The Country Club of Lansing (Mich.) is closed, per Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order, but members at the property drew the attention of a local newspaper. “You’re not trespassing if you’re a member,” one person told the reporter. “I can walk here.”
Activity at the Country Club of Lansing (Mich.), which is closed due to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order, led to increased scrutiny from the Lansing City Pulse.
On April 8, City Pulse reported that at least a dozen golfers were at the course, practicing putting near the clubhouse and waiting on fellow golfers. None wore a mask.
“It’d be no different than me carrying a stick and walking around,” one golfer told City Pulse. “It’s no different than when they close the place for winter and then people still come out here. What are they going to do? Police it? There’s no one here to police it. That’s how I look at it.”
Under Gov. Whitmer’s executive order, golf courses, deemed as “nonessential” businesses, have been ordered to close to the public across Michigan, City Pulse reported. The club, like the nearby public Groesbeck Golf Course, is technically closed. The clubhouse is locked. Tee times aren’t being scheduled. Carts are unavailable. You can’t grab a drink at the bar, use the fitness center or have dinner. But dozens of golfers didn’t see a problem with playing on.
“You’re allowed to walk,” another golfer told City Pulse. “We’re just carrying these clubs with us. They say you can get outside. You’re not trespassing if you’re a member. I can walk here.”
While outdoor activity and exercise are allowed, opening a golf course to the public does not fall under the designation of “critical infrastructure,” according to Whitmer’s order, City Pulse reported. And as a result, golf courses have been prohibited from authorizing their employees to report to work.
“I’m an essential worker. I have papers,” said Robin Buntin, Assistant Superintendent and one of three employees staffing the club on April 8th. “We have to mow the grass. You can’t let it go for two weeks. You have to mow the grass and keep it that height.”
A provision in Whitmer’s order allows for a minimal number of workers at shuttered businesses to “maintain the value of inventory and equipment,” City Pulse reported. Some golf courses in Michigan have leaned on that exemption to continue maintenance on a limited basis, MLive.com reported.
When City Pulse asked Buntin why he wasn’t telling the golfers to leave, he replied, “I’m not the supervisor.” Calls to the club’s Director of Golf/CEO, John Lindert, PGA, were not returned, City Pulse reported.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Dana Nessel said that it’s “up to local law enforcement to deal with” golfers that continue to play at courses that have been forced to close, the City Pulse reported. A spokesman for the Lansing Police Department said it will investigate if it receives a complaint. It was unclear if that complaint would actually need to come from the club itself.
“That would be up to the golf course to shoo people off their golf course,” added Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth. “They would have to do that. I haven’t got any calls, but I would assume that golf courses themselves would need to watch out for that type of thing.”
The fence at Groesbeck Golf Course, Lansing’s municipal course, is locked, the City Pulse reported. The reporter couldn’t get within 500 feet of the entrance before an employee came outside to offer a reminder about how the course is closed. Unlike the Country Club of Lansing—just a block away from Whitmer’s residence—the course at Groesbeck was entirely empty on April 8th.
City officials told City Pulse that residents are not allowed at Groesbeck Golf Course until it reopens. The Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority also has an employee there doing maintenance “as needed,” a city spokeswoman said.
State Rep. Graham Filler penned a letter to Whitmer last week urging her to reopen golf courses in Michigan as long as proper social distancing and health safety rules are followed, City Pulse reported. The Golf Association of Michigan has also requested that Whitmer carve out an exception for golfing.
“Aside from the obvious economic benefits, golf will also offer Michigan residents another form of outdoor recreation while we all try to stay safe and active,” Filler said in the letter.
Whitmer addressed the topic at a press briefing late last month after the order took effect: “If you’re not a life-sustaining entity, you should not be out and about and your employees should be at home,” said Whitmer. “If you’re a landscaper, if you’re a florist, if you are home construction, none of those are life-sustaining businesses that should be open.”
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