The San Martin, Calif. property has “pushed the reset button,” reports Managing Director Luca Rutigliano, after being forced to lay off 345 workers as its international and business-travel revenue disappeared. It is now shifting to “bring a five-star resort experience to the local market,” Rutigliano says, emphasizing how its 1,200-acre property offers ample opportunity “to…
New Jersey Club to Be Used as COVID Test Site
Following the lead of other cities and states that are using professional sports teams’ stadiums and arenas to enhance the appeal of getting tested and/or vaccinated, the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills has arranged with Knoll CC to use currently unoccupied indoor facilities at the club for screenings of up to 150 people per day.
Massive Layoffs Scheduled at Boca Raton Resort & Club
The Boca Raton, Fla. property first placed 995 total employees on furlough due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 773 employees of the resort, Boca Beach Club and Boca Country Club will be permanently laid off effective February 6, 2021. “With current demand at only 20% of previous years’ levels, opportunities for our team members have…
California City’s Reversal of County Restrictions Sets Off Tee-Time Scramble
After the Los Angeles County Health Department instituted stricter new guidelines on December 1st to only allow golfers from the same household to play in the same group, America Golf canceled 5,000 reservations for slots at the five public courses it runs in Long Beach. But when the city of Long Beach, which has its…
California Clubs Make Case to Stay Open Amid New COVID Surge
(Photo by Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun) After being closed for three weeks in the spring, clubs are being proactive in showing how they are in a strong position to remain open to offer a healthy and safe outdoor activity, even as officials implement new restrictions that include a statewide curfew. “As we see this second…
Escanaba (Mich.) CC Opens Its Fairways to Local Football Players
Football players in grades seven through 12 who originally had their seasons cancelled by the pandemic (some have since been resumed) have been allowed to play for free at the club on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula whenever there’s an open tee time. Nearly 250 players have taken advantage of the offer, with about 70% sticking with it and many…
Long Island Club to Be Fined $17k for Wedding That Led to COVID-19 Spread
North Fork CC in Cutchogue, N.Y. will be fined $15,000 for violating the governor’s executive order that limits nonessential gatherings to 50 attendees, and another $2,000 for violating a county sanitary code. At least 90 people attended the wedding and 30 have since tested positive for coronavirus. “This type of blatant disregard for the well-being…
Coral Gables (Fla.) CC Seeks Rent Relief to Offset Postponed Events
The privately operated club has negotiated an amendment to its lease agreement with the city that would defer a total of over $95,000 due for the last five months of 2020 and waive late charges, fees and penalties. The club typically has 20 events a month on average, but has seen only two or three…
Hawaii’s Ko’olau GC Falls Victim to Pandemic
The 18-hole golf course operated on land leased from the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu will close permanently on September 30th. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued a second stay-at-home order on August 23rd that allowed residents to only leave their homes for essential activities, and golf was not included as one. The order has since…
How the Pandemic Has Changed How Clubs Are Hosting Golf Events
The industry has seen an influx of golfers on the fairways, but social-distancing requirements and limited occupancy in facilities has forced properties to get creative when it comes to holding tournaments and outings.
The Petroleum Club of Bakersfield (Calif.) Partners with Sundale CC
Forced to close down because of COVID-19, the Bakersfield, Calif. club will take over Sundale’s restaurant, lounge and grill. “It’s a perfect fit because we’re the only private club in Bakersfield that didn’t have a golf course, so now we can proudly say we have that and can offer all sorts of other amenities to…
Hawaii Expected to Approve Kaua‘i ‘Resort Bubble’
Resort guests will be outfitted with an electronic bracelet and put under an electronic quarantine that will monitor their movements using GPS and Bluetooth signaling. If a guest were to leave the property or tamper with the bracelet, the tracking service would alert hotel security and the Kaua‘i Police Department.
Arizona Resorts Hope to Salvage Meetings Business
While some groups have postponed their meetings instead of canceling them outright, lending hope of some recovery next spring, resorts that have had to furlough a large portion of their staffs are shifting their focus to the local and regional markets as the fall season nears. Brent DeRaad, President and CEO of Visit Tucson, believes…
Gain of 20,000 New Members Reported for English Golf Clubs Since May
(Burhill Golf Club) The surge after clubs reopened following coronavirus-imposed shutdowns is seen as the biggest over a three-month period in the UK’s history. Many of the new members are “people from all walks of life, not just from the traditional demographic,” says one club’s Director. Rounds have outpaced 2019 levels by 60 percent for…
Sunset Bay GC Makes Most of 50th Anniversary During Pandemic Year
(Photo of “Dead Horse Trap” by John Gunther/The World) The Coos Bay, Ore. property, owned by the Hyatt family for nearly four decades, has added three new holes to a nine-hole layout originally designed by John Zoller, who also designed California’s Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point courses. One hole features a “dead horse trap,” built…