As parts of the world shut down to stave off the coronavirus spread, there is uncomfortable and all-first world question of whether to play golf?
We know the pluses: humans still need fresh air and exercise, they need to get out of the house but not gather in large groups, and they need to do something they love for general sanity purposes.
The minuses are largely of perception: does it look wrong? Is it bad to be out gallivanting around the links as thousands are infected, hospitals face a looming crisis and the economy craters? Why should golf course workers be forced to keep going while so many safely stay home?
The answers are not easy nor are they consistent. Look at this sampling of items filed just today but writers we all know and trust.
Mike Johnson at Golf World revealed what his Connecticut club is doing and surveyed a broad swatch of places, each with very different stances ranging from closed to open with no rakes, flagsticks not to be touched, carts sanitized for a party of one. And there was this:
According to the National Club Association, 40 percent of its clubs have indicated moderate modifications as a result of the coronavirus, approximately 25 percent have indicated “a lot” (such as canceling all events) and nearly 20 percent have closed their facilities. Only 1 to 2 percent indicate they have made no modifications. A recent online town hall drew more than 2,000 people to hear experts in the medical and club fields while also collecting data on what many clubs are doing. Some of the actions the NCA is advocating clubs consider include (For more information, go to coronavirus.nationalclub.org):
The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster makes the case for playing:
Rarely do you ever find yourself crowded or with someone in your face on the golf course. And, of course, the maximum number of players you can have in a group is four.
To me, it has to be one of the safest places anyone could be at the moment and, by the sounds of things, the medical experts are of the same opinion.
But Alistair Tait is feeling increasingly uneasy teeing it up and makes a strong case here.
I’ve grown increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of going to the golf club despite the fact we only play in four balls and the guys I play with would adhere to government and club guidelines.
None of us really knows how this virus works. For all I know, I could be a carrying the virus and could pass it on even if I was practising all the guidelines. The last thing I’d want to do is spread the disease to friends. That risk, however remote, is just not worth it.
Brendan Porath at SB Nation makes this point:
Golf may be a lower-risk activity for people looking for a break from total isolation or social distancing. But there is still an element of shared space and public interaction. Most importantly, as the Augusta chairman noted, there are the staffs required to run and maintain a golf course and a clubhouse, whether it be some gaudy private complex or a spartan public shack. As the pandemic evolves and likely escalates in the United States, courses, both public and private, will face the decision of shutting down an outdoor “low-risk” operation.
Superintendents, including at places like Ridgewood CC where Todd Raisch oversees things, are raising cups to prevent golfers from reaching into the hole and possibly spreading the virus (see photo above).
As Andy Johnson and I discussed on this week’s Fried Egg pod, this is an opportunity for golf to reset some values and also change perceptions of facilities as elitist havens wasting environmental resources. Perhaps this awful moment in history will, at some point, give the sport an opening to reestablish its rightful place as a healthy way to exercise.
Today, I hit a bucket of balls at Rancho Park in LA, which looked like Rancho of old: golfers were still getting called to tee off the first hole at 5:30 pm, the entire course was full, as was the range. The putting greens were populated by every age, gender and race imaginable. Social distancing was evident if you looked closely, but otherwise it was just another day at Rancho.
But I also understand that in certain regions, no one should be out and golf courses should not be attracting people to cross barriers. However, there must be a place for golf to carve out in this pandemic. I dare say it’s a grand opportunity for the USGA and R&A to take the lead in highlighting how golf courses are generally safe places to be right now. Oh, and to point out they presciently got out ahead of the virus with the new flagstick-can-stay-in-the-cup-while-you-putt rule.
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Given that a surprising majority of you voted to keep playing the Players, I’m way above mentioning how that vote looks questionable in hindsight. And because I’d like to hear your thoughts:
