"We need to continue to remind golfers that they’re playing before the biggest gallery of their lives, as well-publicized screwups could turn the yellow lights back to red."

The National Golf Foundation’s weekly and incredibly powerful interactive report has dropped again with more information for the industry. They’ve stepped up impressively in their efforts to highlight what’s going on in the golf business.

The NGF reports 79% of U.S. golf courses are open in some form with 90% projected by May 17.

The latest COVID-19 report also includes looks at the retail sector, consumer spending and how golfers see their income potentially impacted.

As part of the weekly release, NGF CEO Joe Beditz was upbeat about the findings but issued this excellent warning.

As I’ll continue to say, golf has an opportunity to lead by example, showing it can be played safely and responsibly in the midst of a pandemic. Course owners and operators need to keep following local rules and adjusting to our “new normal.” And we need to continue to remind golfers that they’re playing before the biggest gallery of their lives, as well-publicized screwups could turn the yellow lights back to red.