Has COVID-19 Affected Your Golf?

[nevets88]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

Just wait. Because of people only doing what’s “mandated,” many states are mandating closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses. Including golf courses.

NY just closed their courses I think.

I haven't called Bethpage and the NY State parks website looks like it might have been hacked so I'm not opening up that url, but I saw this on Twitter. My last round was Mar 9, I don't plan on playing anytime in the foreseeable future.

This is how Bethpage is altering its cups.

 

[rehmwa]

Frankly, I don't like sharing a cart.  This could be the upside of ZombieApocalypse/SkyNET

and it's totally ruined the 'getting acquainted' ritual of swapping iron covers on the 1st tee

 

That will NOT make the right (and, oh so satisfying) sound.  No sir.  So sir ree Bob.

Edited March 23, 2020 by rehmwa

[Arnold Woods]

No golf for a couple of weeks, courses remain closed.

[Bonvivant]

Thinking about mat and net purchase now. Local courses close after today so I will need something to do on nice days

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Arnold Woods said:

No golf for a couple of weeks, courses remain closed.

Welcome to TST!   Where are you that the courses are closed?

[chspeed]

2 hours ago, nevets88 said:

I haven't called Bethpage and the NY State parks website looks like it might have been hacked so I'm not opening up that url, but I saw this on Twitter. My last round was Mar 9, I don't plan on playing anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

 

State courses, including Bethpage, are open (they announced closures yesterday, but decided to stay open) as are Westchester courses. I played Saturday. NYC courses closed however.

[dsc123]

I don't know exactly how it works, but my course raised the cups so the ball falls down about a half inch and you can get it out without touching anything.  Seemed to work really well.

And then the governor closed all non-essential businesses yesterday and courses all closed.  My understanding is that maintenance will continue.  And its been suggested at one course I frequent that if we were to show up and "go for a walk" nobody would stop us.

[dennyjones]

Davison Country Club is closed but suggested people walk the cart paths using social distancing

[iacas]

This topic has a poll and some other things. Let's take the conversation over there for now, especially regarding how courses are handling this situation.

[dagolfer18]

Have any of y’all been golfing at a course with raised cups? If so, how do you determine whether a putt is holed? My brother and I just played nine holes last Saturday, and we didn’t know about the raised cups until we got to the course. Because we’ve never seen anything like it before, we didn’t know how to play it. After a few minutes’ discussion, we decided that even if our balls hit the side of the cup, we wouldn’t count it unless we believe it would’ve gone in under normal conditions. I ended up shooting 41. An excellent score, but I believe there were one or two I gave myself that wouldn’t have dropped if the cups weren’t raised, so my ‘real’ score probably would’ve been 42 or 43. Still a very good performance for me. But talking with my dad on the drive home, I realized I probably wouldn’t have a ‘real’ score for the next few months.

Edited March 25, 2020 by dagolfer18

[snapfade]

It's a judgement call, there will be those that will slam the ball off the cup and it will ricochet off the green and they will say they holed it. It's temporary.

[DaveP043]

22 minutes ago, dagolfer18 said:

Have any of y’all been golfing at a course with raised cups? If so, how do you determine whether a putt is holed? My brother and I just played nine holes last Saturday, and we didn’t know about the raised cups until we got to the course. Because we’ve never seen anything like it before, we didn’t know how to play it. After a few minutes’ discussion, we decided that even if our balls hit the side of the cup, we wouldn’t count it unless we believe it would’ve gone in under normal conditions. I ended up shooting 41. An excellent score, but I believe there were one or two I gave myself that wouldn’t have dropped if the cups weren’t raised, so my ‘real’ score probably would’ve been 42 or 43. Still a very good performance for me. But talking with my dad on the drive home, I realized I probably wouldn’t have a ‘real’ score for the next few months.

If you're competing with someone else, you're free to decide how to score these.  As for this being a "real score", the USGA has specifically extended the use of "most likely score" for handicap posting while these measures are in effect.  See the last bits here:

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rulesarticles/covid-19-rules-and-handicapping-faqs.html

 

 

[Club Rat]

31 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

As for this being a "real score", the USGA has specifically extended the use of "most likely score" for handicap posting while these measures are in effect.  See the last bits here:

Our GM has indicated score posting is suspended, yesterday.
Not sure why, I emailed the article to him this morning.

Mother nature is still controlling my interest in playing.
Not a big fan of Mud Golf... And slow punched greens ...

Spring is just a few more weeks away …  

[Mr Puddle]

22 hours ago, dsc123 said:

I don't know exactly how it works, but my course raised the cups so the ball falls down about a half inch and you can get it out without touching anything.  Seemed to work really well.

And then the governor closed all non-essential businesses yesterday and courses all closed.  My understanding is that maintenance will continue.  And its been suggested at one course I frequent that if we were to show up and "go for a walk" nobody would stop us.

They turn the cup up side down. In the UK all courses are closed, and will be for at least three weeks. My guess is that they won't open until about June. 

 

LOL Trump has said he wants the Corona crisis sorted by Easter in the USA, good luck with that one 

[cooke119]

On 3/23/2020 at 1:15 PM, nevets88 said:

I haven't called Bethpage and the NY State parks website looks like it might have been hacked so I'm not opening up that url, but I saw this on Twitter. My last round was Mar 9, I don't plan on playing anytime in the foreseeable future.

This is how Bethpage is altering its cups.

 

I got the same email from NY State Parks, I play Sunken Meadow mostly, you have register a tee time on line, no walk ups.  If this darn weather get better I'll be out there but I'm sure I will play like crap given the last time I played was weeks ago.

[jmanbooyaa]

@cooke119 very odd how Monday 3/22 no golf at Sunken or Bethpage. Now tee times limited. Too bad the weekend is a wash. All county courses are also open. Again. Rain out all weekend. Good luck. Maybe I will see you out there. I play sunken quite a bit. 
 

I think they just aerated the blue last week or so. Maybe green. I can’t remember 

[WillieT]

9 hours ago, dagolfer18 said:

Have any of y’all been golfing at a course with raised cups? If so, how do you determine whether a putt is holed? My brother and I just played nine holes last Saturday, and we didn’t know about the raised cups until we got to the course. Because we’ve never seen anything like it before, we didn’t know how to play it. After a few minutes’ discussion, we decided that even if our balls hit the side of the cup, we wouldn’t count it unless we believe it would’ve gone in under normal conditions. I ended up shooting 41. An excellent score, but I believe there were one or two I gave myself that wouldn’t have dropped if the cups weren’t raised, so my ‘real’ score probably would’ve been 42 or 43. Still a very good performance for me. But talking with my dad on the drive home, I realized I probably wouldn’t have a ‘real’ score for the next few months.

While the virus has not affected me directly - it has changed the way we play.   Cases in point - last Friday, the course we played had done limited measures - inverted cups on all the holes, i.e. the ball goes in but only about 1/2-3/4", flagsticks were to stay in the cups otherwise pretty much normal.  Yesterday (Tues) - different course, different rules - course pro (using social distancing) told us no ball washers, no coolers, no bunker rakes, all carts disinfected, all holes had pins cut to center of green, no flags and 2" spacers placed at top of cup.  He said, "if your ball hits the cup, count it as going in".  The hardest part was "seeing" where the cup was on approaches.  However in terms of putting, I personally found it easier to "make" putts as I could lock in on the exposed rim.  Over all, pace of play was good....of course, my score was not anything to write home about, then again it never is. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, WillieT said:

While the virus has not affected me directly - it has changed the way we play.   Cases in point - last Friday, the course we played had done limited measures - inverted cups on all the holes, i.e. the ball goes in but only about 1/2-3/4", flagsticks were to stay in the cups otherwise pretty much normal.  Yesterday (Tues) - different course, different rules - course pro (using social distancing) told us no ball washers, no coolers, no bunker rakes, all carts disinfected, all holes had pins cut to center of green, no flags and 2" spacers placed at top of cup.  He said, "if your ball hits the cup, count it as going in".  The hardest part was "seeing" where the cup was on approaches.  However in terms of putting, I personally found it easier to "make" putts as I could lock in on the exposed rim.  Over all, pace of play was good....of course, my score was not anything to write home about, then again it never is. 

 

Before our courses closed on Tuesday I did not get to experience no flagsticks, hole in center of green.  Probably would have forced me into a better score.  But I wonder how long they can do that before the center of the green gets worn thin?