Two weeks after the coronavirus shut down most POA amenities, the golf courses were having one of their best days of the year. On Thursday, when the temperatures were above 80 degrees, the golf courses were full.
The POA made a number of changes to help golfers avoid the virus, including limiting the number of people in each of the Pro Shops and asking golfers not to stop and socialize after their rounds. Also, shotgun starts -- in which a large group of golfers starts simultaneously on different holes -- were eliminated. Golfers were assigned individual tee times to keep them apart.
"They're doing a lot," golfer Wade Swanton said, as he finished a round at the Country Club. "You're not around a lot of people, but you're able to get out."
Annette Allsup was getting ready to start her round.
"We're all riding with our husbands today," she explained.
On Thursday, golfers were allowed to share carts and, since the course was so full, most of them did.
Jim Cottingham was assigning golf carts that afternoon.
He was telling golfers, "You either trust the person you're riding with or you don't." Most of them were fine with sharing.
Later Thursday night, POA general manager Tom Judson told the board that new guidelines would prevent two people from sharing a cart. The number of carts available will limit the number of people who can play each day. The one-person-per-cart rule was due to go into effect on Saturday, along with a slightly longer interval between tee times
Cottingham said people were asking why the POA didn't move carts from the Kingsdale courses which were closed on Thursday, but that wasn't practical since there is a finite number of chargers on each course. If they moved extra carts in, they would not be able to charge them, he explained.
After each cart is returned, the staff cleans them with water, moves them onto the charger and then disinfects them. That way the disinfectant has time to work while the cart is being charged, he explained. Golfers are asked to throw away their own trash before returning the carts and almost everyone was happy to do that, he said.
A few other changes were put into effect to keep golfers from handling equipment that might not get disinfected, Jeremiah Allen in the Dogwood Pro Shop explained.
Cart tags were discontinued for the duration. Trash cans were moved off the course but left near the cart return area. Rakes and ball washers were moved off the course. A block, something like a slice of a pool noodle, was put into each hole so the balls could be retrieved without the player touching the sides of the hole.
Warming up on the practice green at the Country Club, Laurie Schoenbarm said she was fine with the restrictions. Her friend Stephanie Bryant said she carries disinfecting wipes with her clubs just in case.
Swanton said the PGA has recently changed its rule about putting with the flag in the hole, which the POA is encouraging so fewer people touch the flags. Sometimes, he explained, the flag actually stops the ball, making the putt more successful.
Inside the Country Club, a staff member was at the pro shop door, making sure not more than four people were inside at once. When they got inside, they were asked to run their own credit card.
Bruce Flemming, the pro shop supervisor, said many golfers had commented that they were happy that the course was open because golf gave them a sense of normal activity. It was particularly busy, he said, because of the number of people who were home from work.
"When you're an extrovert, you can't stay cooped up in the house," Wes Busby explained, climbing into a golf cart.
General News on 04/01/2020