Our
leaders don’t understand Golf is a full contact sport. It’s the competition and
the companionship. It’s the exercise and having fun in the sun.
Finally
golf courses across the country are opening with restrictions. Some are still
closed.
Washington, Illinois, New Jersey and Maine declared open dates
for golf courses earlier in the week.
Bay Area golfers who are ready to get back on the
green will be able to do so soon, but not in every county. Golfers must practice
appropriate social distancing but proclaim that golf is a "safe outdoor
activity”.
On
the other side, Florida golfers were caught ignoring social distancing rules at
a golf course and were fined.
In
Arizona, the courses never closed. Now that the winter visitors have left, the
Governor, under pressure, is adding restrictions. He had deemed earlier that golf courses were essential businesses, allowing them to
remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
golfing community came up with their own set of restrictions which seem to make
sense.
A.
Utilize
on-line or phone tee time reservation systems
B.
Regularly
sanitize common surfaces
C.
Be
creative with cup liners to avoid having players reaching into the hole to
retrieve golf balls
D.
Eliminate
cups and holes on practice greens.
E.
Modify
driving range hitting areas to ensure social distancing between players.
F.
Discourage
group congregation, or to limit numbers of people in a certain area of the club
or pro shop, the parking lot, and around tees and greens.
G.
Ask
golfers to leave the golf course immediately after playing
H.
Ensure
that the flag stick remains in at all times
I. Restrict use of
driving range and putting greens
Some restrictions recommended make no sense at all.
1.
At
the golf course’s discretion, foursomes are allowed if they are from the same
household. Otherwise, no more than two players from separate households per tee
time. Single players should be asked if they would like to be paired together.
2.
Restrict
play to one rider per power cart, unless a minor is also playing.
3.
Eliminate
on-course garbage cans, encourage golfers to carry and properly dispose of
their own garbage when leaving the course.
4.
Remove
bunker rakes and other on-course furniture like benches, ball washers, water
coolers, etc.
Here are Spox’s
recommendations to start back into the real world of golf.
A.
Ladies
golf groups and outings – all must wear masks and limit talking
B.
All
tournaments can proceed as scheduled with shot-gun starts
C.
Beer
carts permitted with only draft beer, no cans or bottles – mixed drinks by
delivery only
D.
The
Tees and Greens problem – players shouldn’t leave a green until next group is
gone from the next tee
E.
No
celebrations for a hole in one or other great shots
F.
Hunting
for lost balls restricted to one player searching at a time
G.
Ball
washing allowed between holes if disinfectant used
H.
Golf
tees, after use, must be discarded in waste cans
I.
Caddies
allowed with protective gear – designated pin puller and ball retriever - they must
have their own cart
J.
Pro
shops: Trying on shoes or handling equipment for sale or rent is discontinued
K.
Used
golf ball purchases limited to 6 per player – purchase of same day balls
prohibited
L.
Use
Wii Golf on-line when possible
M.
And
last but not least. The 19th hole – social distancing recommended –
no playing cards or exchange of money except by credit card or IOU
All I can say ‘FOUR’. We will be back
soon.
Salute
to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.
JR Spox
JR Spox
