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NGCOA Publishes Resources in Response to Coronavirus Concerns

By NGCOA 

27 March 2020

To prepare golf course owners and operators for dealing with the myriad uncertainties, disruption of business, and potential outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Golf Course Owners Association has compiled and developed resources and programs, available in the Coronavirus Center on the NGCOA website.

“Our advice and guidance is meant for any golf course, but we know owners and operators must do what they feel is best for their own situations and the restrictions under which they may now find themselves,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA CEO. “We are incredibly proud of the response and work we are seeing by the nation’s golf course owners and operators, and the organizations that serve this game and industry.”

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NGCOA’s Park and Play program — which provides course operators with an actual “checklist” of measures they can take so their customers have a socially-distant golfing experience — received approval from physicians with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Many courses that are allowed to operate have already adopted our program’s protocols to make sure their customers can maintain appropriate physical distance from others, and play in a sanitized environment, as required by their states.

The workplace and HR resources section includes a Q&A related to employer-employee obligations and the possible impact the pandemic will have on labor and legal aspects of golf course staff, as well as links to relevant pages from the CDC, DOL, IRS, NFIB and others. A page for state-level updates lists executive orders as they relate to golf course mandates.

The marketing resources equip businesses with email, social media, and community involvement tips that promote communication and good will. It also shares some revenue generating and cost-saving tips.

NGCOA members and staff have also been extremely active on the association’s members-only discussion board, which in these uncertain times, is an invaluable platform for sharing the latest local news, brainstorming ideas and soliciting advice from other golf course owners and operators.

“In unique, uncharted situations like this, an industry needs its trade association the most,” said Steve Graybill, president of Foxchase Golf Club, and president of the NGCOA Board of Directors. “NGCOA has been working around the clock to anticipate the needs of all golf courses and provide the tools to mitigate the negative effects on our nation’s golf businesses.”

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

View NGCOA article

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

SOLUTIONS

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Support #SafeGolf Play and Operations with a New Resource Platform for the Golf Industry

24 March 2020

Tagmarshal is supporting #SafeGolf, an initiative which promotes how to safely play golf during the COVID-19 pandemic, using social distancing and other tools.

As we work together to #SlowDownTheCurve during the COVID-19 challenge, many regular past times are not available. Team sports, gym, tennis, live sports and cultural events, meeting up in pubs or bars, parties, events, etc. are all off the table at this time, for the good of all.  Even following live sports on TV is substantially reduced with so many golf and other events cancelled or postponed. Golf has a unique opportunity to provide a welcome and safe escape and sense of balance.

“We have launched a #SafeGolf resource platform designed to provide golfers  and golf operators with insights, information and advice, regarding how to play the game and manage golf operations safely. The resources shared on the platform are designed to be shared, so that as many people as possible, can benefit.

“Expert health and medical care practitioners in both the United States and United Kingdom have agreed that golf is safe to play during this health crisis when effective measures have been put in place – this resource aims to educate and empower courses to manage @SafeGolf effectively,” said Bodo Sieber, Tagmarshal CEO and co-founder. 

The platform, www.tagmarshal.com/safegolf is now available for golfers and operators around the world.

“Tagmarshal has partner courses, clubs and resorts in 10 countries –all at different stages in their responses to the COVID-19 challenge. With our optimization and player tracking system, we are able to see which courses have full play, some play or in a very few cases no play. We can assist by pooling knowledge, insights and ideas to enable the golf community during this difficult time.” Sieber noted.  

 He added that with operations in four continents, a global network of more than 250 partners, and access to data from over 10 million rounds of golf, Tagmarshal is in a unique position to develop data insights and to draw on global resources and experiences which can be shared with the industry.

 Playing #SafeGolf has received the support from experts who recognize the outdoor nature of golf, the ability to engage in proper social distancing, and how the game provides a sense of balance, making golf a healthy and safe escape during challenging times.

Recently, Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, Associate Director of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Nebraska Bio-Containment Unit, was quoted in Golf Digest, March 15, 2020, as saying, “Being in a wide-open, outdoor space is the least at-risk scenario. You’ll have to follow precautions that you wouldn’t normally have to, but I would play, under that guidance.” 

Additionally, Dr. Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, also in the March 15 issue of Golf Digest, said, “You’re not in contact with a whole lot of other people, and it’s not like basketball where you’re touching and very close to other players, so you could maintain several feet of distance between people. So, I would say in the actual playing of golf, you are not at much risk.

“As much as we know anything for now, we know that if you’re more than six feet from somebody, they are not going to spread it to you. So even within your foursome, you just stay a little bit farther away than you might ordinarily,” Troisi said. 

From the UK, Sir Patrick Vallance, UK Chief Scientific Advisor, COVID-19, agrees: “It is ok to play golf – if you keep a distance,” he told “The Golf Business, UK” on March 19, 2020.  

“These are unprecedented times. The more we work together, share and learn from each other’s experiences, the better the outcome will be for all,” concludes Bodo Sieber. 

Go to www.tagmarshal.com/safegolf for more insights, information, advice and tips on how to play and facilitate #SafeGolf.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Here’s one big way the USGA is relaxing its Rules to cope with the coronavirus

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

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

SOLUTIONS

NEWS

Making Your Course “Social Distance Ready”

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

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

SOLUTIONS

NEWS

Firsthand reports: Superintendents adjust operations for coronavirus

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.


Feedback from Saturday, March 21, 2020

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

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.


Foam noodle golf hole

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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

SOLUTIONS

NEWS

How Is Golf Responding To the Coronavirus Pandemic?

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.

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