Andy Lyons has been around a golf course for most of his life.
It was Lyons’ grandfather, Bill, who built Lyons Den Golf Course just outside of Canal Fulton on a patch of land that kisses state Routes 93 and 21. The younger Lyons has been the one who has primarily run the course since his father Carl retired.
As Lyons looks at what has happened for golf courses around the area over the last two-plus months as the spread of coronavirus has shut down much of what is regular life, what stands out to him is a one-of-a-kind occurrence.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lyons said. “On poor-weather days, there’s no one here whatsoever. When it’s nice, forecasted to be nice and is nice, it’s off the charts. I’ve never seen it like this. Even at 5, 6 o’clock at night on the weekends when people are generally going out to dinner.”
Golf courses in Ohio, after some initial confusion over their status among the various stay-at-home orders from Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Director of Health Amy Acton, have been permitted to operate even while other businesses were forced to shut their doors. A large reason for that is because of the natural social distancing that can be achieved on a course, with players spread out playing their own shots.
However, that’s hasn’t meant courses haven’t had to adjust to the specific times.
Even as much of the state gradually reopens over the next two weeks, courses remain committed to many of the practices which they have put into place during the last two months.
Those practices are what have the courses primed and ready as the longest sustained stretch of good weather appears headed for the area not just this weekend, but for the rest of the month. As an added bonus, Friday marked the first time restaurants could permit outdoor dining — with proper distancing — which gives those courses more opportunities to utilize whatever patio seating they may have.
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“We’re excited that we can try to start getting back to golf as we know it,” said Trevor Stan, director of golf for Arrowhead, Skyland Pines and Ohio Prestwick. “You can play golf, and then go sit down on the patio and have fun and relax. We’re excited. We’re anticipating it to obviously pick up with the weather.”
For most of the last two months, access to the interior part of most courses’ clubhouses were, if not completely shut down, then severely limited. Most food was only permitted to be carryout, if it was allowed at all.
Beyond those steps, courses also went to great lengths to make sure they tried to cover their bases on any other areas which could prove to be a potential issue. Many of those are going to remain in place, even as things open back up more extensively.
“We obviously eliminated all indoor activity,” Stan said. “We limited four people in the pro shop at a time. We went to single riders. We put pool noodles in the cups so the ball wasn’t falling all the way into the hole. No touching of the flagsticks, so we’re leaving the sticks in to eliminate touchpoints. We pulled our bunker rakes out. We pulled our ball washers in, to eliminate, again, all touchpoints.”
The biggest touchpoint of all has been carts, regardless of which course it might be. Carts are sanitized after each use, but it is the usage that has created some issues.
The courses have, by and large, limited their carts to single-rider use. Stan did state they have permitted some same-household players to ride together, be it a parent and child or a husband and wife.
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Single-rider rules has made carts more scarce at times for courses. Some courses have gotten creative in ways to modify the carts in order to allow multiple riders, including plexiglass partitions between the two.
Spring Valley Golf Course, just outside of Canton Township, has fashioned clear plastic dividers, which are held in place by PVC pipe in a nod to ingenuity.
Still, it’s inevitable that issues could arise. However, Stan said the circumstances have created a certain level of understanding.
“My customers totally understand everything,” Stan said. “They’ve been great. My members have been great at all three of the clubs. We’re doing everything that we can to not only keep ourselves open as a business, but to keep our customers safe. It’s kind of where, if one golf course ruins it, it ruins it for the industry.”
The one thing no one running a golf course wants is to find themselves shut out of the opportunity to take advantage of the run of temperatures in the 70s and sunshine in the sky. It’s why they have spent two months tirelessly working to navigate the different requirements they have dealt with from various health departments, be it Stark County, Canton, Massillon or others.
Now, as the clouds literally appear to be breaking, those course managers are just as eager to enjoy what lies ahead as their patrons.
“As soon I’m through here, I’m going to take advantage of this first break-through,” Lyons said. “… That’s how I’m going to be tied up, hopefully, enjoying myself the rest of the day.”
Chris Easterling is the sports editor at the Massillon (Ohio) Independent, part of the USA Today Network. Contact him at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE