(Photo of Los Lagos GC by Delcia Lopez, The Monitor)

As proponents continue to make persuasive cases for golf’s ability to provide a safe environment for needed recreational activity, 29 states were now allowing courses to stay open, with eight others awaiting clarification of executive orders.

Ohio and other localities relaxed and/or redefined their coronavirus restrictions to allow play on golf courses for the weekend of March 28-29, and other jurisdictions were poised to follow suit, as proponents made persuasive cases for golf’s ability to provide a safe environment for needed recreational activity as most of the country was under some form of quarantine or stay-at-home orders.

On March 30, the updated count being kept by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America ( https://clubandresortbusiness.com/gcsaa-compiles-state-by-state-list-for-golf-course-operators/) showed that 29 states are now allowing courses to remain open while eight others are “pending” clarification of an executive order, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Here’s a rundown of some of the latest developments affecting club and course operations throughout the U.S.:

• In a complete reversal from a ruling on Friday night, March 27 that golf courses weren’t essential businesses and therefore not exempt from Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order, the Ohio Department of Health changed its decision over the weekend to allow golf courses to stay open as long as they institute increased safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, The Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria, Ohio reported.

The state health department communications office included the “golfing clarification” in an e-mail sent Saturday night to county health departments, The Chronicle-Telegram reported.

“We know that many of you have been receiving questions about the question of golfing and golf clubs,” the e-mail read. “Below is a statement you may use when responding to golf course inquiries.

“If your golf course is operating as an outdoor recreation opportunity and abiding by all of the order’s social distancing requirements, there is likely not a health concern,” it continued. “However, if the golf course is operating other businesses as part of the operations (restaurants, clubhouse, spa, driving range, putting and practice greens, etc.), then you should be prepared to explain why you deem those business operations essential.

“Remember, if you are running an essential business, you have a responsibility to make sure that physical distancing and other protective measures are being adhered to,” the e-mail concluded.

Lorain County (Oh.) Health Commissioner David Covell received the e-mail from the state and began to inform area courses on Sunday morning, March 29, The Chronicle-Telegram reported. Covell’s message “[apologized] for the confusion, but as you can imagine the state is dealing with many complex issues at the moment.”

“We’re happy the state decided to reverse their decision,” Sean Moennich, Assistant Director of Golf at Mallard Creek Golf Club in Columbia Station, Ohio, told The Chronicle-Telegram. “We’ve talked to the Lorain County Board of Health and they are impressed with the measures we have taken to make golf safe for our customers and employees.

Mallard Creek was packed on March 26^th and busy again the next day before rain came over the weekend and the state issued the shutdown order that it later reversed, The Chronicle-Telegram reported.

“We are excited to get back open for business and ask all of our customers to assist in the social-distancing guidelines we have set forth,” Moennich said. “We’re all in this together to keep golf alive and give us a safe outlet during these difficult times.”

Steve Jurick, Executive Director of the Miami Valley Golf Association, told the Dayton(Ohio) Daily News that he still recommended that golfers call courses to see if they’re open, because whether they can remain open depends on their local health department, which “is the ultimate ruler when it comes to individual operations.”

Jurick didn’t expect local health departments to make their own rulings on the state’s order right away. “That could take days,” he said. “It could take longer than that because frankly, the health departments have a lot on their plates.”

• Early on Friday night, March 27, the City of Myrtle Beach, S.C. amended an ordinance that had been issued the day before that called for, among other things, the closing of the city’s four golf courses through April because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported.

The order took effect at the close of business on the 27th, but the amendment allows golf courses to remain open, so they were never required to close, The Sun News reported. The amendment requires them to accept local players only, however.

City Manager John Pedersen said the ordinance was largely meant to deter visitors to Myrtle Beach, and the amendments were made after city officials received constructive feedback from community members, The Sun News reported.

The four golf courses within Myrtle Beach city limits are Whispering Pines Golf Club, which is owned and operated by Atlantic Golf Management; Pine Lakes Country Club and the Grande Dunes Resort Course, which are owned and operated by Founders Group International (FGI); and the Members Club at Grande Dunes, which is owned by LStar Ventures. The Members Club was closed by the company on March 16 to all but resident members who walk, The Sun News reported.

Pedersen said he spoke to both Atlantic Golf Management managing partner Chip Smith and FGI president Steve Mays, and the courses will be relied upon to self-police the locals-only provision, The Sun News reported.

“The reason why we recommended closing them was because golf courses, particularly this time of year, are the reason people come here,” Pedersen said. “The whole idea of this is to keep people away and to minimize the number of people in town.

“And it is possible to maintain social distancing [while playing golf],” he added.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s also issued a “Stay At Home” order on March 27 that excludes golf and allows golf courses to remain open, The Sun News reported. That meant that the approximately 75 golf courses in the Myrtle Beach market, stretching from Georgetown, S.C. to Bolivia, N.C., can be open, and all are, with the exception of 11 that have been closed by their owners.

• Minnesota golf course owners and the Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) are hoping Governor Tim Walz adds their sport to the list of approved outdoor activities permitted under the new stay-at-home order, KSTP ABC 5 of Minneapolis reported.

Hope for that action came from Walz’s press briefing on March 27th, at which he said he intended to consult with medical advisors to examine if golf is reasonable to include in the list of permitted, safe activities, KSTP reported.

“I will assure people we are still discussing this,” Walz said at the end of his press briefing. “I’m encouraging people to do healthy things. I make the argument with my team, I’ll listen to the health experts on this. If there is the potential to be able to allow people to pay online to get out there and be able to do this, we’ll explore that.”

“It’s a legitimate outdoor activity,” Walz added. “I can tell you people are stuck at home and they really want to do this.

“We have to try to understand how to reduce the spread, how to up our capacity, how to plan for the future, but also to live our lives in a way that is sustainable. So please know we’re working it.”

According to the MGA, 11 of the 19 states under similar stay-at-home mandates are permitting golf to be played, provided steps are taken to maintain social distancing, KSTP reported.

While every corner of the economy and every industry is feeling the effect of the coronavirus pandemic, it comes in what had already been a tough stretch for Minnesota’s golf industry, KSTP reported.

“Last year and the year before were very short seasons with a lot of rain,” explains Steve Whillock, the course pro at Oakdale’s Oak Marsh Golf Club and president of the state’s Golf Course Owners Association. “It’s been three years since we’ve had nice profits in the golf business.”

Famous for being among the first Twin Cities courses to open each year, Oak Marsh opened this season on March 15^th, KSTP reported.

“We were rockin’ and rollin,” Whillock said. “We had six or seven days of golf with 150-200 players behind us, and we were finally looking forward to getting the ship above water and cruising along and have a profitable year. And then this hit.”

While a small number of courses have remained open, Whillock joined the majority of course owners in closing down to await a firm decision from the state.

“Our intention at this time is to just heed the governor’s plans, be safe, don’t try to push the envelope at this time,” he said.

Losing greens fees is only part of the equation for golf facilities, worsening an already difficult blow of losing food and beverage operations.

“We survived by doing fundraisers, golf outings, banquets, weddings,” Whillock said. “We’ll lose easily a half million dollars before we—or if we do—go back to normal.

“I hope this doesn’t take many of us down, but you never know.”

The MGA’s numbers estimate golf’s economic impact to be $2.3 billion annually, KSTP reported, generating just over $200-million in state and local taxes.

• Courses in New York state were presently surprised that they were given the green light to stay open after non-essential businesses were forced to close by order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Spectrum News of Buffalo reported.

“It’s like a totally new world. It’s things that we’ve never done before,” said Fred Zillner, Director of Golf Operations at Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, N.Y..

Diamond Hawk had a soft opening on March 27, with a full opening to come on March 30, Spectrum News reported. “We’re kind of a safe sport, but I didn’t think that we would be open yet,” Zillner said.

Zillner and the staff at Diamond Hawk are following guidelines from the state and the United States Golf Association for play during the coronavirus pandemic, Spectrum News reported. The following guidance came from the New York State Golf Association:

Courses in New York are allowed to remain open but must implement all CDC and state-mandated guidelines, and promote safe, social distancing. There is to be no access to pro shops, locker rooms, indoor facilities and restaurants/bars (unless for take-out purposes only).

Social distancing on the golf course may include:

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others
• Don’t shake hands before or after your game
• Leave the flagstick in the hole
• Remove rakes and ball washers from course
• Do not share clubs or any other equipment
• If using a golf cart, limit to one person

Per USGA directives, Diamond Hawk is also using a raised cup on putting greens so players don’t have to touch the cup with their hands after holing out.

Zillner says the measures are to protect players and employees alike.

“No personal contact. When you want to play, you have to call in [to pay] via credit card. You’re not allowed inside the club house. We’ve had to take all the coolers and sand boxes off the carts,” he said.

In addition to the one golfer per cart rule, staff will wash the carts with bleach after every use. Diamond Hawk also plans to offer food for takeout only.

“You don’t have to be too close to anyone. You can just go out there, you focus on your game, you look at the beautiful countryside that you’re at.”

That’s exactly what Hank Milner of Buffalo was doing Friday morning, as one of the first and few golfers on the course, Spectrum News reported.

“It’s just fun to be out here. Fun to hit a good shot every once in a while. It keeps you coming back,” Milner said.

And while he now has to worry about social distancing along with distance on his drives, Miller didn’t see a problem making the new normal work on the golf course.

“Unless you’re playing with someone, you’re not really next to people. You keep plenty of distance, definitely more than six feet,” he said.

A round of golf is a welcomed distraction and a chance to exercise outdoors when people are mostly expected to stay home.

“It gets you out of the house because I think everyone’s getting a little cabin fever,” he said. “It takes your mind off things, even for a few hours.”

• In Texas, County Judge Richard Cortez, who has issued a shelter in place order and curfew for Hidalgo County, said that he checked with his legal department when asked about golf courses, The Monitor of McAllen, Texas reported.

“I was told that social distancing was required and only one person to a cart and no one inside,” Cortez said via text regarding the response from his legal team.

“We’re not allowed to have people inside the facility other than staff,” Elizabeth Seiger, Golf Course Manager for Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg, Texas, told The Monitor. “Customers can bring water with them or purchase it here and we are requiring tee times.

“Before all of this started, we were seeing an average of 160 to 180 rounds per day,” Seiger added. “During the past week, the most was probably around 50 rounds. We are trying to alleviate crowding and scattering tee times.”

Seiger said she received her first upset call about play continuing at Los Lagos earlier in the day on March 29th.

“Someone called not very happy,” Seiger said. “She felt we were helping to spread the epidemic. But we are following a strict protocol and the guidelines that city management has given us. Most of the people will call over and say they’ve enjoyed that day and were thankful that we stayed open.”

Golfers have also offered suggestions to help during the pandemic crisis, Seiger said. Since there are no flags on the green at Los Lagos, one person suggested that they put all the pin placements in the center of the green, so golfers have a better idea where the hole is.

• On March 17^th, Honolulu, Hawaii Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued a statement closing city facilities which included county golf courses, but did not include privately owned courses, KITV ABC 4 of Honolulu reported. Many of the private courses are still open and their ability to stay open was approved by the Mayor’s office, but with a list of requirements.

Mayor Caldwell’s emergency order allows individuals to leave their residences “To engage in outdoor activity in locations as allowed by law, provided the individuals comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined,” KITV reported. Further, Mayor Caldwell approved that golf courses under private ownership should be allowed to remain open given certain conditions.

“First, let me be very clear that this approval to continue operating comes with strict guidelines including: all facilities should abide by the spirit of the order and strongly urge players remain at home as we, as individuals, are the first line of defense against the spread of the virus,” the mayor’s order read. “Courses that do remain open should do so in the spirit of the order by offering golf to those who need fresh air and exercise as an outlet for activity and not for social gatherings.

“Additionally, the following operating guidelines should be adopted immediately:

1. All facilities should strongly urge people to stay home and remind them that we as individuals are our own first line of defense against the spread of the virus.
2. If you need fresh air and exercise golf is allowable, but Social Distancing is a must.
3. Transportation to and from golf courses should be restricted. Players not in the same household should not be riding to and from the course together.

1. Social Distancing Requirements will be strictly applied by the golf course.
2. All tournament and club play will be prohibited.
3. Maximum number of players per group will be four (4) .
4. Tee times intervals should be at a minimum of twelve (12) minutes between groups with a maximum of five groups per hour.
5. Additionally, there should not be more than two (2) groups per hole or no more than one group on the tee and one group on the green of every hole.
6. Shared carts are prohibited. Courses will provide each player with their own cart (if available) and encourage walking.
7. Golf Course restaurants/bars will remain open at their discretion for takeout/curbside service only.
8. Management at facilities can place additional restrictions as needed.
9. Play may continue under these terms unless expressly prohibited by the city or state in a future order.