The National Basketball Assn. star, who is also an avid golfer, joins the PGA Tour’s Matt Kuchar and the LPGA Tour’s Nelly Korda in the 30-second public-service announcement that will be circulated across the golf industry’s media platforms, to stress the practices that should be kept top-of-mind while now playing golf. Also in today’s report: California clubs push for tennis reopenings; Washington state courses get the OK for foursomes, trash cans and other privileges; should U.S. courses now follow St. Andrews’ lead and close one day for non-golf enjoyment?; mini-golf operators in Minnesota go rogue; and single-serve condiments emerge as another new reality of post-pandemic foodservice.
Here is C+RB‘s latest roundup and summary of club-related developments surrounding the pandemic that have recently been reported. Please send updates on what your property is doing that you would like to share with the C+RBcommunity to [email protected].
All of C+RB’s daily updates on the coronavirus situation can be found at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/category/covid-19/.
“Be Grateful for Every Swing”
A new 30-second public-service announcement (PSA),“Golf and Social Distancing,” that stars National Basketball Association superstar Steph Curry, nine-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar and three-time LPGA Tour winner Nelly Korda, has been released through industry associations as part of the “Back2Golf” campaign, to help guide golfers on responsible ways to play as golf activity continues to pick up throughout the U.S.
The spot, which can be viewed and downloaded at https://vimeo.com/418681501, began appearing over the weekend of May 16-17 on digital and broadcast outlets, including CBS, Golf Channel and CBS Sports Network. It will continue to be circulated across the golf industry’s media platforms, to stress the importance of social-distancing practices that should be kept top-of-mind while playing golf.
Among the important messages delivered in the spot are the health and recreational benefits of golf that can be enjoyed while now applying social distancing. Golfers are instructed to always stay six feet apart, stay home if they’re sick, and avoid large gatherings anywhere on the course. They are encouraged to “try thumbs ups and fist pumps, not handshakes and fist bumps” and “when in doubt, just don’t touch, and wash your hands!”
Golfers are also instructed to mark their balls clearly and to wear a cloth facial covering when taking a lesson. Curry closes by asking everyone to “respect your fellow golfers, and let’s be grateful for every swing.”
The campaign, which will also include a longer-form, 60-second spot that will debut later this spring, will turn to more LPGA and PGA TOUR players, as well as notable celebrities who are passionate about golf, to provide social-distancing tips.
The video PSAs complement a suite of golfer-focused posters and social-media friendly assets that have been distributed across the game by WE ARE GOLF, the coalition of allied golf organizations that included the PGA of America, PGA TOUR, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Club Management Association of America (CMAA), LPGA and United States Golf Association.
“The industry is coming together during this time in many ways, including the development and airing of these PSAs, as a way to promote a responsible return to golf,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO, World Golf Foundation, who oversees WE ARE GOLF. “We appreciate the PGA of America’s leadership and for the celebrities who leaned in to help us present this important message to the golf community.”
“We play the game for different reasons but one of the things that is best about golf is the recreational health and wellness benefits that can be enjoyed in a socially distanced environment,” added PGA President Suzy Whaley. “As we adapt social distancing to the golf course, golfers will learn from these PSAs how to smartly apply it throughout the game. We’re proud to debut these important and informative spots. Play responsibly, so we can all enjoy golf together.”
Back2Golf is an industry-wide collaboration to provide operational guidelines, designed in three phases and aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for the responsible playing of golf through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Back2Golf plan is a specific, three-phased approach to golf that aligns with the federal government’s broader plan to re-open the economy. Each phase includes operational protocols when it comes to social distancing, the sanitation of physical facilities and the health of staff members.
For more information about Back2Golf, visit wearegolf.com/back2golf.
California Clubs Push for Safe Tennis Reopenings
KUSI of San Diego featured a report that included comments from Conan Lorenzo, Director of Tennis at La Jolla (Calif.) Beach & Tennis Club, and Woody Yocum, Tennis Director at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club in Solana Beach, Calif., that made the case for why their clubs, which are still closed for tennis by government mandate, have the proper precautions in place to reopen their courts.
KUSI’s report can be viewed here: https://www.kusi.com/local-country-clubs-feel-they-are-ready-to-reopen-tennis-courts/
Foursomes, Trash Cans, Other Privileges Return to Washington State Courses
Clubs and golf courses sent e-mails to customers that were simple and direct to highlight welcome news for golfers in the state of Washington, The Seattle Times reported: “Foursomes are back!”
The news was generated by the release by Gov. Jay Inslee’s office of five new updates to the previous 25 guidelines for reopening golf courses in the state, which went into effect on May 5th, The Times reported.
The initial plan limited playing groups for golfers to two non-related members or groups of more than two with related family members. But now, The Times reported, playing groups can consist of four non-related members.
“Foursomes are permitted as long as the course determines that foursomes will not create congestion on the course,” the update read. “Single players should be asked if they would like to be paired together.”
The change represented a major step to allow more golfers onto Washington state courses at one time, The Times reported. Neighboring states of Oregon, Idaho and Montana have also allowed foursomes of non-household members.
The graduation to foursomes was something that local golf officials hoped would happen within a week or two of the re-opening, provided the courses followed the early rules, The Times reported.
There was also an update to the use of motorized golf carts, now allowing members of the same household to share carts, The Times reported. However, the sharing of carts by non-related golfers is still not allowed.
The latest update also clarified rules pertaining to driving ranges—both stand-alone and on courses—and other practice areas, The Times reported. Ranges are now open for use as long as the guidelines and standards that apply to golf courses, including proper distancing, are followed.
With the expanded opening of practice areas, golf instruction is also now allowed, as long as proper safety and distancing is maintained, The Times reported.
Courses can now also put trash and recycling receptacles on the course, which were previously not allowed, The Times reported. But they must be lid-free, so golfers won’t have to touch them.
Gov. Inslee also released updated guidelines for golf courses in counties that have been granted Phase 2 status that includes re-opening of golf-course restaurants and taverns, junior golf, tournaments and other aspects, The Times reported.
Follow St. Andrews’ Lead?
In a column where she listed her “Top Five Best Parts of Shelter-in-Place that should be part of San Francisco forever,” Heather Knight of the San Francisco Chronicle advocated for continuing the practice of opening up golf courses to non-golfers at least for one day, as is done by St. Andrews in Scotland.
“The temporary turnover of the Presidio Golf Course to non-golfers before the sport was allowed again was delightful,” Knight wrote. “Families frolicked on the rolling green course for free.
“Yes, golf brings in a lot of money to the Presidio Trust. As it does on the six courses (five in the city and one in Pacifica) owned by the [San Francisco] Recreation and Park Department,” she added. ‘But that’s a lot of land set aside for one pricey sport. I’d venture to guess you could add all the acreage taken by tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields and baseball diamonds in San Francisco and still not come close to matching the golf course footprint.
“Why not follow the path of St. Andrews, Scotland’s centuries-old, revered golf course?” Knight asked. “In normal times, that course is shut to golfers on Sundays. You can picnic, toss a Frisbee, go for a walk or otherwise enjoy the course. You just can’t golf. Perhaps we can strike a compromise here, too?”
Mini-Golf Operators in Minnesota Go Rogue
Golf courses and driving ranges have been reopened in Minnesota, but there‘s a third type of golf business that is still prohibited from operating, and that’s led some mini-golf courses to run out of patience waiting for their turn, station WCCO of Minneapolis reported.
Green Lagoon Golf in Chisago City, Minn. is open with plenty of customers, WCCO reported, because tt has a driving range, which is allowed to be open.
But technically, Green Lagoon’s mini-golf course is still prohibited from operating by the governor’s orders that still prohibit people from being “in groups or close proximity.”
Green Lagoon was one of at least three mini-golf facilities that WCCO found are currently open in the state. Its owner, Travis Petsch, explained to the station how it was ensuring safe play.
“The mini-golf area is very spread out, and I stagger people as they go out, and then we disinfect all the golf clubs,” Petsch said. “Only one person gets to use them, and then I take them off and disinfect them.”
WCCO’s full report can be viewed at https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/15/at-least-3-minnesota-mini-golf-courses-operating-in-defiance-of-gov-walzs-orders/
Wilmington, N.C. Country Clubs Get Reopening OK
The City of Wilmington, N.C. lifted several of its last remaining coronavirus-related restrictions that went beyond Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, which is currently in Phase 1 of being lifted, the Port City Daily of Wilmington reported.
Effective 5 p.m. on May 15th, hotels, motels, country clubs, social clubs, outdoor sports facilities were allowed to reopen in Wilmington with certain limitations, the Port City Daily reported. For country clubs and social clubs, occupants are restricted to 10 people indoors, per the part of Gov. Cooper’s order that was still in effect, and locker and dressing rooms were to remain closed.
Another New Reality: Single-Serve Condiments
The California Department of Public Health, in its recently published COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Dine-In Restaurants, recommended that foods be provided in single-serve containers whenever possible. That means that single-serve condiments are poised to become the adopted industry standard in foodservice as dining out returns in the age of coronavirus, says Moshe Cohen, Founder of Le Must, a premium collection of organic and natural, terroir-authentic, single-portioned, culinary condiments designed to elevate fine dining and in-room dining in luxury hotels, resorts, country clubs, cruise lines and private aviation.
“While you can’t come into contact with the coronavirus through food, the hard surfaces you encounter in a restaurant, such as menus, utensils, condiments and the like, are another story,” Cohen says. “As diners across the country are reassessing their relationship with restaurants, the hospitality industry is seeking to quickly replace shared items like condiments with single-use alternatives.
“With resorts, hotels and restaurants long marketed for their personal touches, the industry is quickly forced to redefine itself as ‘no touch at all’ when it comes to guest exposure to surfaces and objects potentially infected with Covid-19,” Cohen adds. “As hotels and restaurants are gradually reopening across the U.S., respective departments of public health are calling for the removal or reduction of common touchpoints, and suspended use of all shared food items.
“Gone will be the familiar salt-and-pepper shakers and multi-use condiment bottles that have been imprinted upon the dining experience,” Cohen says.
Combining classic culinary techniques with a contemporary enthusiasm for innovation, the maîtres artisans of Le Must craft all-natural and organic balanced blends of condiments, produced in small batches, to deliver a taste and texture that sets the brand apart. The range of products includes Chef’s Classic Ketchup, Artisan’s Mayonnaise, Gourmet Yellow Mustard and Authentic Dijon Mustard. All condiments are presented in Le Must’s single-serve, signature curved mini glass jars.
For more information, visit http://www.lemust.com or e-mail [email protected].
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