Is Golf Back to Normal Where You Play?

[Sammydreep]

Yes , since about last May 😀

[David in FL]

Yep.  100% for 6 months now.  

[boogielicious]

Clubhouse still requires masks and social distancing but the holes are back to normal and rakes are back. Ball washers are out there too.

[Sandy Divot]

The pvc things are out of the holes. Bunker rakes are back. Ball washers back. Water coolers are back with hand sanitizer attached. Guys are still using single carts. Masks inside. Food service up and running. 

[Billy Z]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Clubhouse still requires masks and social distancing but the holes are back to normal and rakes are back. Ball washers are out there too.

Pretty much the same in Michigan, at least to my experiences. Strange thing is that our casual group now leaves the flag in, as it has become habit and is quicker. As far as ball washers, I rarely use them because of the possible stagnant water in them. To many germs, lol. Michigan C19 has risen in the recent days/wks so this will probably stall the process back to the normal conditions. We still can play golf, though!

[sjduffers]

One the munis I play has partially restored its old ways but is not quite there yet. For example, the benches are back, there is one ball washer that I saw but many other holes didn't have it, yet (and I didn't see a cart going around with a bunch of ball washers hanging in there...). The water jugs and the rakes are still absent and the foam noodles in the holes were brand new as of this week! It's still 2 masked customers max in the pro shop and credit card payment only (no cash). But then, I saw multiple carts going around with 2 players: were they all related? Doubtful...  How does any of this make any sense? Dunno, and don't really care.

Other courses still have the strict protocol they instituted 10 months ago (for the reopening after the complete shutdown), completely intact: online payment only, the pro shop is still closed, one per cart, no cart in the parking lot, no rake, bench or water jug. And these are muni courses (or at least county public courses), so why all the disparate measures? Dunno and don't really care, either.

There is still no open restaurant (inside seating) in any of those clubhouses, but the county allows 50% seating inside restaurants as part of the graduated tiers of restriction (we are back to the orange tier, out of the purple and red tiers, and probably going to yellow in a week or two). Does that make any sense? No... and you know the rest of what I was going to say. 

Edited April 3, 2021 by sjduffers

[Double Mocha Man]

29 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

But then, I saw multiple carts going around with 2 players: were they all related? Doubtful...  How does any of this make any sense? 

Maybe the 2 person carts were being used by fully vaccinated players???

[Darkfrog]

30 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Maybe the 2 person carts were being used by fully vaccinated players???

My home course (local muni) allows people to share carts if they want to. I don't see it that often, but I've played with a few twosomes who were friends and wanted to share, maybe for the social/drinking aspect of golf. Initially cart sharing was only allowed for members of the same household, but I guess now a player can opt in to sharing if they want, and single-rider option is always available.

[Dunit507]

I’ve noticed some more guys pulling the pin lately. I think we have all grown so used to leaving it that we aren’t even thinking about pulling it.... but I am going to next round! To tell you the truth I just played today and don’t remember if the foam stoppers are still in the cup. I have just gotten so used to “COVID golf.”

[ghalfaire]

No, masks still required in the club house, most courses don't have rakes at the traps, and many don't have ball washers, and almost all on course drinking fountains are secured.  However there are a few, and I mean a few, that have totally opened on the course.  But I don't know any that don't still require a mask in the pro shop/clubhouse.

[phan52]

Course has been back to normal with rakes and normal cups since last July.  We still require masks where people congregate and anywhere indoors. People can remove masks when seated in the grill areas and can go to 75% capacity starting today (April 4).  Tables still need to be 6 feet apart.

[billchao]

Played today and the course was exactly as it was at the end of last year: no benches, no ball washers, no rakes, and no noodles in the cups.

[Billy Z]

Well, I posted my first 2021 score yesterday, so that helps make things seem a bit normal.

[sjduffers]

On 4/3/2021 at 2:00 PM, Double Mocha Man said:

Maybe the 2 person carts were being used by fully vaccinated players???

Very doubtful. Unless they are all essential workers, in which case what are they doing on the course in the middle of the week anyway? 🙂

You see, a lot of folks riding carts are fairly young (definitely below 50 which is the new threshold age around here for first vaccinations), and should probably walk instead... I'll never understand that one: old folks are walking a lot more than young ones. Perhaps just to save money? I know I do, both to save money and to exercise.

On 4/3/2021 at 2:35 PM, Darkfrog said:

My home course (local muni) allows people to share carts if they want to. I don't see it that often, but I've played with a few twosomes who were friends and wanted to share, maybe for the social/drinking aspect of golf. 

Yes, that's more likely. But then the cart sharing policy is all over the place: some courses allow sharing, some sharing with a plastic curtain in between the seats and some no sharing at all (unless from the same household).

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

Very doubtful. Unless they are all essential workers, in which case what are they doing on the course in the middle of the week anyway? 🙂

I know many non-essential people under the age of 25 who have been vaccinated.

[Ccred1992]

We have been back to normal since the governor said masks where optional.  The older guys that did stop playing in  our men’s game are back now that they are vaccinated. Water coolers on the course.  No masks anywhere.  

[sjduffers]

15 hours ago, iacas said:

I know many non-essential people under the age of 25 who have been vaccinated.

Of course, there are plenty. But enough to use a lot of the double carts, in the middle of the day on a week day? Not likely.

That said, I don't care one way or the other. I am not in the cart with them, and if I was, I am partially vaccinated (second dose is in a couple of weeks). I was just commenting on the seemingly vastly disparate policies on the various courses around here (all municipally or county owned), for no apparent reason. Again, I don't know, and I don't really care.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, sjduffers said:

Of course, there are plenty. But enough to use a lot of the double carts, in the middle of the day on a week day? Not likely.

That said, I don't care one way or the other. I am not in the cart with them, and if I was, I am partially vaccinated (second dose is in a couple of weeks). I was just commenting on the seemingly vastly disparate policies on the various courses around here (all municipally or county owned), for no apparent reason. Again, I don't know, and I don't really care.

Don't let those double-cart guys pull the pin and leave it for you to put back in the hole...