Is Golf Available Where You Live? (COVID-19 Edition)

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, Mr Puddle said:

Possibly a difference in geographical terminology. A two ball is two people playing together, and a four ball ball four people playing, etc

Thanks. 

[billchao]

Just got an email saying that starting next week, my county courses will go to 12 minute intervals and the pro shops will be open. They’re phasing out prepaid tee times, so walking on will be an option soon. Bathrooms will also be open. Flags will be normal again but they’re asking people not to touch them until further notice. Putting greens will be open with no holes. We’re getting close to normal.

[easyjay39402]

Outdoor golf operations have remained open throughout the crisis at my home course. Indoor operations resumed recently, with restrictions.  As I retired guy, I had been accustomed to being able to show up at the course during the week and just tee off. With so many people not working, the course is packed every day and tee times, if you can get them, are mandatory.  Most players are not observing social distancing, including my usual group which has a lot of younger guys.  It is nice to see so many golf enthusiasts enjoying the game ...

[dennyjones]

24 minutes ago, easyjay39402 said:

Outdoor golf operations have remained open throughout the crisis at my home course. Indoor operations resumed recently, with restrictions.  As I retired guy, I had been accustomed to being able to show up at the course during the week and just tee off. With so many people not working, the course is packed every day and tee times, if you can get them, are mandatory.  Most players are not observing social distancing, including my usual group which has a lot of younger guys.  It is nice to see so many golf enthusiasts enjoying the game ...

This is what I'm seeing in my area.  

[Yukari]

On 6/17/2020 at 6:38 AM, easyjay39402 said:

Outdoor golf operations have remained open throughout the crisis at my home course. Indoor operations resumed recently, with restrictions.  As I retired guy, I had been accustomed to being able to show up at the course during the week and just tee off. With so many people not working, the course is packed every day and tee times, if you can get them, are mandatory.  Most players are not observing social distancing, including my usual group which has a lot of younger guys.  It is nice to see so many golf enthusiasts enjoying the game ...

I noticed that from day 1 of courses being opened.  We are talking about people standing less than 1 club length.  Almost shoulder to shoulder on tees and greens.

[DeadMan]

My experience was people were social distancing well at first. It has definitely tailed off. It also seems that groups of friends are the worst at social distancing. 

[Shindig]

On 6/12/2020 at 5:21 PM, billchao said:

Just got an email saying that starting next week, my county courses will go to 12 minute intervals and the pro shops will be open. They’re phasing out prepaid tee times, so walking on will be an option soon. Bathrooms will also be open. Flags will be normal again but they’re asking people not to touch them until further notice. Putting greens will be open with no holes. We’re getting close to normal.

I wish our putting greens were open, even absent holes.  LA City courses don't even have that option.  

[phan52]

We still don't have rakes in the bunkers (local rule of lift and place), we have plastic rings in the holes that don't allow the ball to go to the bottom, and we must leave the pin in. But things are getting a little lax at our club. The golf staff and caddies have stopped wearing masks. The restaurant has social distanced outdoor dining and the waitstaff still wear a mask. We had a major tournament last week and players hung around until the end and there was little or no social distancing and almost zero masks. At my age and with my medical issues I was one of the few who wore a mask and I got funny looks, although no one said anything. PA has done a good job of slowing the virus and I just hope we don't become a source of spread. Golf is therapy for me these days and I would hate to see it all go backward.

[dennyjones]

Played yesterday and the course required a mask to enter the pro shop.   They weren't doing anything special to the carts, including cleaning.   The cart was recycled as soon as it arrived.  There were no precautions for the flag sticks.  

[Yukari]

With the sharp rise in infections in many states, I would imagine they will take a step back in many aspects of the business.  I see hardly anyone practicing social distancing anymore.

Fortunately, lots of people do wear mask when shopping or out and about.

[Double Mocha Man]

In my state (Washington) the Governor issued a proclamation yesterday making wearing masks in public mandatory, beginning Friday.  I have no issue with that... they actually do cut down on transferring the virus... more than anything else.  Hopefully we don't go in reverse on playing golf.  Don't want to go back to those dark, dreary days.  😷

[bkuehn1952]

In the Mitten, I think we have come back to as close to "normal" as can be done until a vaccine is created.  We played Tuesday.  Four of us, not from the same household, rode in two carts.  The holes were standard, there was no "rule" against removing the flagstick AND there were rakes in the bunkers.  We are required to wear masks inside the clubhouse but the public restrooms were open.  I did not check on the snack bar/restaurant but by Governor's decree, food establishments can operate under some restrictions.  A beverage cart was operating.  Many courses are back to 8 minute splits, a few are 10 minutes but none are longer than 10 minutes.

So far I only ride in a cart with one individual, a good friend.  All my other rounds are walking or solo cart.  I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a mask during all rounds.  We still do not shake hands or knowingly stand close together but the 6 foot "barrier" is crumbling.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, bkuehn1952 said:

We still do not shake hands or knowingly stand close together but the 6 foot "barrier" is crumbling.

We are social creatures. Our brains are not wired for 6-foot distancing.

[Binh Nguyen]

In Vietnam we have 0 case out there in public for about 2 months, only some cases coming back from other countries and they are all quarantined.

So everything is back to normal for more than 1 month.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, Binh Nguyen said:

In Vietnam we have 0 case out there in public for about 2 months, only some cases coming back from other countries and they are all quarantined.

So everything is back to normal for more than 1 month.

What is your secret?

[Binh Nguyen]

Just now, Double Mocha Man said:

What is your secret?

We just chased all the cases and practically quarantined every one that contacted with the one that had COVID 19. 

Beside we kind of understand how China works so we prepared from the very beginning.

 

[Pretzel]

2 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

What is your secret?

Testing, either in sufficient or terribly inadequate numbers, combined with strong intervention policies that heavily restrict people who have known exposure to the virus.

If you have enough tests you can trace cases early on and attempt to strangle the infection before it can take root on a wider scale. If you don't test much then it's impossible to report new cases because you never know they happened. Either way testing doesn't mean anything unless you are able to isolate everyone who has been exposed for 14 days without them returning to public. Expecting people to self-quarantine without any consequences for failure to do so is like expecting a toddler to stay out of the cookie jar when you don't punish them for sneaking cookies in the first place - individuals with strong morals won't have any issues complying but many others will fail to do so deliberately or by accident.

It also helps that 64% of the population is rural, compared to only 23% of the US population. It means most people are social distancing whether they intend to or not, and eases the burden of testing for confirmed cases/tracking exposure to confirmed cases because there are fewer areas and fewer people in which the virus can rapidly spread.

[Double Mocha Man]

7 minutes ago, Binh Nguyen said:

We just chased all the cases and practically quarantined every one that contacted with the one that had COVID 19. 

Beside we kind of understand how China works so we prepared from the very beginning.

 

Thank you.  How were you able to quarantine people?  Here, in the U.S., quarantining is sort of on a volunteer basis.