Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2020 - 3

EDITOR'S
LE T T ER
Golf in the Time of
Coronavirus Is a
Waiting Game
L
" As golfers,
it will be
important that
we set the
best examples
of social
distancing and
assiduously
follow all safety
protocols, not
only for our
own health and
welfare, but
for the larger
community. "
ike you, we at the MGA are following
Governor Tim Walz's stay at home
order and watching out for the health
and welfare of family and friends. As golfers,
the itch to play is never stronger than it is in
the spring after a long winter hiatus. From
mid-March to mid-April, the governor issued
several emergency executive orders covering
outdoor activities and the closure of public
accommodations, including golf courses.
While the orders directed us to stay at home
to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus and
buy time for our medical professionals and
hospital intensive care units,
golf course
crews were eventually allowed to start spring
maintenance; and our public and private golf
courses and driving ranges were opened for
play on April 18 following strict touchless and
social distancing safety protocols.
It was a victory for golfers as much for our
physical well-being as it was for our mental
health.
Currently, there are 35 states allowing
recreational golf to be played, including
Minnesota, Wisconsin (April 24) and Alaska
( " pending " ). For organized golf, such as
tournament and club operations, we wait
and see what happens when stay at home
restrictions are lifted and social distancing
rules are eased.
Nearly 60 AGAs (state and regional golf
associations like the MGA) have suspended
their tournament schedule, or are closely
monitoring the COVID-19 crisis with plans
to review the season. In Minnesota, the MGA
has cancelled all events in May and postponed
or rescheduled a significant number
of championships and member events.
Undoubtedly, the schedule will compress
more as the circumstances dictate, and when
organized golf resumes, it will look different.
mngolf.org
Social distancing may limit gatherings at
the club before or after tournaments; digital
scoring may replace scoreboards and paper
scorecards; employing a caddie or sharing a
golf cart with those outside of the household
may not be practical or advisable until safety
protocols are eased.
For recreational golf and score posting
purposes, the Rules of Golf and Handicapping
allow us to post a score without holing out
the ball (there is a formula for the most likely
score when the hole cannot be finished by
holing out). Committees can and should
adopt local rules, such as treating disturbed
areas in sand bunkers as ground under repair
(allowing for free relief taken elsewhere in
the bunker), or a code of conduct prohibiting
the touching or removal of the flagstick.
And superintendents are already devising
ingenious ways to fix the cup so that our ball
doesn't fall to the bottom and making its
extraction " touchless. " There is even a wicked
invention that pulls the ball out of the cup
with the head of your putter.
Sadly, social distancing will preclude many
of the communal aspects we love about the
game-at least until the COVID-19 threat
passes. As golfers, it will be important that
we set the best examples of social distancing
and assiduously follow all safety protocols,
not only for our own health and welfare, but
for the larger community.
Will the club championship this summer
require an asterisk on the trophy? I hope not,
but until then, we must wait and see.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
Spring 2020 MINNESOTAGOLFER
3
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2020

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