Golf in a post Corona world…

We interrupt our regular series on Scotland golf travel to talk about golfing in a post Corona world. Given the fact it would be hard to fly to a bucket list golf course anytime soon we figured you wouldn’t mind. And we are throwing in a golf course review to boot.

This past week in Northern California was a real adventure in terms of finding a tee time. The “Stay at Home” order wracked the golf course world with confusion. Some courses stayed open because golf is “an outdoor exercise with social distancing” only to be shut down days later. The uncertainty to the courses was epic. I booked no fewer than 3 tee times that got cancelled by the courses hours or days later after having confirmed on the phone they would be open.

But the fact is that the Northern California Golf Association has come up with a protocol for golf to operate in a world of social distancing due to the Corona virus. And I did finally find a golf course in Antioch, California that was open this past Sunday for a tee time. 

First the protocol. NCGA calls the protocol “Park and Play”. It puts in place a series of changes the golf course deploys in order to comply with social distancing. They are intended to protect the players as well as the staff from coming into contact with others or objects that could harbor the virus. 

A quick overview of the changes that directly affect play:

• When you get to the golf course, call the Pro Shop to pay for the foursome as opposed to going in. (1 person pays for the whole foursome). Or you prepay the foursome from home.
• Golf Carts are sanitized and left out for golfers with a 1-golfer per cart policy (walking is very much encouraged).
• Discontinued sit down food service, but you can call in food service to be picked up and paid for with a credit card over the phone.
• Increase the tee time intervals to put distance between the groups. 
• The flag must be left in at all times and not touched.
• Ball washing stations, bulk scorecard holders, and sand containers will be removed from play. (Basically anything that could be touched by multiple people.)
• Bunker rakes will be removed and local rules created so that golfers can place their ball in the bunker and rake with their feet. 
• The cup can either be raised 1 inch or a pool noodle can be placed in the cup to eliminate golfers from touching the cup. If a cup is raised the ball touching the cup counts as a hole-out.

There are other guidelines for the courses for safety which can be read here

We think these measures make a lot of sense to protect both staff and players, and are very hopeful that the guidelines will be adopted by municipalities and states in order to keep the game going during these very trying times. For now, it seems that they are accepted on a haphazard basis which is going to lead to more confusion in the short term. Clearly safety is the number one concern. I would implore golfers who have the privilege of getting out to play at a course to take these rules very seriously, bring hand sanitizer, use it often. Lastly, be sure to practice social distancing! If you don’t you risk ruining this for all amateur golfers and honestly I am running out of closets to organize.

This past weekend BBF got out and played a course that was practicing the Park and Play policy. We had some sense of uncertainty going into it, sort of like “well some golf is better than no golf,” but with the way this course was set up it really didn’t feel much different (especially considering the 2020 rule you can leave the flag stick in). In fact, by hole 3 we were giddy with enjoyment. If the course does “raised cup” that changes your putting strategy for sure. Ours did pool noodle in the cup and that felt just like golf with the frustrating lipouts and all! The only other thing that took getting used to was the bunker play. But with the “place” local rule even that was not too bad. Be sure to bring plenty of water and perhaps snacks so that you can avoid too much contact with the staff. 

With that, onto the golf course review! Lone Tree, Antioch, CA

Since we wrote this piece on Golf in a Post Corona world, we have reviewed a number of other golf courses and the safety measures they are taking. Check them out:

Dry Creek Ranch
Spring Valley Golf Course
Metropolitan Golf Links