May 6, 2020 at 10:21 a.m.
Area golf courses active, adjusting in early season in face of COVID-19
Area golf courses active, adjusting in early season in face of COVID-19
Good weather and the eagerness of many to get outside after weeks of sheltering in place has resulted in a solid turnout on the links so far, according to representatives of three area golf courses interviewed by the River News.
"It's kind of like mid-summer business in April and May because everybody's so ready to get outside," said Chip Bromann who, along with his wife Jayne, owns and operates Pinewood Country Club in Harshaw.
Though Gov. Tony Evers extended the state's Safer at Home order through May 26, the renewed order allowed golf courses to open, provided proper social distancing guidelines were followed. The private Rhinelander Country Club opened April 24, the public Pinewood Country Club opened April 25 and Northwood Golf Club, owned by the City of Rhinelander and operated by Green Golf Partners, opened May 1.
In the first two weekends of play Jon Konz, PGA professional at Rhinelander Country Club, said traffic has been busy.
"We've been very busy," he said. "People are tired of being inside. I would say our play is definitely up. Obviously, with the rain (early last week) it slowed things down, but people are anxious to get out and about."
With a high temperature in the upper 60s last Friday before late afternoon rain showers came through, and the thermometer topping out in the lower 70s on Saturday - the warmest day of the year thus far in the Northwoods - Bromann said people were ready to get out and do something other than stay at home, which has been pretty much the standard procedure since late March.
"It was crazy how busy we were," Bromann said, noting his course had roughly 150 players last Friday. "We were booked till 4 o'clock. It was a good day and everybody's saying the same thing, 'We're tired of sitting at home.'"
Northwood was a week behind the other two courses in terms of opening. It took longer for the eight inches of snow the area received on Easter Sunday to melt, due to the course's tight, tree-lined layout.
Kyle Christian, PGA professional at Northwood, said that was not too much of an issue and that the course saw roughly the same amount of traffic it has seen on opening weekend in previous years.
"I think people are ready to get out," he said. "I notice the membership has increased over last year at this time. We have more members already, so that's good."
Of course, stepping out on the course, golfers will notice a number of things hat are different from their typical playing experience. Pro shops are closed, as are driving ranges and clubhouses are only offering carryout food.
The days of just driving to the course, showing up and walking on are over. Tee times must be made in advance, by phone and/or online. Instead of going into the pro shop, golfers at Pinewood and Northwood are being served at the window, with the pro shop attendant staying inside the building.
One of the biggest changes is golf carts. Initially, Evers' executive order banned the use of golf carts, meaning everyone was mandated to walk the course unless unable to due to a physical disability. The Evers' administration loosened those restrictions last Wednesday. Now golf carts can be used provided there is only one person per cart - two people from the same household may share a cart - and the carts are sanitized following each use.
Bromann, Christian and Konz all heralded the ability to offer carts to their players and members. Christian estimated roughly 90 percent of Northwoods' customers on opening weekend used a cart and, of the 150 players Pinewood had last Friday, Bromann guessed maybe 10 players walked the course.
"I think a lot less people would have came out if they had to walk," Christian said.
On the course, the biggest difference for golfers is on the putting green where each course has come up with its own solution as to how to prevent the ball from going to the bottom of the cup - from putting a pool noodle in the cup as spacer around the flagstick to flipping the cup upside down.
No matter the method the premise is the same - to have the ball drop approximately a quarter inch below ground level when it goes into the cup. This way, golfers can easily retrieve their ball with their putter, as opposed to reaching into the cup to grab the ball with their hands. With the need to touch the pin and the cup eliminated, that's two fewer potential contact points per hole for germs to spread.
"I'm pleasantly surprised with the fact that people have been very conscious of our procedures. Things have gone very smoothly with the distanced tee times. People have been doing their due diligence, doing the correct thing," Konz said.
One thing that hasn't changed is the interval between tee times, with groups at Northwood and Pinewood still going out 10 minutes apart.
To avoid congestion, New Jersey mandated tee times be spread out 16 minutes apart, but Bromann said he hasn't seen the necessity.
"There was a lot of talk about people going to more (time between tee times) but, with single-rider carts, people are playing faster," he said. "They're moving. A foursome is taking under two hours (for nine holes) and things are going a lot quicker."
All three course representatives said so far they've received little, if any, negative feedback on the new playing procedures.
"Right now, I don't think people care how they play, they're just glad they have something to do without looking at the four walls inside their house," Konz said.
Large golf events have been put on hold for now, with all three saying they have had to cancel or postpone the first few scheduled tournaments and outings on the calendar.
League play started this week at Pinewood and will begin next week at Northwood.
All three said they are eager to ramp up operations as allowed.
"We're just following protocol. Everyday things change so much. We're hoping things get back to normal soon," Christian said.
In the meantime, getting back on the course brings with it some sense of normalcy to those who enjoy the game.
"All the comments that I heard today were, 'Thank you for getting open,'" Bromann said. "Everybody's really appreciative to be able to have an outlet to be able to do something and go out and get some exercise. It's been tough on everybody."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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