An Open Letter Regarding Golf During COVID-19 from Bobby Jones Links Co-Founder Whitney Crouse

Let Golf Go On. It’s A Walk In The Park.

(OPINION) — Across the country and the world, people are facing an unprecedented situation in terms of personal and economic wellbeing with the coronavirus pandemic. Bobby Jones Links supports efforts to #flattenthecurve and recognize that this is critical to our path forward. As golf industry professionals, we also recognize that the game of golf is uniquely positioned to offer people a safe way to get out, exercise and commune with nature while securely practicing social distancing.

We understand there are many things we can’t do now for the greater good of all of us, but golf does not have to be one of them.

With the proper precautions, golf can be as safe as a walk in the park. In addition to following the CDC’s guidelines, here’s how we can do it:

Golf course check-in can now be done by phone or online. This was coming; now it’s a standard operating procedure. There’s no need to go in a golf shop or clubhouse.

Our clubhouses are closed, except for our restrooms, which are sanitized and allow one person at a time to use them.

We’ve removed all the sand trap rakes, ball washers, and water coolers. There’s no common points of contact on a golf course anymore.

We play with the flagsticks remaining in the hole. Golf cups are inverted or less shallow so when picking the ball out of the hole, the golfer touches nothing but his or her golf ball.

Our range balls are washed in bleach solutions or similar type of disinfectant. They come clean to the customer. The distance between range tee stations has also been increased.

Our customers can bring their own snacks and beverages onto the course.

We are spacing out our tee times, so groups don’t form on the course or on the first tee.

We are encouraging only one golfer to ride in a cart at a time.

Through these best practices, now a member or customer can go from their car, to the first tee, with the option of walking the course, if they don’t want to take a sanitized cart, never touching anything unsafe - all while keeping six feet from other golfers.

That makes golf as safe as a walk in the park. That keeps many people employed. That maintains the well-being of many of our citizens.

Let golf go on.

Respectfully,

Whitney

Whitney Crouse

Co-Founder of Bobby Jones Links