Open de France, scheduled for the following week at Le Golf National, near Paris, will also not take place this year after the French government decided to ban all mass gatherings and events until mid-July.
A message from European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley to the fans ????
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 17, 2020
Discussions are ongoing to salvage the Scottish Open, one of eight Rolex Series events announced at the start of the 2020 season, which was originally to be held at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick from July 9-12.
The event is traditionally a precursor to The Open – which would have taken place a week after but has already been mothballed due to the ongoing crisis.
With July 30 – the slated start of the British Masters – the earliest possible return for the European Tour, Pelley is hopeful the current crisis will ease, allowing for no further interruptions.
In a message on the European Tour’s website, Pelley said: “As important as golf is to all of us, public health and well-being continues to be our absolute priority.
“That is why we have announced the cancellation of the BMW International Open and the Open de France, as well as the postponement of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.
The BMW International Open and the Open de France have been cancelled, while the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, a Rolex Series event, has been postponed due to the continuing threat posed by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 17, 2020
“My primary message is actually one of optimism because I am genuinely hopeful that from now on the information I send in relation to our 2020 schedule will be positive.
“We cannot emphatically commit to a start date because, as I have said many times, we will not resume until it is safe, and we are permitted to do so.
“We now have 14 weeks with no tournaments, but those three and a half months are also the time where the global situation may well begin to show signs of improvement.
“There are already discussions centring around the easing of restrictions in several countries and everyone is optimistic that these can continue.
“This window also gives us the opportunity to continue working behind the scenes on a variety of scheduling options which would allow us to provide you with a busy calendar of golf to enjoy when we do resume.”
Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
PGA Tour to announce June restart to 2020 season
By Brian Wacker, GolfDigest
15 April 2020
PGA Tour officials are expected to announce this week their intention to resume the tour season, halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, multiple sources have told Golf Digest. It’s also expected that fans will not be allowed to attend that first tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. As the Tour looks to follow health and safety guidelines set by government and health officials, other early tournaments also are expected to be played without spectators.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the Tour’s behalf. Tour officials discussed plans with the Players Advisory Council during a conference call on Tuesday.
Late last week, the Tour sent players a memo saying that it was targeting a return at Colonial. The memo cited the tournament’s original date on the tour calendar of May 21-24, but also said the Tour was evaluating options to “preserve the maximum number of events we can while giving us more time as the crisis evolves.” Sources previously told Golf Digest those options focused on moving the Charles Schwab Challenge to June. The RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for June 11-14, will not be played, sources have said, freeing up the date for another event.
After the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Tour has an opening on its calendar for a “Potential PGA Tour Tournament” from June 18-21, when the U.S. Open was to be held before the USGA announced its postponement to September. Scheduling conversations at the Tour remain ongoing and fluid, but according to multiple sources, the RBC Heritage, originally scheduled to be played this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, is likely to fill that slot.
From there, the latest schedule scenario being evaluated by the Tour, according sources with direct involvement in the discussions, includes:
June 25-28: Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
Keeps original date
July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club
Moves from May 28-31
July 9-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
Keeps original date
July 16-19: Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village G.C., Dublin, Ohio
Moves from June 4-7
July 23-26: 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
Keeps original date
July 30-Aug. 2: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis
Moves from July 2-5
July 30-Aug. 2: Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mt. Club, Truckee, Calif.
Moves from July 2-5
According to a source, once play resumes, all tournaments with the potential exception of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude would feature fields ranging from 144 to 156 players in an effort to make up for lost playing opportunities.
The schedule then picks up from the Tour’s announcement last week regarding events in August and September:
Aug. 6-9: PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco
Aug. 13-16: Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield C.C., Greensboro, N.C.
Aug. 20-23: The Northern Trust, TPC Boston
Aug. 27-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club
Sept. 3-7: Tour Championship, East Lake G.C., Atlanta
Sept. 17-20: U.S. Open, Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Sept. 25-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Haven, Wis.
Nov. 12-15: Masters, Augusta National G.C., Augusta, Ga.
The truncated schedule is predicated on guidance from health and governmental officials. Two weeks ago, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expanded a previous order that required a 14-day quarantine for anyone flying into the state, adding several more cities and states, including Miami, Atlanta, Detroit and Chicago, as well as anywhere in California or Washington. How long that remains in place could have a substantial impact on whether any more changes to the schedule will have to occur as a precaution against the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom described the prospects of holding mass gatherings in the state any earlier than September as being “unlikely,” potentially impacting the play of the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in August. Earlier in the day, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, interviewed on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, said that the association was preparing various contingencies for the PGA Championship, including holding the tournament without spectators or moving it from California.
“If the safest and/or the only way to is to do it without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that,” Waugh said. “We believe that having it as a television event is worth doing regardless of whether there’s fans there or not.”
Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
PGA Championship future sites through 2031
By Todd Kelly, Golfweek
14 April 2020
In 2019, the PGA Championship was moved up from August to May.
In 2020, the PGA will slide back on the calendar but not because of another schedule overhaul. Rather, the global coronavirus pandemic has forced changes across the board for golf tournaments.
On April 6, the PGA Championship was tentatively rescheduled for Aug. 6-9, while staying at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh indicated on April 14 that every effort will be made to stick to those dates, even if it means no fans on the grounds.
There are PGA Championships scheduled out to 2031, although venues for 2025, 2026 and 2030 are still to be determined.
Future locations
2020
TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, Aug. 6-9
2021
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
2022
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey
2023
Oak Hill Country Club, East Course, Pittsford, New York
2024
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
2027
Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
2028
The Olympic Club, Lake Course, San Francisco
2029
Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course, Springfield, New Jersey
2031
Congressional Country Club, Blue Course, Bethesda, Maryland
Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
48% of US Golf courses are open for play (NGF Survey*).
By NGF
13 April 2020
As of week ending April 12, 48% of U.S. golf courses were open for play, up a bit vs. prior week (44%).
As of April 13, 2020, 45 states have some kind of Stay-at-Home order in place for residents. There are currently
Google search data offers an unfiltered look into the human psyche – our fears, concerns, desires and everyday questions. For golfers, there’s a growing need for information on open local golf courses.
Despite restrictions on play, no state currently has an executive order that disallows minimum basic golf course maintenance.
The GCSAA and USGA recently released joint guidelines outlining the minimum, basic practices for golf course maintenance during the COVID-19 outbreak. Even if a course is closed, a minimum maintenance regimen will help keep turf healthy and “standing by” for when the facility is able to resume standard operations. Click link to access a PDF that details the suggested minimum maintenance practices.
Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Many golf courses remain open, implement new guidelines amid COVID-19 pandemic
By Jessica Peres, The Denver Channel
13 April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the shutdown of gyms and other fitness studios across the country, leading many people to resort to at-home workouts. But for those seeking exercise outside, parks and even many golf courses are still open.
“At least half of the United States governors have not shut down golf courses,” said Jay Karen, the CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). “In fact, some have outright said that they are good, essential places for people to be right now, just like public parks. In about 10 states, there have been executive orders to shut down golf facilities.”
The NGCOA proves education outreach, holds conferences and more for owners of golf courses across the country. Adhering to the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations, it has issued guidelines for golf courses that have decided to remain open.
“The intent is that a person could literally drive their car to the parking lot, get out, make their way up to the first tee and around 18 or nine holes and back to the parking lot in a socially distant, safe manner,” Karen explained. “That truly is what this is about. It’s literally a check list that golf courses use with their staff and their customers.”
The NGCOA calls the recommendations “Park and Play: Make Your Course Social Distance Ready.”
Some of the guidelines include:
- Encourage golfers to pay in advance online or over the phone
- Place signage around course and shop outlining social distancing guidelines
- Increase tee time intervals
- Do not provide rental clubs
- Eliminate food sales
- Sanitize each golf cart after use
- Ensure players use separate golf carts, unless they are family quarantined together
The guidelines were vetted by a doctor at the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“The game has been adjusted. So, the superintendents of golf courses are raising the cups out of the hole so if you hit the raised cup it’s as good as hitting it in the hole,” Karen explained. “Flag sticks don’t get touched, or in some cases, they’re removing the flags altogether and just putting the hole in the middle of the green, on every green.”
Steel Canyon Golf Club in Georgia has put up signs and changed its answering machine in order to advise patrons of the new “Park and Play” rules.
“We realize golf is unique in this conversation of what stays open and what stays closed because,” said Karen. “We like to say we are basically a 150-acres park and we let four people on at a time, every ten minutes.”
He adds while golf may seem trivial during the current coronavirus pandemic, golfing may not be much different than heading to the local park and can be good for mental health.
“I just think there’s a whole populous out there that cannot sequester themselves for weeks at a time without going outside and at least walking around, getting fresh air and exercising,” Karen said. “If people are allowed to get outside and exercise, then there’s a role in the golf course, as long as they can maintain that safety.”
There are some people who are golfing right now that really weren’t golfers before but right now they’re finding that they’re craving that physical activity and they’re joining up with this sport. Despite the increased interest, NCGOA says golf courses across the country are suffering. The golf courses that have stayed open have seen business plummet by up to 80 percent. This comes during what is usually the busiest time of year for the sport.
Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Many U.S. Golf Courses Are Open Despite Distancing Orders
By Dave Merrill, Bloomberg
12 April 2020
Across the U.S. most restaurants, bars and businesses deemed non-essential have closed, and almost every American has been ordered to stay at home as Covid-19 cases increase and deaths mount. While states permit people to get outside and exercise, finding space for fresh air can be hard to come by, as authorities limit the number of people that can congregate, and where. National parks, beaches and recreation areas have closed, but in most states, golf courses are an exception. About half of America’s 16,000 courses continue to operate in 34 states as essential outlets for exercise and health maintenance.
That might be welcome news to some of the 1.5 million workers supported by the golfing industry—excluding many of the furloughed caddies and clubhouse and restaurant staff whose jobs are considered non-essential segments of golf course operations. For the 24 million people in the U.S. who play the sport, mild late-winter weather provided more chances to tee up, and online bookings in the first quarter of 2020 were up 10% from last year, according to GolfNow data.
But even on 150-acre golf courses, some states and municipalities have called into question whether course operators can enforce social distancing guidelines—and whether golf courses are an essential business for recreation. Professional golf tournaments have been canceled or postponed, including the PGA’s Masters—which was scheduled for this weekend but postponed until November. Some of the states hardest hit by the outbreak, including Washington, Michigan and New Jersey, have forced all golf courses to close. Parts of Florida and California have done the same.
State Orders on Golf Course Closures
In an effort to prevent the spread of the virus at courses that remain open, new safety measures have been implemented nationwide. Clubs require limited handling of common items, flag sticks must be left in the hole and ball washers, towels and bunker rakes have been removed from courses. Some clubs have a one-rider-per-cart policy. Others have removed carts altogether because employees who clean and fuel the carts have been deemed non-essential and cannot work.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that state golf courses are not essential and will be closed indefinitely. Some New York courses were operating with reduced staffing before the Thursday’s closure. A March 27 statement from New York’s regional Professional Golf Association and the Metropolitan Golf Association outlined that most staff are not essential and cannot work at the clubs even if operators choose to keep them open. “If clubs don’t feel comfortable having players on the course without staff available, the ‘lock the gates’ option should be considered,” the statement said.
Scaled-Back Operations
Prior to Governor Cuomo’s announcement, Suffolk County Park System’s four public courses had operated for several weeks having implemented safety plans approved by county health officials—including adding minutes between tee times. But in Meriden, Connecticut, City Manager Tim Coon closed a municipal course on March 30 after he observed large groups on the course and in parking lots not adhering to social distancing guidelines “multiple times over multiple days,” putting the safety of players and employees at risk.
“We’re saying, ‘Listen, we’d rather have you off the course than in a hospital,’” Coon said.
President Trump’s golf properties have been particularly hard hit by local closure mandates. Only two of 12 U.S. Trump Golf courses, in Charlotte and Northern Virginia, remain open. Three Florida properties have closed in compliance with county ordinances, as have Trump’s New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles properties. As with many other golf operations, Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, while remaining open, filed a layoff notice Thursday that affects 102 workers.
A petition requesting resumption of play in Minnesota has gained more than 40,000 signatures. In Wisconsin, 40 Republican lawmakers signed a letter to Governor Tony Evers urging him to reopen courses. But right now, according to GolfNow data, more courses are closing on a daily basis than are reopening.
Percentage of U.S. Golf Courses Closed Due to Covid-19
Based on GolfNow survey of 5,350 U.S. partner courses
Overall municipal courses have been more likely to close than privately-operated courses. And those in rural settings have been more likely to stay open than urban clubs. According to National Golf Foundation course closure data, 76% of Oklahoma courses remain open for golf.
In normal times, Bill Golden, the CEO of PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com, is responsible for marketing 80 public courses in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Spring and fall are peak seasons for golf on the so-called Grand Strand courses.
“Right now, we aren’t marketing travel packages and we shouldn’t. So, we are asking our robust local golfing audience, if you have a chance to come out and do what you love, we’d love to have you.”
Eleven courses are closed, mostly because larger, multiple-course operators have consolidated tee-times to fewer courses. “With consolidation comes layoffs,” says Golden.
According to Golden, businesses are dutifully trying to maintain payrolls as best they can. Many are seeking Small Business Administration payroll protection made available through federal stimulus funding. The SBA relief loans will be forgiven if businesses can maintain headcounts and salaries over an eight-week stretch.
Golden says that across the board, resorts and hotels are honoring a no-questions-asked cancellation and refund policy. And while the spring economic reverses have been substantial, golf bookings for fall travel are way up. “The desire is there, the ability isn’t,” Golden said.
ABOUT TAGMARSHAL
Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.
Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
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