Golfers fill tee times as courses reopen
Golfers wasted no time hitting the local links when Gov. Tom Wolf permitted courses across the commonwealth to reopen for play on May 1.
Golf courses were opened “as part of a statewide reopening of outdoor recreational activities,” per the directive from the Governor’s Office.
Tee time slots were filled for the first time in the spring season on the first Friday of May, although the weather wasn’t very accommodating. Wednesday was rainy. Thursday was a pleasant spring day, but tee times were delayed with frost on the greens. Friday was a wash out with rain and snow, and temperatures dipped below freezing and barely climbed into the 40s, along with intermittent snow, on Saturday.
“It’s been hectic. It’s been definitely busy,” said Pleasant Valley Golf Club professional Ken Ivory Thursday morning. “We’re open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We’ve been packed every day.”
“We opened Friday (May 1), but the weather was not so good,” said Joel Kovach, the general manager at Rohanna’s Golf Course. “But, we were booked throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Monday was semi-slow, and we had no golf of Wednesday.
“And, we had frost on the green Thursday.”
“We were swamped today,” said Jim Hayes, who runs Linden Hall Golf Course, on Thursday. “It’s running pretty smooth. I didn’t know what to expect on the first day.
“Everyone wants to play golf so bad. They want to get out and exercise. That’s the whole reason to be here.”
The golf season was transitioning from winter play into the spring when the word came down to close down courses.
“On March 16, the governor came out across the news and said we had to shut our doors. I’d be out working on the course and see sad faces as they drive by,” said Freddie Harrison, Duck Hollow Golf Club general manager and Director of Golf. “Now, it’s mostly smiles through the masks.”
Hayes was golfing in South Carolina when the news broke.
“We played in South Carolina on March 12, and there was not too much talk when we left,” said Hayes. “Then, we’re all getting phone calls.”
The WPGA (Western Pennsylvania Golf Association), in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Alliance for Golf, provides guidance for the local member courses on operation within the protocols set forth by the Governor’s Office. And, those protocols are fluid.
For example, golfers who opt to use a cart are permitted one vehicle. However, the latest guidance released by the Governor’s Office on Thursday effective Friday, stated “Golf courses are now permitted to allow occupants of the same residence to share a golf cart.”
One golfer per cart is the new norm, but Harrison said he caught himself wondering what was going on with four carts assembled on the first tee.
“I pop out of the pro shop and see three or four carts on the first tee, and say, ‘What are they doing?’ I never see that. I feel I want to yell or something,” Harrison said with a laugh.
The courses reported no major issues in the opening week with patrons following the latest guidelines. Golfers must have a tee time, whether by phoning the pro shop or setting up a time online.
“We usually set our tee times seven, then eight minutes apart. Now, it’s a standard 12 minutes. We have five tee times an hour. We’ve had no problems,” explained Ivory. “Golfers have to wear a mask inside the pro shop. We have signage up (with the guidelines). But, it’s up to the golfers to wear a mask on the course.”
“We set up tee times every 15 minutes instead of seven or eight minutes,” said Kovach. “We keep social distancing. Golfers pay at the side door of the pro shop.”
“Tee times are set 15 minutes apart and we only allow three in the pro shop at one time. They have to have a mask on in the pro shop,” said Hayes.
With no play for nearly two months, the courses were in great shape leading into the reopening.
“It’s phenomenal,” Ivory said of his course. “You give turf grass eight weeks of being maintained and no traffic, it’s magnificent.”
Guidelines issued for play include sanitizing carts after play, social distancing guidelines and reducing common surface contact on items, notably flag sticks on the green.
“No one is to touch the flag stick. We cut those pool noodles, jammed them into the pin and stuck the bottom of the flag stick in the noodle. It’s real tough to pull out,” said Kovach, adding, “There’s enough room for the ball to just fall into the hole.”
Harrison complimented his patrons for following the guidelines.
“To me, everything is going fantastic. Honestly, it ran smoother than it had to be. Everyone has been doing this since (the guidelines were established). People know how to act. I was pleasantly surprised how it went,” said Harrison. “We ask they show up 10 minutes before their tee time. We don’t handle the bags.
“We limit the amount of people in the pro shop. We have four people max in the pro shop. We have masks available and hand sanitizer.
“If someone doesn’t feel comfortable coming in, we go out and take care of them.”
Harrison added, “The one good thing out of this is I haven’t had one person show up and not have a tee time. That makes it easier on me.”
Many local golfers traveled south to West Virginia to get in their rounds with courses closed.
“That was the big thing, not just with us, but with a lot of courses. They’d go to West Virginia. Morgantown is 15 minutes from Waynesburg,” said Kovach.
“I know some members were going to West Virginia to play,” said Harrison. “It hurt the bordering counties, for sure.”
Albert Gallatin golf coach Bernie Wydo was one of the golfers to line up a tee time at Duck Hollow on “reopening day.”
“I golfed Saturday and Sunday. Saturday it was packed,” said Wydo. “Sunday was overcast and cool, and it rained a little. We went back to the clubhouse and it stopped, and we finished our round.”
“Hallelujah is right,” Wydo said of the general feeling to being back on the course. “Finally, get out of the house and do something.”
Rohanna’s doesn’t serve food, but Pleasant Valley, Duck Hollow and Linden Hall do. Food service is shut down until restrictions are lifted.
All concerned are happy to be operating once again.
“We anxious to go back to the new normal,” said Ivory.
“We are just ‘wait and see.’ We’re taking it day by day,” said Harrison.