By Ryan Herrington, Golf Digest

22 March 2020

Golfers from around the country have looked to golf courses (in areas where play is still permitted at least) as a refuge from the somber realities of the coronavirus pandemic. In turn, numerous courses have implemented ad hoc policies—prohibiting the touching of flagsticks, removing bunker rakes, raising golf cup liners, etc.—to allow golfers to play the game in the safest way possible.

Now the USGA has issued guidance on how the Rules of Golf and posting scores for handicap purposes should be treated given the need to minimize any possible exposure to the coronavirus.

In a statement issued late last week, the USGA explained the modernized Rules of Golf released in 2019 offer flexibility for local clubs and courses to decide how golf is to be played. That said, many of the questions that have surfaced due to the coronavirus weren’t foreseen under the new rules. To help, the USGA has created a FAQ page on its website to help address specific issues regarding flagsticks, bunker rakes and scoring.

It’s this third area where the biggest modification to current USGA guidelines are being enacted. Specifically in regards to the Rules of Handicapping, which were introduced on Jan. 1 in conjunction with the new World Handicap System, the USGA announced it is implementing a temporary measure to address instances where players are being asked not to “hole out” as required under the Rules of Golf.

To keep numerous hands from touching a golf hole, many courses have raised golf cup liners and said that any putt that bounces off the liner is to be considered holed. While inherently disregarding a tenant of the Rules of Golf, the USGA decided it will accept scores played under these conditions for handicap purposes, using the most likely score guideline, specifically for rounds in the U.S.

Here’s the specific USGA language:

“From the perspective of the Rules of Handicapping, the most frequent questions received are primarily related to the acceptability of scores for posting to a player’s scoring record. In particular, relating to modifying the hole and not requiring the player to “hole out” as required under the Rules of Golf. These are founded in a desire to minimize the possibility of exposing golfers to coronavirus and have included leaving the hole liner raised above the putting surface or placing various objects into the hole so the ball can be more easily removed. In these specific cases, provided guidance from health and governmental officials is being followed, a temporary measure is in place within the United States to accept scores played under these conditions for handicap purposes using the most likely score guidelines, even though the player has not holed out.”

Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.

View Golf Digest article

By NGCOA

March 2020

Click on image to Download

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting businesses worldwide, and in an effort to protect their citizens, governors are closing those businesses whose activity may promote the spread of the virus.

Unfortunately, some states have included golf courses in their executive orders. NGCOA supports the state officials’ efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19; however, we are asking them to understand golf is a hybrid business: the indoor elements of our business exist within the clubhouse, but our core business—playing golf—exists in an open outdoor environment and should be assessed differently.

Park and Play program

NGCOA feels it’s important to support public health and safety initiatives. So to adhere to the social distancing requirement, we’ve created this list of measures you can take to implement a “Park and Play” program at your course. The Park and Play program gives your golfers confidence that they can drive to your course, park their cars, get to and around the course, and back to the parking lot in as safe an environment as possible.

These measures align with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “social distancing” and sanitation practices, and have been reviewed and approved by a physician at the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Once adopted by your staff and your customers, these measures will allow your course to continue operations, help the public feel more comfortable, and set expectations on near term limitations during this trying time.

• Encourage golfers to pay in advance over the phone with a credit card, show up to a pre-positioned sanitized cart, and proceed to the first tee without personal contact.
• Recommend all customers update credit card information on file and book tee times or order food and beverage services DIRECTLY with the club via PHONE during the social distancing period.
• Place appropriate signage outside the pro-shop and clubhouse entries briefly outlining the social distancing guidelines in place.
• Place appropriate signage on carts and around the clubhouse with the phone number to call in food orders with an explanation that credit card transactions are requested.
• Eliminate sit-down food and beverage services. Use “call-ahead,” “take-out, and/or “to go” services only. Consider delivery as an option from the beverage cart, or an additional golf cart if feasible.
• Provide protective gloves to all staff handling cash or credit cards during all transactions.
• Consider increasing your tee time intervals to spread players out on the course.
• Direct players to leave the pin in the cup at all times. You can also raise the cup up an inch above the green surface and count it when the ball hits it. This is a good time for “gimmies.”
• Follow all guidance to not exceed gathering limits established by local and state authorities.
• Conduct no indoor events if possible.
• Remove ball washing stations or place out of usable areas.
• Remove all trash cans from the golf course.
• Remove rakes from the course and temporarily play these areas as non hazards. Put a local rule in place that permits placing your golf ball in any bunker on the course.
• Spread out driving range stations to separate customers.  
• Remove all water stations from the course and either provide bottled water or advise them to purchase beverages prior to tee off.
• Remove bulk scorecard, pencil and tee holders from starter areas. Only issue when requested.
• Remove all water stations from the course and either provide bottled water or advise them to purchase beverages prior to tee off.
• After play, ask golfers to go directly to their carts and park them in designated areas.
• Ask your customers to personally dispose of any trash they may have in the nearby receptacles.
• Update your website to indicate you are participating in the “Park and Play” program.

Preparing Your Facility

• Eliminate walk-up tee times and require tee times be made in advance, while encouraging advance pay.  Update your website to indicate this.
• Provide clear professional signage informing guests of operational changes and encourage recommended sanitation practices.
• Increase the frequency of routine cleaning, sanitization and disinfection of all locations, especially all common and high traffic areas, and frequently touched surfaces.
• Increase the number of hand sanitizer stations throughout the clubhouse, especially entry points and lobby.
• Increase frequency of HVAC system filter changing, and schedule more frequent cleaning of the system.
• Do not provide rental clubs during this period but, if necessary, ensure sanitation prior to issuance.
• Remove all non-essential devices from the range, such as bag stands or den caddies. Place balls on the range for your customers so they can be accessed using a club.
• Remove all merchandise items, normally smaller accessories, from your counter and place them out of reach of any customers that may be inside.
• Minimize indoor seating in bar and restaurant as these seating should be limited and spread out for those awaiting “to go” orders only.
• Ensure golf carts and other rental equipment are properly sanitized prior to issuing to customers.
• Ensure approved antimicrobial products are used for all sanitation procedures.
• Disconnect or remove water dispenser/coolers; this includes on-course units unless they offer foot control activation. Consider providing bottled water to players.
• Remove sand containers, coolers or anything from a golf cart that could be “shared.” This includes scorecards, tees, pencils and towels – these items should not be offered during this time.
• Short Game and Putting Practice Areas: Remove shag bags and devices that collect or push balls (such as PVC piping) from the area. Place alignment sticks, or stakes on the green as targets, and/or turn the cups upside down and leave in the hole. Remove all flags and institute a “bring your own practice balls policy.”
• Remove bar stools if the bar is open for “to go” service; do not promote seating.
• If portable restrooms are used, they must include hand washing stations with foot-activated devices adjacent to the units.
• Ensure range balls are cleaned thoroughly with soap after every pick up prior to making available for customers.

Preparing Your Staff

• Ensure staff are trained on hygiene, sanitation and food handling to learn about epidemic prevention and control.
• Ensure staff can recognize the symptoms of COVID-19 and know how to act responsibly if they detect or exhibit symptoms.
• All staff handling cash or credit cards must wear protective gloves during all transactions.
• Encourage golfers and staff to replace handshakes with other touch-less forms of greeting.

Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.

View NGCOA article

By GCSAA

19 March 2020

Golf course superintendents share steps they’re taking to manage both their teams and their to-do lists in the wake of COVID-19.

Editor’s note: While there is no lack of general information about the coronavirus available, GCSAA has compiled resources specific to golf and golf course management. Find customizable business and communications templates, relevant OSHA and CDC information, and more on GCSAA’s coronavirus resources page.

The GCM team will continue to add to this collection of anecdotes frequently throughout the coming weeks. Comments are from social media and have been lightly edited for clarity. To tell us how you are coping with coronavirus at your golf facility, and to share any strategies/workarounds you are implementing in your management of people or your course, email GCMOnline.com editor Megan Hirt.

Feedback from Sunday, March 22, 2020

Brandon Phillips
Twin Bridges Golf Club, Gadsden, Ala.

Twin Bridges is a city-owned course. The course has been closed since Wednesday, March 18.

Initially, we had to tell our six part-timers to stay at home, and just our four full-timers could work. But that just lasted a day or two because we had to aerify our greens, so the city approved us to let part-timers come back to work until further notice.

We had to take precautions, like everyone had to take their own cart so no one was riding with each other; try to keep a little distance from each other; sanitize everything we had contact with, like the cart steering wheels, gear shifters, doorknobs. We made sure we brought our own drinks, because we couldn’t take a cooler for everyone to share, and our clubhouse was closed, so we couldn’t get anything from there.

As of now, we are going about our daily work, just doing the basic needs of the course, waiting to see when we will get to open. Just hoping it is soon.

We still have some dormant fairways and rough, so we haven’t started to cut grass fully yet. It’s starting to green up, and we’re just going day to day to see if they will send us all home. We have a big greens renovation coming up in May/June, going from bentgrass to TifEagle bermudagrass.

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Feedback from Saturday, March 21, 2020

Chris Bruner
The Champions Course at Weeks Park, Wichita Falls, Texas

So here is our solution. Inverted cups with a reflector pin in the cup. Keeps flags off the course and still allows for range finders. Weird times. pic.twitter.com/SBH4sUFKOf

— Chris Bruner (@ChrisBruner11) March 21, 2020

Golf course superintendent in Canada

We’ve created a “doomsday” crew scenario in case we lose our crew. I have joined with three other local golf courses in agreement to support each other if need be. I have also contacted three recent retirees from my crew, and they are on board to help out. One of them is my former assistant, so there’s a vast knowledge of our course. We have also implemented disinfecting the cockpit of all machines each day. Better to have a plan than to get caught without one.

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Kelley Storch
Emporia (Kan.) Golf Course

To prevent golfers from having to touch flagsticks or cups, we cut 2-inch PVC pipe to 3 inches long and put a pool noodle inside. This compresses the foam slightly and doesn’t allow the foam to be blown or torn off. It slides over the flagstick down to the ferrule. Construction-wise, use a miter saw to cut the PVC pipe. The foam can be cut using the saw too. The reaction of our golfers has been positive.

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Feedback from Friday, March 20, 2020

Golf course superintendent in Texas

We currently have 26 full-time staff members. We are splitting the crew into two shifts. The red team works Sunday through Wednesday morning. We are disinfecting everything with a common chemical we use on the course, as supplies are low for conventional products. Then the blue team works from Wednesday afternoon — starting one hour after the red team leaves — through Saturday. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way we can ensure a social distance of 6 feet in our compound and still get all of our staff full-time hours.

This was preemptive. This was our own department’s internal decision, eventually approved by the GM and ownership, as the golf course maintenance team is the single largest daily full-time group on the property. This will hopefully be only for two weeks, but who knows. We’ve tried to stem our own possible transmission potential, and this will also hopefully ensure that in the event that someone or even a few people become sick, operations can continue with at least half the staff.

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Feedback from Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Rafael Barajas, CGCS, GCSAA 2019 president
Boca Grove Golf and Tennis Club, Boca Raton, Fla.

Food services are closed for dine-in but available for takeout and delivery. Golf course is still open to members only. No guests for golf, tennis or pickleball. It is a members-only facility until further notice. Members are riding one player per cart. There is no service for scorecards (get your own supplies) or club cleaning.

For the golf course maintenance staff, if they feel somewhat sick, they are to stay home or they will be sent home, no exceptions. Mandatory sanitizing of the equipment before use and after use. Club provides lunch to staff, so they have to line up 6 feet apart and get their lunchbox set up by one of our employees. No vendors allowed on the property unless they are making a delivery. All vendors were removed from the security list, so business will be done virtually, via phone, text or email.

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Chris Thuer, CGCS
Bear Slide Golf Club, Cicero, Ind.

Right now everyone keeps their distance when in the shop. We only have six right now, as we are not into the season and mowing every day yet. If it rains all day the next few days, only the equipment tech and myself will be in.

Doorknobs, vending machine, faucets, light switches, etc., get sprayed with disinfectant daily. There are 5-gallon buckets of bleach water for the crew to wipe down steering wheels, control levers, etc., on machines, and wipe down rakes, shovels and other tools before putting them away.

On the course, no one rides in the same utility vehicle together, and everyone stays away from each other. If it gets worse and we need to be mowing every day, we will stagger start times and/or stay in vehicles in the parking lot. One person at a time will enter the shop, clock in, get on their machine and head out. Then the next will do the same. Reverse at the end of the day. Only one person in the shop at a time. On the course, it is easy to isolate from others. Everyone is instructed to stay away if they are sick or if anyone they have been in contact with is sick.

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Robert Scott Blake
Public golf course, southwest Pennsylvania

We are complying with the governor’s call for nonessential businesses to close for two weeks. Most of our employees and customers are seniors.

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Darcy Otto
Idaho

Just getting ready to open in north Idaho. Small staff currently. No course accessories will be put out, pins will be disinfected and remain in the cup, limited access to the pro shop, to-go food from the restaurant, thoroughly cleaning of carts after rounds. Take it day to day, as recommendations will continue to change.

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Brian Wilcomb
Central Ohio

So far, we are operational as normal on the maintenance side, other than only one staff member per cart when possible. All staff may use the same tools throughout the day, and we spend 30 minutes at the end of each day wiping down all touchable surfaces with bleach, making sure the surfaces stay wet for five minutes.

It looks like we will be trending to a mow-only maintenance program in which greens may get mowed two to three times per week and tees/fairways one to two times per week. As far as spraying goes, we will do the bare minimum and try to keep the diseases knocked back, but will loosen our threshold as to what is acceptable.

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Andrew James
Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, Dublin, Ireland

We are not on full lockdown yet, so the club is very busy, as most offices have been told to work from home. This could change by next week if the government closes all nonessential jobs. However, we can’t just leave the course to go wild for a month. We will have to still have a few guys in every couple of days to check greens for disease and cut, etc., but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

We have taken in all flags and are updating members via the website on pin positions (i.e., all pins are front and center today). We were going to use pin sheets, but then arose the problem of everyone touching them also. All rakes have been taken out of bunkers, and golfers have been advised to repair damage as best as possible with their feet or club. All carts, buggies and trolleys for hire are banned. Clubhouse closed. Pro shop open at certain hours, but only one member in at a time.

We have staggered start times and breaks, and we are assigning jobs via our group WhatsApp. We are trying our best to give everyone jobs that have them apart from other workers, and are also assigning crew carts to individuals so that they make sure to wipe them down after use. We’re not using our hand scanner clock-in system. We have rubber gloves that each crew member has to put on when entering our admin and canteen building, and they must wipe down everything after their lunch.

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Eugene Weiser
Nine-hole semiprivate golf course, Iowa

Our clubhouse is closed, but the course is open. We keep our distance and start early at 5:30 a.m. All carts are wiped after each use, and groups must be of four or less. No water coolers, and everything is cleaned two to three times per day. I send my crew home after morning chores. I held a safety meeting and give reminders daily to use social distance.

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Luke Partridge
Sydney, Australia

Maintenance team split in half, working alternate days. Disinfecting of all common areas and machinery at the end of each day. Staggered break times.

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Josh Earnest
Par-3 municipal golf course, Kentucky

We just shut down the golf course, but I’m still able to work … for now.

I’m the only full-time employee on the course, and part-time workers haven’t come back yet. My priorities haven’t changed: greens, tees, fairways and rough, in that order. Mowing greens twice a week and rolling once to twice per week. Tees are bermuda and haven’t started growing yet, though I am in the process of overseeding with bluegrass. Seed went down 10 days ago, starter fertilizer today. Fairways and rough aren’t growing much yet, but it’s just a matter of time before I’m pulling 10- to 12-hour days, if I’m allowed. With no golfers, I assume I’ll have plenty of time to keep the course manageable until help arrives.

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Howie Zhao
Shenzhen, China

Once the local infections started to increase at the end of January, the club started to implement a series of info-checks for all members and guests who came in. Staff were urged to stay in the club (the staff dormitory is inside the club) unless movement out of the community was necessary.

The club closed from Feb. 1 to 28 according to the government policy of virus control. Staff members who stay in the club were not allowed to go out unless there was an emergency. Those who had been on vacation outside the club (many staff members went back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year holiday, and the virus outbreak happened at same time) were also strictly controlled by their local governments. Before the end of club closure, no one was allowed to go into or outside the club. Only the golf course maintenance, security, canteen, housekeeping and management teams were operational.

Once the club reopened, staff members who came back from any other provinces were required to take 14 days to quarantine in the dorm. Members and guests were asked to check their tracks in the past 14 days. Whoever had visited other cities in the past 14 days was not allowed to come in.

The restaurant is reopened, but it offers take-away food only. Now we are almost 80% back to normal operation. Most staff members have finished quarantine. It took quite a while and was not easy for everyone. Masks and self-hygiene as well as constantly sanitizing are critical.

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Tami Jones
Arkansas

Course is open for membership-play only. All ball washers have been pulled. Flagsticks are disinfected during setup, and golfers are encouraged to leave them in, and if they have to pull, to use a glove. Restrooms are on a two-hour disinfecting schedule. Players are allowed single carts. The restaurant is open, with distant-strategy seating and drive-up service. To-go service is encouraged. Crew is managed to individual tasks. No orders unless they’re for cleaning supplies or needed maintenance to operate.

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Tim Johnston
Wedgewood Pines Country Club, Stow, Mass.

Only three salaried staff working in the maintenance department. The course will be opening to play in three days. Priority was cleanup of short-grass playable areas, then all cuts. No course accessories (divot boxes, coolers, ball washers) are being placed on the course for opening. Flagsticks will stay in, but an email was sent indicating the preference to avoid touching if possible. Taking it day by day, task by task! Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.

View GCSAA article

By National Golf Foundationom

March 2020

Unsettled. Fluid. Ever-changing. When it comes to discussion of how the global coronavirus pandemic is affecting every walk of life, these are oft-repeated descriptions.

Golf has been a welcome escape for some during uncertain times, providing an outlet where participants can get exercise outdoors while being able to avoid close interaction with others. With more golf courses throughout the U.S. than Starbucks stores and an appeal that that spans generations, the game has shown it can offer valuable physical and mental respite with safe operation and proper protocols.

That said, the situation is changing continually, and often rapidly.

As golf facilities nationwide implement unprecedented safety measures, some are suspending operations due to government mandates, local or otherwise, in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. This has been particularly true among municipally-owned facilities, from San Francisco and San Diego to Miami-Dade County in Florida.

Meanwhile, the majority of golf facilities remain open and operators find themselves in uncharted territory, from extensive measures being implemented in an effort to ensure the safety of loyal customers and staffers to increased communication with those same groups to keep them informed and help allay fears.

The NGF is conducting facility-level research to determine the extent of course shutdowns and imminent closures, and the possible effect on rounds-played, while tracking the safety precautions being taken by facilities that are still operating — though it’s most definitely not business as usual.

If you’re a facility operator looking to share information, perspective or concerns on this pressing and continually-developing topic, please contact the NGF here or email us at editor@ngf.org.

Feedback thus far indicates that in growing number of instances, golf facilities that are open for play have shut down their clubhouse or food and beverage locations while drastically limiting other common touch points. In addition to the protocols that have been in place – extensive signage, staff education and frequent sanitizing efforts – some facilities are prohibiting cash transactions and the exchange of receipts, offering single-rider golf carts or requiring walking, not allowing staffers to touch or carry a guest’s bag or other belongings, and spacing out tee times more widely than usual.

On the course, operators have been encouraging flagsticks to be left in at all times and others have removed high-touch items, among them bunker rakes, water jugs, ball-washers or range-ball baskets. While some have halted all F&B services, others are offering grab-and-go fare or take-out delivered by staffers with sanitary gloves.

“The benefit that golf has is that it’s the perfect sport for social distancing. It’s relatively easy to keep your distance,” said KemperSports CEO Steve Skinner.

As one of the industry’s most prolific management companies, KemperSports operates more than 120 courses, from well-known resorts such as Bandon Dunes (Oregon), Streamsong (Florida) and Sand Valley (Wisconsin) to successful municipal facilities on either coast.

“In our markets in the country where the weather is good, the golf courses have been very busy, which is really interesting,” Skinner said. “I think everyone is kind of feeling their way. And it’s an incredibly fluid situation that’s changing by the hour, with a lot of jurisdictions. But for the most part, the vast majority of our facilities are open for play and we’re taking special precautions to make sure that our guests and staff are safe and healthy.”

The biggest challenge for operators may be how to successfully operate in an environment perhaps best described as ‘What’s-coming-next?’ The most common responses boil down to communication and flexibility. Operators cite a need to remain calm, be nimble in their responses, listen a lot, learn a lot and then pass that information along effectively.

“First and foremost, the health and safety of our associates, members, guests and all who visit our facilities remains our highest priority,” said Kris Strauss, a senior vice president for Troon Golf, which operates more than 450 facilities worldwide as the largest golf management company in the game.

“We are obviously taking this situation very seriously, while remaining calm. As we are all experiencing, we are dealing with not only an unprecedented situation, but also a situation that is changing almost hourly. And those changes vary by state, county, and city.”

In major cities like San Francisco, Boston and Orlando, the fairways of a number of courses were full of golfers one day and then empty the next.

TPC Harding Park, the municipal facility in San Francisco scheduled to host this year’s (now-postponed) PGA Championship, shut down operations when six Bay Area counties were ordered to shelter in place through at least April 7. On March 19, Governor Gavin Newsom on March 19 ordered California’s 40 million residents to stay at home and restricted non-essential movements to control the spread of the coronavirus, but play continues at some golf courses in the state. In Los Angeles, for example, all 12 municipal courses are open to walking-only play as a form of exercise, at least for the time being, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

In Orlando, the popular Winter Park 9-hole course, a municipal facility, has been temporarily closed, while the four Walt Disney World golf courses remain open for play even though the theme park is shut down.

Outside of Boston, operators of the municipally-owned Presidents Golf Course imposed a walking-only rule on March 13. While some players canceled their tee times in objection, their spots were all quickly filled. Two days later, the course halted operations and a number of other municipal facilities in the area followed suit to stay in step with local health orders.

“We felt the writing was on the wall,” said Presidents Golf Course Head Professional Dana Smith, who’s worked in the golf industry for more than two decades. “We’re just sitting this out. We made phone calls to our yearly subscribers, a lot of whom are seniors, just to tell them that we’re thinking of them but right now there’s no plan of action. That’s the challenging part. It’s mentally exhausting. Your outside-the-box thinking is being put to the test like never before.”

Other municipalities remain committed to keeping their public golf courses open to give residents of the local community an enjoyable outdoor activity that provides some exercise.

A number of municipal facilities have reported being directed by their local county officials to keep the golf course open to the public moving forward, even if restaurants or parts of the clubhouse are closed.

In Austin, Texas, all parks and recreation facilities are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but walking-only golfers are still permitted to play at the city’s six municipal golf courses.

The pro shop, golf cart rentals, food concessions, restrooms and other on-site amenities are all closed, while golfers choosing to play are encouraged by city officials to practice social distancing from other golfers and use hand sanitizer when coming into contact with “course features.” Golfers are also discouraged from congregating in groups larger than 10 people.

The disclaimer, of course, is that this provision may change at any time by order of the health department or an authorized city official.

Away from the course, golf-entertainment venues like Topgolf have been among the fastest-growing forms of engagement with the game in recent years.

But many of the selling points of those popular venues, designed to promote social interaction both day and night, result in potentially higher risks than those found at green-grass golf facilities as it pertains to the transmission of the coronavirus.

In complying with all government-issued mandates on mass gatherings, Topgolf has temporarily closed all 56 of its U.S. locations. Drive Shack has also shut down all of its venues.

Approximately 100 Golf Galaxy stores nationwide temporarily shut their doors as parent company DICK’S Sporting Goods temporarily closed all its retail locations through April 2. The stores continue to serve customers through its mobile app and online, and through a new contact-less curbside pickup service.

Worldwide Golf Shops has temporarily closed all 83 of its retail locations, which include The Golf Mart, Van’s Golf Shops, Roger Dunn Golf Shops, Golfers Warehouse, Edwin Watts Golf Shops, Las Vegas Golf Superstore and Uinta Golf shops, through at least April 2.

PGA TOUR Superstore has also temporarily shut down all in-store shopping through April 2, but will still sell through its website and continue to operate a “Curbside Caddie” service option for customers to place orders online and pick up outside the store.

“From its inception, golf has been a game that was meant to bring people together. It was true then. And it will be true long after these unprecedented times,” PGA TOUR Superstore CEO & President Dick Sullivan said in an email to customers. “While being sensitive to the issues at hand we hope golf can still help you find a few moments of distraction or maybe even an opportunity to step outside while staying close to home.”

Off course or on, golf is among a vast number of major businesses being greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with the potential for an even more significant impact if the threat continues to escalate and governments impose added restrictions on activities deemed non-essential.

That possibility has led to some uncertainty among staff at golf facilities around the country. It’s something that operators and others in the game may not only have to be merely cognizant of, but be prepared to take an active role in helping to offset.

“I know there is some federal legislation underway and it’s really incumbent on us as an industry to make sure golf is included in the relief,” said Skinner. “In the past, when there’s been hurricane relief bills and the like, sometimes golf has been excluded. As an industry, we’ve tried to champion that over the years — just like travel, leisure, hotels and other leisure activities.”

Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.

View thengfq.com article

By Andrew Hartsock, GCSAA

18 March 2020

Amid closures and quarantines, the golf course management industry is adjusting to a changing operational landscape. Superintendents share their plans and perspectives.

Editor’s note: While there is no lack of general information about the coronavirus available, GCSAA has compiled resources specific to golf and golf course management. Find customizable business and communications templates, relevant OSHA and CDC information, and more on GCSAA’s coronavirus resources page.

On Thursday, March 12 — the day the COVID-19 pandemic lost any remaining abstraction across North America, when the NCAA pulled the plug on March Madness and the NBA marked the first full day of its postseason and all the other sporting dominos tumbled or at least teetered — Hunter Brewer fired off a tweet.

His tweet wasn’t the first, surely, and unquestionably not the last on the topic, but it had to be among the most starkly eloquent — concisely putting words to a question that had to be on the minds of everyone in the golf course maintenance industry.

So what happens, Brewer tweeted, when a Superintendent or Assistant or crew member comes down with this thing? Are we just going to abandon the golf course for 2+ weeks while everyone quarantines? Everyone is in close contact with everyone else on a daily basis. This could be a wild ride.

The tweet didn’t exactly explode, but it did spark a digital discussion that’s far from over.

“For me, up to the point I sent the tweet out, nobody had asked the question, ‘What if one of us gets it?’” says Brewer (@TurfBrewer), senior assistant superintendent at FarmLinks Golf Club at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga, Ala., and an eight-year GCSAA member. “At the time, we were one of four states not to have coronavirus, but it would be crazy to think we didn’t have it here.”

The day after Brewer’s tweet, Alabama confirmed its first case.

“I was just thinking, how can we get ahead of this thing?” Brewer says. “And I know other guys were thinking the same thing. The response was great — generated a lot of great ideas.”

Less than a week later, it has become obvious there is no easy answer. Heck, it may not even be the right question.

But what is?

“I’d say it’s a huge international effort to figure it out,” says Jason Haines, superintendent at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, and a four-year GCSAA member. “But I think everybody is just waiting for leadership from the government. What do we do? What are we allowed to do? Who am I to say golf is safe? I’m not an epidemiologist; I’m just a greenskeeper. All we can do is reduce potential risk areas. But, again, I’m not an infectious disease expert. What do our staff do? How can we pay our bills if we can’t work? How can the golf course pay our bills if it’s not open?”

Adjusting course

Recently, Haines and his staff have made several changes to the way they work and prepare the 18-hole golf course.

“We’ve been, obviously, disinfecting common areas, common surfaces,” Haines says. “And we’re reducing common surfaces — (removing) bunker rakes, ball washers. They’re saying the virus can survive outside the body two to three days on certain surfaces. Obviously, we’re disinfecting the driving range and washing carts.”

One novel tactic: raised cups. The Sunshine Coast G&CC staff is leaving an inch or two of each cup above the putting surface, eliminating the need to remove the flagstick — which, under the Rules of Golf, is unnecessary now anyway — or to touch the inside of the cup.

We are on temps this am but this is our solution for not having to touch flag or hole. Hit the cup with your ball and if it remains within one putter length call it a sunk putt. pic.twitter.com/lGag2GoEFy

— Jason Haines (@PenderSuper) March 16, 2020

“If you hit the cup with your ball and it doesn’t bounce more than a putter’s length away, you call it a sunk putt,” Haines says.

Brewer’s course is instructing golfers to leave the flagsticks in.

“We’ll have our starter encouraging people to take gimmes,” he says. “You know, ‘Pick that 3-footer up. Give each other gimmes.’

“We’re a huge, open-air space,” Brewer adds. “You should feel safe here. You should be safe here.”

A fluid situation

It’s all very much a moving target.

Consider the case of Michigan on Monday. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order announcing “temporary restrictions on the use of places of public accommodation” and specifically mentioned golf clubs and country clubs as among the places that, as of 3 p.m. Monday, were to close until March 30.

After what the Detroit News described as a frantic, confusing day for many staff members of the state’s 650 courses — the paper reported some courses kicked golfers off the property and closed; others remained open — a spokesperson for Gov. Whitmer clarified Monday night that the closings were meant only for the courses’ pro shops and clubhouses. The actual playing of golf could continue — subject to all other (and, often, changing) restrictions.

Similarly, in Washington — the state hardest hit so far by the coronavirus, specifically the Seattle area — Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday announced, effective at midnight, that all “restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities” were to close temporarily, but the fate of the state’s golf courses was … murky. The situation had cleared somewhat by Monday night, when it appeared golf courses could remain open — with restrictions, such as limits to the number of people per gathering — but food service, for instance, would have to close or meet other restrictions, such as no dining in.

What about the agronomy?

Back to Brewer’s tweet: Are we just going to abandon golf courses for two-plus weeks?

“It’s 80 degrees here today,” Brewer said Monday. “We’re about to be on a mowing schedule pretty quick. I don’t know if we can survive if we lose a whole crew for two weeks or longer. Now it sounds like this might be the new normal through July or August. Right now, there are a lot more questions than answers.

“I guess a worst case, if nobody could be here two weeks … I live on the property. If it came to that, I’m here. I could do greens by myself — if I’m not sick. I could at least keep everything alive. Any longer than that, you might talk about losing greens. People say, ‘It’s just grass,’ but you can’t grow a green overnight. That’s a scary point for me. We’re a bentgrass course in Alabama. The window is pretty tight for the stress this thing can handle. I’m not worried about losing greens this time of year, but … ”

In that regard, Haines is fortunate.

“We’re lucky,” he says. “Normally, we’d probably be applying our first fertilizer of the season. We’re stopping all of that. Growth rates are super slow right now. We are charging our irrigation system. If we need to, we can remotely operate the sprinkler. We don’t need that much water anyway. We are stocking up on irrigation parts, so if we do have any breaks, we can fix them. And we’re figuring out how few people we need. I figure I could do it with one person. We could go six weeks with zero maintenance. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would take a while to get it back.”

That’s right now. In a month or so, growing season will begin in earnest.

“The grass just starts to jump out of the ground,” Haines says. “We could have a three-person skeleton crew, and 100% of what we’d do would be just mowing. Of course, if the golf course isn’t open, there are a lot of things you don’t have to do — you don’t have to worry about rolling greens, mowing greens, and you could let your fairways go dormant.”

‘I don’t have guys working together’

Some golf courses remain open, and even those closed to the public can, in some cases, still be staffed. But just how do golf course superintendents manage their employees in the days of social distancing?

Summerfield Crossings Golf Club in Riverview, Fla., was still open as of the writing of this article — just hours after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the closure of all bars and nightclubs for 30 days, prompting yet another meeting of Summerfield Crossings’ management about the potential implications for golf.

“Most of my guys have been keeping their distance from one another, and most bring their own lunch and sit in different areas of the shop or somewhere out of the way on the golf course,” says Keith Lamb, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Summerfield Crossings and a 17-year GCSAA member.

Right: At Summerfield Crossings Golf Club in Riverview, Fla., superintendent Keith Lamb and his crew are spending extra time cleaning and disinfecting touchpoints — flagsticks, carts, etc. — or removing them entirely. Signage also makes plain the limitations to group size and food and beverage availability. Photo by Keith Lamb

Courses across the country have reported altering their shift schedules to avoid overlap. For Lamb, that isn’t an issue.

“I don’t have a large crew, and my guys stagger their arrival as it is,” he says. “All of our tasks right now are individualized, so I don’t have guys working together. Only exception is, I have two guys who are brothers and live in the same household, so they have been assigned tasks to complete together. We have no plans to cut our staff unless ordered by the government or my owner. I could keep things going with just three to four guys, but my staff is only eight guys to begin with.”

The bottom line

Golf, like nearly all industries, walks a fine line. Courses need to remain open, but they’re obligated to keep their staffs and patrons safe. They might need to close to ensure the latter, but then how long can they stay closed and hope to reopen?

“One concern I have is if we were forced to shut down and quarantine for any length of time,” Lamb says. “I’m not sure how long ownership could afford to pay us, and I haven’t heard any real financial relief coming from the government. The one-time $1,000 payment would be a joke if we were out more than two weeks.”

That’s only part of the worry. While some courses are reporting an increase in rounds played — those who can’t go to work or gather in groups often seek outside solo or small-group recreation — for others, business is understandably slow. And as paychecks get missed and jobs lost, golf will likely take another hit.

“We’re a semiprivate club,” Haines says. “Our membership dues carry us into mid-spring. We rely on green fees after that to stay open. If everybody else is self-quarantined, they won’t have any discretionary money to golf. I don’t see how we’ll be able to stay open.”

Shortly after speaking with GCM on Tuesday, Haines learned Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club would be closing indefinitely.

‘Perspective is important’

About a 12-hour drive to the southeast of Haines’ course sits Seneca, Ore., home of the Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, a remote, eco-friendly resort that features 52 holes over four courses. Sean Hoolehan, CGCS, who served as GCSAA president in 2006, is the superintendent there. The courses are slated to open May 1, so coronavirus responses have been minimal.

“So far, nothing,” says Hoolehan (right), a 35-year association member. “We have temporarily closed all the food and beverage operations. We are in wait-and-see mode right now, preparing the course and grounds for visitors but keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation, following all state guidelines.”

Guidelines for the way people play golf are more fluid, Hoolehan says. “It is going to take communication and golfer cooperation. It’s not going to be golf by USGA rules necessarily, but it beats the alternative,” he says.

In response to Brewer’s tweet, Hoolehan shared words of wisdom.

It’s a golf course not a hospital. Everything will be salvageable. It might be a good idea to take measures to keep your staff and patrons safe. Perspective is important right now. #FlattenTheCurve

Speaking with GCM, he offered further perspective: “Superintendents are leaders first, managers second and agronomists third,” Hoolehan says. “Now is a time to lead. First, don’t let anxiety paralyze you. Focus on your family, staff and facility, in that order. I have a saying: We aren’t saving lives at work. There is no job on the course worth risking your, your staff’s and, in this case, your staff’s families’ health and well-being. Always remember there are people in worse shape than you.

“I have been a superintendent through Black Monday in 1987; Sept. 11, 2001; the Great Recession of 2008; and now this. All seemed dire on a national scale. My parents grew up in the Great Depression and were thrown right into World War II. Adversity is part of life. Embrace, learn and move on.”

View GCSAA article

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By Andrew Hartsock, GCSAA

18 March 2020

Amid closures and quarantines, the golf course management industry is adjusting to a changing operational landscape. Superintendents share their plans and perspectives.

Editor’s note: While there is no lack of general information about the coronavirus available, GCSAA has compiled resources specific to golf and golf course management. Find customizable business and communications templates, relevant OSHA and CDC information, and more on GCSAA’s coronavirus resources page.

On Thursday, March 12 — the day the COVID-19 pandemic lost any remaining abstraction across North America, when the NCAA pulled the plug on March Madness and the NBA marked the first full day of its postseason and all the other sporting dominos tumbled or at least teetered — Hunter Brewer fired off a tweet.

His tweet wasn’t the first, surely, and unquestionably not the last on the topic, but it had to be among the most starkly eloquent — concisely putting words to a question that had to be on the minds of everyone in the golf course maintenance industry.

So what happens, Brewer tweeted, when a Superintendent or Assistant or crew member comes down with this thing? Are we just going to abandon the golf course for 2+ weeks while everyone quarantines? Everyone is in close contact with everyone else on a daily basis. This could be a wild ride.

The tweet didn’t exactly explode, but it did spark a digital discussion that’s far from over.

“For me, up to the point I sent the tweet out, nobody had asked the question, ‘What if one of us gets it?’” says Brewer (@TurfBrewer), senior assistant superintendent at FarmLinks Golf Club at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga, Ala., and an eight-year GCSAA member. “At the time, we were one of four states not to have coronavirus, but it would be crazy to think we didn’t have it here.”

The day after Brewer’s tweet, Alabama confirmed its first case.

“I was just thinking, how can we get ahead of this thing?” Brewer says. “And I know other guys were thinking the same thing. The response was great — generated a lot of great ideas.”

Less than a week later, it has become obvious there is no easy answer. Heck, it may not even be the right question.

But what is?

“I’d say it’s a huge international effort to figure it out,” says Jason Haines, superintendent at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, and a four-year GCSAA member. “But I think everybody is just waiting for leadership from the government. What do we do? What are we allowed to do? Who am I to say golf is safe? I’m not an epidemiologist; I’m just a greenskeeper. All we can do is reduce potential risk areas. But, again, I’m not an infectious disease expert. What do our staff do? How can we pay our bills if we can’t work? How can the golf course pay our bills if it’s not open?”

Adjusting course

Recently, Haines and his staff have made several changes to the way they work and prepare the 18-hole golf course.

“We’ve been, obviously, disinfecting common areas, common surfaces,” Haines says. “And we’re reducing common surfaces — (removing) bunker rakes, ball washers. They’re saying the virus can survive outside the body two to three days on certain surfaces. Obviously, we’re disinfecting the driving range and washing carts.”

One novel tactic: raised cups. The Sunshine Coast G&CC staff is leaving an inch or two of each cup above the putting surface, eliminating the need to remove the flagstick — which, under the Rules of Golf, is unnecessary now anyway — or to touch the inside of the cup.

We are on temps this am but this is our solution for not having to touch flag or hole. Hit the cup with your ball and if it remains within one putter length call it a sunk putt. pic.twitter.com/lGag2GoEFy

— Jason Haines (@PenderSuper) March 16, 2020

“If you hit the cup with your ball and it doesn’t bounce more than a putter’s length away, you call it a sunk putt,” Haines says.

Brewer’s course is instructing golfers to leave the flagsticks in.

“We’ll have our starter encouraging people to take gimmes,” he says. “You know, ‘Pick that 3-footer up. Give each other gimmes.’

“We’re a huge, open-air space,” Brewer adds. “You should feel safe here. You should be safe here.”

A fluid situation

It’s all very much a moving target.

Consider the case of Michigan on Monday. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order announcing “temporary restrictions on the use of places of public accommodation” and specifically mentioned golf clubs and country clubs as among the places that, as of 3 p.m. Monday, were to close until March 30.

After what the Detroit News described as a frantic, confusing day for many staff members of the state’s 650 courses — the paper reported some courses kicked golfers off the property and closed; others remained open — a spokesperson for Gov. Whitmer clarified Monday night that the closings were meant only for the courses’ pro shops and clubhouses. The actual playing of golf could continue — subject to all other (and, often, changing) restrictions.

Similarly, in Washington — the state hardest hit so far by the coronavirus, specifically the Seattle area — Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday announced, effective at midnight, that all “restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities” were to close temporarily, but the fate of the state’s golf courses was … murky. The situation had cleared somewhat by Monday night, when it appeared golf courses could remain open — with restrictions, such as limits to the number of people per gathering — but food service, for instance, would have to close or meet other restrictions, such as no dining in.

What about the agronomy?

Back to Brewer’s tweet: Are we just going to abandon golf courses for two-plus weeks?

“It’s 80 degrees here today,” Brewer said Monday. “We’re about to be on a mowing schedule pretty quick. I don’t know if we can survive if we lose a whole crew for two weeks or longer. Now it sounds like this might be the new normal through July or August. Right now, there are a lot more questions than answers.

“I guess a worst case, if nobody could be here two weeks … I live on the property. If it came to that, I’m here. I could do greens by myself — if I’m not sick. I could at least keep everything alive. Any longer than that, you might talk about losing greens. People say, ‘It’s just grass,’ but you can’t grow a green overnight. That’s a scary point for me. We’re a bentgrass course in Alabama. The window is pretty tight for the stress this thing can handle. I’m not worried about losing greens this time of year, but … ”

View GCSAA article

By E. Michael Johnson, Golf Digest

18 March 2020

Like most businesses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, golf clubs are trying to figure out how to maintain elements of their operation while still protecting the safety of their employees and members. As a board member and a past president of a small private club in Connecticut, I’ve been a part of a series of conversations and decisions that underscore how complicated that balance is, and how quickly things can change.

After consulting with our staff management team and other clubs in the area, our initial communique last Friday was that the golf course and range would be open and we would have limited dining. The new golf simulator we installed in the clubhouse would be shut down. Carts would be available (and be heavily sanitized), but in understanding that many members would not feel comfortable riding, we waived the “trail fee” (a charge for walking) that we normally employ on weekend mornings. We encouraged members to take their clubs and shoes with them to reduce the number of “touches.” We told people not to shake hands but rather offer a wave.

Related: How to play golf amid coronavirus crisis

At the time, this felt appropriate, sensible and safe. It also seemed a reasonable way to allow our members to enjoy the club during what is an unsettling time. Little did we know that less than 24 hours later we would be sending a follow-up note to the membership informing them dining and bar service would be suspended and in the clubhouse, only the locker rooms would be open. In order to keep on some hourly staff, we offered take-out food orders with curbside pickup. Drive out and your order would be placed in your car by a member of the wait staff wearing gloves.

Since then even more steps have been taken. Flagsticks are to remain in the hole, and bunker rakes have been removed from the course—all in an effort to limit touch points. Carts are restricted to one person per cart unless immediate family. To give our social members (who do not have golf privileges) an opportunity to get out, we extended them temporary golf privileges on a couple of weekdays.

We are currently having further discussions. What do we do with ball washers and trash bins? Do we open the tennis courts (if you’re playing doubles that means four players are touching the same ball)? And what happens when we run out of sanitizing products? So many things to consider, all through the prism of trying to do what’s safe while offering people a respite from a distressing 24-hour news cycle. A bit of normalcy. A bit of fresh air.

We’re also discussing if there is a way to help the community in the process. With schools closed, kids who rely on school for nutrition are impacted. Is there a way we can help in that regard? So many questions. So few solid answers.

Short of mandates at the government level, every club has to make its own judgments based on the best information available, then adjust if needed. Many clubs we’ve spoken to have reflected similar steps—trying to keep the golf course open, heavily sanitizing carts and limiting (or discontinuing altogether) food service. Some clubs with caddies are left to decide whether they’re essential during the crisis. Social distancing guidelines might suggest no, but that’s another income impacted.

Some municipal courses are closed not only for health reasons, but because of broader directives about non-essential facilities. In other words, even in the time it takes to post this to our website, something could change.

Other clubs have come up with some creative ideas worthy of consideration. Shorehaven Golf Club in Connecticut and Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, No. 139 on our last Second 100 Greatest ranking, are taking the additional step of raising cups slightly above the putting surface and deeming any putt to hit the cup as holed to eliminate the need to touch the cup or flagstick.

View this post on Instagram

‪If deference to the Bergen County executive order, we will be closing the driving range indefinitely. We will also be removing all bunker rakes and raising the cup 1” out of the ground to limit touches. Please consider your putt holed when it hits the cup. ‬

A post shared by Ridgewood CC Greens & Grounds (@rcc_grounds) on Mar 18, 2020 at 6:23am PDT

Brownson Country Club, also in Connecticut, is offering its members a 5-percent discount on future food and beverage purchases as a way to generate cash flow during this time where revenue is scarce. Rye Golf Club in New York has access to its clubhouse by appointment only.

Quaker Ridge Golf Club, a Golf Digest 100 Greatest Golf Course, informed its members on March 12 it has made a number of the above adjustments in addition to staggered shifts for employees; caddies with gloves and disinfectant sprays; closing its indoor golf studio; and all food in pre-packaged containers among other measures.

Out west, Haggin Oaks in Sacramento is dealing with a mandate that anyone 65 and older must self-quarantine. According to Ken Morton Jr., 40 percent of his facilities’ staff is in that category, including entire departments like carts and course marshals. Morton says the facilities will shorten retail-store hours to help shift some of its staff in the stores to help cover shifts elsewhere.

Sherwood Country Club in California is closed but is allowing its members to play golf (no carts or caddies), racquet sports or swim at their own risk. The club is also paying its impacted staff for their regular hours through the end of March as a first step, while researching existing and developing state and federal programs and actions to assist its staff.

Such steps are more the norm than the exception. According to the National Club Association, 40 percent of its clubs have indicated moderate modifications as a result of the coronavirus, approximately 25 percent have indicated “a lot” (such as canceling all events) and nearly 20 percent have closed their facilities. Only 1 to 2 percent indicate they have made no modifications. A recent online town hall drew more than 2,000 people to hear experts in the medical and club fields while also collecting data on what many clubs are doing. Some of the actions the NCA is advocating clubs consider include (For more information, go to coronavirus.nationalclub.org):

• Establish phone trees to efficiently contact employees to check on and alert them during an emergency.

• Keep contact information for suppliers, vendors and other key contacts both in print and online in case of absence of an employee who typically deals with those individuals.

• Prepare for operational disruptions now by conducting employee cross-training, if possible, for key responsibilities and positions, as well as lining up backup staff.

• Review HR policies for paid and unpaid leave and teleworking.

• Establish club policies during a pandemic and be aware of Family Medical Leave Act requirements (if the club has more than 50 employees).

As mentioned earlier, my club’s course is open at the moment. I played this past weekend as did many others. Still, there was a sense that these rounds were more like the final few rounds you squeeze in prior to the course closing for winter than the start of a new season.

We can only hope that this “winter” is as mild as possible.

Please share these tips, articles and insights, so that as many people as possible can benefit from #SafeGolf.

View golfdigest.com article