Tag: coronavirus golf

Coronavirus: Iowa’s golf courses a haven for out-of-state players during pandemic

While officials opted to close golf courses in states on Iowa’s borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa opted to keep its courses open. So, naturally, out-of-staters came flocking in. Three of Iowa’s six border states – Illinois, Minnesota and …

While officials opted to close golf courses in states on Iowa’s borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa opted to keep its courses open.

So, naturally, out-of-staters came flocking in.

Three of Iowa’s six border states — Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin — had implemented or are currently enforcing no-golf policies under stay-at-home mandates. With many of Iowa’s 400-plus golf facilities located near state lines, countless golfers have hopped borders for a day of normalcy on the greens.

“It’s been a marked increase (in out-of-state golfers), so the golf is actually up as compared to a year ago,” said Rustic Ridge Golf Course owner and manager Kevin Wohlford, whose Eldridge property resides about 18 miles from the Illinois border. “I get golfers from Wisconsin. I’ve got golfers from as far away as Chicago.

“They’re loving it.”

The joy and gratitude permeating Iowa’s links at least provides one sliver of good during a time of uncertainty.

Rustic Ridge Golf Course in Eldridge (pictured here) sits about 18 miles from the Illinois border. It’s one of Iowa’s many courses that’s seen an uptick in out-of-state golfers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rustic Ridge Golf Course in Eldridge (pictured here) sits about 18 miles from the Illinois border. It’s one of Iowa’s many courses that’s seen an uptick in out-of-state golfers during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Courtesy of Rustic Ridge Golf Course)

Essentially, all courses have closed everything outside of the fairways and greens — that’s pro shops, restaurants, bars and other moneymakers — resulting in financial hardships across the board. Staffs have been reduced. Leagues are in jeopardy. Pair those with the numerous course restrictions installed to follow social distancing recommendations, and there’s little that resembles a typical golf outing.

But none of that seems to matter to golfers.

“Tons of positive response,” said Rice Lake Golf & Country Club manager Travis Laudner, whose Lake Mills course sits roughly 15 minutes from the Minnesota state line. “Frustration on their end that they couldn’t play at their normal facilities, but (our out-of-state golfers were) very excited to be able to get out, come down and still get a little bit of activity outside.

“… Fortunately, for us, we had a vendor booth at the Minnesota golf expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center downtown back in late January. This was our first time up there, and we were just trying to cast a wider net to see if we could get some early-season and late-season revenue from that area. And then you parlay that with the restrictions going into place, and we were in front of a lot of those residents a couple weeks to a month prior to everything getting shut down.”

The bulk of Laudner’s out-of-state traffic, as well as Iowa’s other northern courses, came in the immediate days and weeks after March 16, when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz halted play with a stay-at-home order. A follow-up executive order issued on April 17 allowed for several outdoor activities, including the opening of Minnesota’s public and private golf courses.

Wisconsin isn’t far behind. Gov. Tony Evers recently extended the state’s safer-at-home order until at least May 26, but he included some flexibly for a handful of businesses — including golf courses — to re-open with restrictions. Wisconsin golf was allowed to reopen on April 24.

Illinois, meanwhile, is looking at a re-opening strategy but hasn’t locked anything in yet. With the state’s stay-at-home order extended until the end of May, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is allowing golf courses to open on May 1.

The chatter for such a move is growing. Seeing places like Iowa open amid modifications will amplify the noise.

“We feel like it’s been really good,” said Chad Pitts, executive director of the Iowa Golf Association. “It’s hard because we’ve only been in this for a month, so it’s not like you can take some big survey and have a bunch of data to back up (the positive elements of Iowa keeping golf courses open). You just go by conversations that you’ve had with people — golf course operators and things like that. Some of those places around the border have definitely seen a lot of people come in from out of state.”

Even with no blanket ruling to do so, a handful of Iowa’s courses have put out-of-state restrictions in motion.

Out east, courses owned by the city of Davenport and Scott County are respecting Illinois’ stay-at-home order and limiting golf to only Iowa residents. The same goes for many courses located in northeast Iowa’s RMCC Region Six, which recently reached a 10 on a 12-point scale that Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Public Health are using to weigh mitigation efforts. That prompted Reynolds to issue an activity limit there, including keeping visits to only immediate family members.

Among those with stipulations is Dubuque’s Meadows Golf Club — owned by the city of Asbury and run by general manager and head golf professional Jeremy Hawkins. As an extra precaution, the course has been open solely to Dubuque County residents since April 1. That stretch covers the entire time Meadows has been open this spring, aside from two days.

Those final 48 hours of March, though? Hawkins was engulfed with out-of-staters looking to squeeze in one more round.

“We had probably half of our available tee times for those couple of days we were open taken from out-of-staters,” Hawkins said. “We had Chicago, Milwaukee, a ton of play from Madison. We had play from Rockford (Illinois). They were coming from all over. For them to make the effort — in some cases, you’re looking at a three-hour drive or more — they were just happy to be able to get out and go somewhere. We were basically selling out.”

The trend will likely slow as neighboring states loosen limitations in the coming days. While Iowa’s lack of an official stay-at-home order has drawn criticism, that decision has inadvertently provided other states with a blueprint on how to run golf courses in a COVID-19 world.

“The feedback from everyone has been super positive,” Wohlford said. “I’m hearing about people getting back in the game who haven’t golfed for years.”

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen —all part of the USA Today Network. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

Coronavirus: Illinois will allow golf courses to re-open on May 1

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday he’ll modify a stay-at-home order beginning May 1, allowing golf courses to reopen with restrictions

The list of states allowing golfers to play continues to rise, with Illinois poised to be added to the list.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced Thursday he will extend a modified stay-at-home order beginning May 1 through May 30, which will allow golf courses to reopen but with restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Golf will be permitted under strict safety guidelines provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and when ensuring that social distancing is followed,” according to the governor’s press release Thursday.

This follows a pattern of recent openings.

Last week, the NGF said the percentage of open U.S. courses had climbed from roughly 44 to 48 percent. For the week ending April 19, that number rose one more percentage point. And now, NGF says that over 50 percent of courses are open for play.

Michelle Buerkett, co-owner of Long Bridge Golf Course in Springfield, Illinois — the state’s capital — welcomed the anticipated news that she may reopen beginning Friday, May 1 after the DCEO unequivocally ordered golf courses to close on March 26 while allowing golf maintenance and carry-out food service during the suspension.

“We’re just happy May 1 is a date (to reopen),” Buerkett said. “Golf is the most social distancing sport you can come across. There’s not a lot of getting together.”

Illinois will be open for golf play on May 1. Shown here is the Illinois Country Club in Springfield. [Photo: Springfield State Journal-Register/USA Today Network]
The DCEO has not yet released any guidelines on what is allowed or restricted on the golf properties.

Buerkett, though, expects clubhouses to remain closed and operate similar to a restaurant with purchases online or over the phone. Golf carts may either be limited to one person or denied altogether.

Contact Bill Welt: 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

Coronavirus: California golfers ‘can’t wait to get out there again’

Between Riverside County’s announcement late Monday afternoon that it was allowing golf courses to re-open and the end of the day, Jim Robinson said Indian Ridge Country Club in Palm Desert booked 80 tee times on its two courses. By the time the sun …

Between Riverside County’s announcement late Monday afternoon that it was allowing golf courses to re-open and the end of the day, Jim Robinson said Indian Ridge Country Club in Palm Desert booked 80 tee times on its two courses.

By the time the sun rose Tuesday morning in Southern California, that number was over 220 eager golfers ready to resume play at their private club.

“I was talking to my head pro, and I said what is your over/under (on the number of players),” said Robinson, the director of golf at Indian Ridge. “He said 75, maybe 80. I said ‘dude, you are a hundred short of that.’ ”

Denied the chance to play golf for the last month by county public health orders because of COVID-19, or coronavirus, the members at Indian Ridge flocked to tee times at their course Tuesday.

The number of golf courses open for play last week in the United States has increased, according to the latest national survey of golf facilities by the National Golf Foundation.

But as golfers return to the game they love, they are likely to discover the game looks far different from the one they have always played. From on-course changes to protocols in the common areas of the game, a new normal will govern the game for the coming months.

A golfer tees off with his face covered at Indian Ridge Country Club in Palm Desert as the course was one of the first to reopen, on April 21, 2020. Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun

While the county will allow golf courses to open, Riverside County’s public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser pointed out that the opening is being done cautiously in an era when the coronavirus is still impacting the county with nearly 3,000 positive cases and 85 deaths. That means when golfers return to their favorite courses, they may find a new protocol for how they can play.

Following the new rules

“I think our members are serious about this,” said John Cochran, general manager at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells, where another approximately 200 golfers played Tuesday. “They still want to play golf, don’t get me wrong. They revere golf. But on Day One, I think things have gone well.”

The county order requires golfers to still think about the coronavirus and protection. Golfers must wear appropriate face coverings while playing, though golfers are discouraged from wearing either Personal Protective Equipment or N95 masks, which are in short supply and needed for health care professionals.

Other rules in the county order include no in-person dining in clubhouses or restaurants, with food and beverage operations only for delivery or pick-up orders. Club facilities like gyms, spas, beauty salons and fitness center must remain closed as well.

While many courses in the desert moved to social distancing and other protective measures before courses were closed, those measurements will return as the courses reopen with perhaps a few more restrictions. All courses are encouraged by the county to follow the protocols in the National Golf Course Owners Association’s “Park and Play: Making Your Course Social Distance Ready” program.

At Indian Ridge, Robinson said protective measures include having only eight hitting stations set up on the driving range, each at least 20 feet apart from other stations. The range is open only to golfers with tee times, not for casual practice. Golfers are asked not to show up to the pro shop or range until 15 minutes before their tee times. Those tee times are spaced 12 minutes apart, with single riders in golf carts except for household members. Golfers begin their rounds only on the first hole, rather than playing from the first and 10th tee as happens on some days.

“We’re doing this day by day,” Robinson said. “We’re not going to cannonball it. We’re just dipping our toes in the water.”

At Cimarron Golf Resort in Cathedral City, a public course, other precautions have been made for that course’s opening Thursday. On both the regulation Boulder Course and the executive Pebble Course, rakes in bunkers have been removed, as have ball washers on each tee. Ice coolers on golf carts and water coolers on the course also have been removed. In addition, on-course portable restrooms are no longer available. As with other courses, Cimarron will encourage single riders in each golf cart other than household members.

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On the Facebook page for PGA West in La Quinta, which has three private and three public-access courses, a list of other protections that are now familiar at golf courses across the country was present. Those include raised cups so that golfers don’t have to put their hand in the golf hole to get their golf ball, and flagsticks that will remain in the cups, though golfers are encouraged not to touch the flagstick. With no rakes in bunkers, golfers will be allowed to move their ball out of “unnatural” lies like footprints from other golfers. PGA West’s public-access courses will open Wednesday.

No golf in Palm Springs for now

Even with the amended county order, one desert city will not allow golf to be played at least for a few more days.

“Because the County issued its amended orders without consultation with the City of Palm Springs, the City will be reviewing the County’s order in order to determine the interplay and impacts of the County’s orders,” said a statement Monday night from Palm Springs, which issued its own course closure order March 24.

“For instance, the County’s amended orders do not specifically address common area pools and spas located within common areas of apartments and HOAs,” the Palm Springs statement said. “The Palm Springs City Council is scheduled to discuss the City’s current emergency orders — including those dealing with golf courses and other outdoor recreational facilities — at its meeting on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.”

While the Palm Springs statement means courses in that city will remain closed until Friday at the earliest, other golf courses in the Coachella Valley can reopen immediately. That doesn’t mean those courses were prepared to open Tuesday.

Whether the courses were caught off guard by the county order allowing them to reopen after originally saying courses must stay closed until June 19 or whether they just need a few days to get facilities in order, a majority of desert courses still had no players and empty parking lots the day the game was allowed again.

That meant some golfers who have been waiting for weeks to play golf had to wait a little longer.

“When I heard that the golf courses were going to open again, I thought my husband and I might go play today to celebrate,” said Dorothy Munoz of Indio. “But we called a couple of courses around here today, and they were still closed. I guess they just have to get everything ready.”

Munoz said she and her husband play about twice a week and have missed the game, the exercise and the camaraderie when playing mostly public courses in the east valley.

“People who don’t play golf don’t understand that one of the appeals is being with other people,” she said. “With all these rules, that will be different. And I’ll wear a mask, which I’ve never done before while playing. But we can’t wait to get out there again.”

“We opened and I’ll tell you we scrambled to open, but our members have been so antsy to play golf that we just said, okay, let’s get this open,” said Cochran.

One major change at Toscana’s two golf courses for the time being is that members can no longer just show up and see if there is a tee time available. Instead, they must make tee time reservations to avoid a large gathering of people in the clubhouse or the other areas of the facilities.

“We had to bring back some of the assistant pros so we could do tee times,” Cochran said. “Another thing we are doing now in the pro shop is virtual selling.”

That means members can go online to order merchandise or even connect visually with a pro shop member to take a look at shirts and other items without having to physically be in the pro shop with other people.

Cochran said the golf ban hit Toscana and other courses in the busiest time of the year, March and early April. Restarting the game now takes the clubs closer to a time of the year when fewer people are playing the courses anyway, he said.

“By May 1, we usually close one of the restaurants,” Cochran said. “By the middle of May, most of the members have left, and by June 1 we are on minimal staff and minimal hours.”

Toscana generally closes one of its two golf courses in the summer months for maintenance and capital improvements, he added.

Cochran said his two courses were able to open Tuesday because his superintendent sensed something was happening that would cause the county to open the golf course early, so the courses were in the right shape to play. But Cochran is still trying to get his staff back together after furloughs, and he’s already thinking about how long golf’s new normal will last.

“We have a big opening party (in November). We get a couple of hundred people who come to that party,” he said. “Are we even going to be able to have that?”

Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for the Palm Springs Desert Sun part of the USA Today Network. He can be reached at (760) 778-4633 or larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at Sun.@Larry_Bohannan.

NGF report: Nearly half of U.S. courses were open last week

A national survey conducted by the NGF found that 49 percent of courses were open for play and that number could soon surge to 57 percent.

The number of golf courses open for play last week in the United States has increased, according to the latest national survey of golf facilities by the National Golf Foundation.

Its fourth survey revealed that 49 percent of courses in the U.S. were open for play last week. This figure, which is based on phone surveys of 1,271 golf facilities, has risen slightly over the past weeks and the NGF expects it to continue to do so as warmer weather creeps further north, Wisconsin allows walking-only play, some private clubs re-open to members in New York, and golf operations resume in a few California counties.

Last week, the NGF said the percentage of open U.S. courses had climbed from roughly 44 to 48 percent. For the week ending April 19, that number moseyed up one more percentage point, meaning just under half of all courses in the U.S. are open for play.

The biggest optimism in the coming weeks is a potential surge in openings at courses located above 45 degrees latitude — namely in states such as Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakotas and Wisconsin.

The NGF projects that the percentage of open courses could climb to 57 percent in the immediate future — and potentially higher — as long as there is no further action from state and local governments or voluntary closures.

“At this time we don’t expect to see the percentage of courses open for play to significantly increase until more states begin to ease restrictions or grant exceptions for golf,” the NGF report said. “Once that gains some momentum then the tracking will become very dynamic and you’ll be able to see the numbers really begin to rise.”

The survey also found that daily-fee (51 percent) and private facilities (52 percent) are slightly above the 50 percent threshold while municipal courses are lagging behind (40 percent, but up from 33 percent a week ago).

The majority of golf facilities in the South remain open for play, with more than 70 percent of courses open to players in golf-rich states such as Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The biggest increase came in the Midwest region, even with polling conducted before Minnesota golf courses were given approval to open as of April 18.

The most noteworthy drop could be found in the Mid-Atlantic, where most New York golf courses that had been open suspended operations in response to an updated executive order that said golf is a non-essential business. While this remains true, private clubs have been told they are permitted to allow members access to the property with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

The full report can be accessed here.

 

College golf: LSU powering through coronavirus cancelations

Like all other sports, the LSU women’s golf team’s momentum from the previous season screeched to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Garrett Runion was just getting the ball rolling at LSU.

In his second year as coach of the women’s golf team, Runion and the Tigers, like so many others, had their spring season unexpectedly cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This week, the Tigers would have been at the 2020 SEC Championship at Greystone Golf and Country Club in the Birmingham, Alabama. Instead, players are strewn across the country as they wait for the unprecedented virus outbreak to subside.

“In golf we typically don’t get a lot of downtime so some of (the players) have started to enjoy it a little but now they’re starting to get a little restless and want to get back to normal,” Runion said on a recent conference call. “It is a little challenging when you don’t know when your next test is really. You can play all you want at home but you need those tournament butterflies and tournament nerves and all that to really understand how you’re playing and see if it holds up under pressure.”

The same predicament goes for nearly every team across the U.S. It might be months before it’s safe to gather in person again, so the challenge of keeping his players in a competitive state when there’s no timeline for the next event isn’t unique.

Runion, a former Tiger himself who graduated in 2008, thinks the challenge might be an opportunity to show his team’s grit.

“I feel like we’ve had these weekly meetings with our team and it’s like every week, I’m like, ‘Sorry nobody knows. There’s no new news.’ We’re just trying to stay positive and they know that when this comes back it’s going to come back fairly quick so it may be like, ‘Here’s your go date,'” Runion said. “And golf you can’t sit on the couch for six months and then pick it up and go play. You kind of have to work your way back into it so our girls know that and they want to take it as an advantage to be ready to come back.

“This is really gonna separate a lot of competition from those that were working and those were sitting on the couch eating pizza.”

Prior to being hired as women’s coach in June 2018, Runion spent six seasons as the LSU men’s golf assistant coach. Last season, Runion led his team to the 2019 NCAA Championship East Lansing Regional and a ninth-place finish at the 2019 SEC Championship, a five-spot improvement over the previous season. This year’s team, comprised of five returners as well as freshman and ANNIKA Award watch list finalist Ingrid Lindblad, was determined to continue to make strides over previous seasons this spring.

But now the Tigers — like everyone else — are on the virus’ timeline.

The months the Tigers will have away from competition will undoubtedly leave a mark, Runion said.

“You don’t really get over it,” Runion said. “It’s a missed opportunity and you think about it for a while. Having the team we had and kind of building up and we were playing better as we were going, it’s hard not to think what could have happened and keeping our girls prepared for their next tournament is hard.

“You hear guys on the PGA Tour and LPGA tour say it’s hard to be motivated when they don’t know their next tournament. So with no tournaments over the summer … a lot of them are taking time to spend more time in the gym. I talk to them and they’re like, ‘I’m sore every day,’ and (for) some of them it’s a little harder to stay motivated and to stay out and practice a little bit longer.”

While training from afar and with no real timeline is difficult, the next difficulty to hit college sports will be financial uncertainty.

With over 22 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last month, money is tight no matter the field one works. When it comes to feeling the pinch financially as a coach, Runion’s team is lucky because they attend a large university within a financially strong conference.

Not all are so fortunate.

St. Edward’s University, a private, Catholic school in Austin, Texas, announced it cut six teams Wednesday including the men’s and women’s golf teams.

While Runion said he hasn’t felt the pinch yet, he and men’s coach Chuck Winstead know financial uncertainty might be coming.

”We know it’s coming just from our camps,” Runion said. “That’s kind of the big question mark if we’ll have our camps from our schedule. We are fortunate we’re at a big school with a big budget so we play tournaments where we went to Mexico twice last year. We are prepared for if that Cabo trip may not be able to happen and we need to be able to drive a few more places as opposed to fly.

“Nothing’s really come down quite yet. Chuck and I have already discussed that we need to have a contingency plan in case we do need to make some changes to help the situation as a whole.”

Many routine aspects of life like golf have become uncertain during the pandemic, but Runion was hopeful golf could be one of the sports to return.

The PGA Tour announced Thursday an updated schedule that hopes to resume the season in June. Earlier this month the LPGA announced it too would aim for events to resume in June.

“It definitely gives us a little hope… There are a lot of kinks to work out but I think a lot of people agree that golf maybe one of the first to come back which is good for us,” Runion said.

When golf does return, the Tigers sole senior Monica Dibildox has the option to return for her season year after the NCAA granted athletes the option to extend their eligibility to the next available season in late March. However, Runion said, Dibildox is considering her options of transferring or joining the work force.

“It doesn’t look like she’ll be back for LSU,” he said.

The team is expecting the addition of two recruits to join the team next year — Carla Tejedo Mulet from Spain and Jessica Bailey, a JUCO transfer from Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida.

PGA Tour releases revised schedule with re-start set for June

The PGA Tour announced Thursday the Charles Schwab Challenge In June will restart 2020 Tour season but it will held without fans.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The target has been moved to mid-June.

The PGA Tour announced on Thursday the latest schedule changes in hopes of salvaging a 2019-2020 season plagued by the COVID-19 global pandemic, with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, the hopeful restart June 11-14.

The RBC Heritage, which had originally been canceled, was put back on the schedule and will follow the Charles Schwab June 18-21. The Travelers Championship would be next in line June 25-28.

It was also announced that the first four events on this new schedule will be held without fans, but the Tour said it “will continue to monitor the situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market.”

The first four events are the Charles Schwab Challenge, RBC Heritage, Travelers Championship and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. For now, the John Deere Classic July 9-12 will be the first event where fans will be allowed back on the tournament grounds.

This season’s RBC Canadian Open and Barbasol Championship have been canceled. As well, the Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, originally scheduled to kick off the 2020-21 season in September, has been canceled.

“The health and safety of all associated with the PGA Tour and our global community continues to be our No. 1 priority, and our hope is to play a role – responsibly – in the world’s return to enjoying the things we love,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is another positive step for our fans and players as we look toward the future, but as we’ve stressed on several occasions, we will resume competition only when – working closely with our tournaments, partners and communities – it is considered safe to do so under the guidance of the leading public health authorities.”

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump began formulating plans to reopen the economy that included the formation of a committee of advisors from various sectors of commerce, government, the health care industry and the sports community, including Monahan and LPGA commissioner Michael Whan.

PGA Tour officials and the Players Advisory Council have held regular discussions since the season came to a halt with the cancellation of The Players Championship on March 13. Nine tournaments, including the Open Championship, already had been canceled before the latest schedule alteration. Eight tournaments – including the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs – had been moved to later dates.

As well, the Summer Games in Tokyo were postponed to 2021.

The adjusted schedule for this season now consists of 36 events, with 22 having been played. The season is now hoping to conclude with The Tour Championship over Labor Day weekend.

If the new schedule holds, the 2020-21 season, set to begin Sept. 10-13 with the Safeway Open in Napa, California, will feature six major championships – the Masters in November 2020 and April 2021; the U.S. Open in September 2020 and June 2021; the PGA Championship in May 2021; and the Open Championship in July 2021.

Revised 2019-20 PGA Tour schedule

• June 10-14 – Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
• June 18-21 – RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina
• June 25-28 – Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
• July 2-July 5 – Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan
• July 9-12 – John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
• July 16-19 – the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
• July 2326 – 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
• July 30-August  2- World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
• July 30-August 2 – Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California
• August 6-9 – PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
• August 13-16 – Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
• August 20-23 – The Northern Trust, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
• August 27-30 – BMW Championship, Olympia Fields Country Club (North), Olympia Fields, Illinois
• Sept. 4-7 – Tour Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia

2020-21 PGA Tour schedule (fall portion)

• Sept. 10-13 – Safeway Open, Silverado Resort and Spa North, Napa, California
• Sept. 17-20 – U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York
• Sept. 24-27 – Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Corales
• Sept. 25-27 – Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, WisconsinGolf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Oct. 1-4 – Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
• Oct. 8-11 – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Oct. 15-18 – The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, Korea
• Oct. 22-25 – Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
• Oct. 29-Nov. 1 – World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China
• Oct. 29-Nov. 1 – Bermuda Championship, Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda
• Nov. 5-8 – Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas
• Nov. 12-15 – Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
• Nov. 19-22 – The RSM Classic, Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Sea Island, Georgia
• Nov. 23-29 –  Open week for Thanksgiving
• Dec. 2-6 – Mayakoba Golf Classic, El Camaleón Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
• Dec. 2-6 – Hero World Challenge, Albany, New Providence, Bahamas
• Dec. 10-13 – QBE Shootout, Tiburón GC, Naples, Florida
• Dec. 14-20 – PNC Father-Son Challenge, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Orlando, Florida

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St. Edward’s cuts both golf programs in wake of coronavirus impact

Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, cut six athletic programs including the men’s and women’s golf teams amid the coronavirus pandemic.

St. Edward’s University announced on Wednesday that it will discontinue six athletic programs in the wake of the coronavirus impact. The private, Catholic school in Austin, Texas, cut men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s soccer. Cheer will be transitioned to a club team.

“Never in a million years did I think I would be at a successful, well-respected, top-performing program and the whole thing is just canceled,” said head men’s coach Chris Hill, who took over the program in 2018. “It just cuts to the core. … I’m really hurting for my players. We were making huge strides toward an NCAA title and it’s gone. These guys put their all in and just got handed raw deal through no fault of their own.”

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams were ranked inside the top 25 in the nation. Women’s coach Jennifer McNeil has been at the helm since 2003 and was named NCGA DII National Coach of the Year in 2011. McNeil guided her team to 15 consecutive NCAA West Regional appearances.

Debbie Taylor, associate vice president for athletics, delivered the news in an email to athletes.

“As the impacts of the coronavirus continue to affect our personal lives and every sector of the economy,” wrote Taylor, “St. Edward’s must make difficult but financially sound decisions for the future of our institution.”

Taylor called the decision gut-wrenching.

Athletes who choose to stay on at St. Edward’s to finish their degrees will continue to receive their current athletic scholarship. Those who wish to transfer will be granted a full release and their names will be added to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Taylor requested that athletes let the school know of their future plans by July 1.

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Coronavirus: Financial chasm between men’s, women’s tours even greater in tough times

The hardship of the coronavirus pandemic proves the financial chasm between men’s and women’s tours is even greater in tough times.

It took Daniela Iacobelli 14 hours to compete her application for Florida’s unemployment insurance program. She joked that the state needed to call Netflix for advice on upgrading the server.

As frustrating as the process turned out to be, it does bring added security for golfers like Iacobelli, who won’t get back to work until June at the earliest. The federal government’s COVID-19 relief package, known as the CARES Act, now includes benefits for independent contractors. Individuals can receive an additional $600 per week as part of the pandemic relief.

In addition, the LPGA is offering a $2,000 loan program to Symetra Tour players and $5,000 to LPGA members. The money will come out of players’ future checks, 25 percent each time, until its paid back through 2021.

Iacobelli, a three-time winner on the Symetra Tour, said she appreciated the LPGA’s loan offer but had no plans inquire about it. She doesn’t want the added pressure at tournaments down the road.

LPGA Chief Tour Operations Officer Heather Daly-Donofrio said the tour plans to soon offer a webinar with financial experts to give players and caddies an opportunity to ask questions. Several players on both the LPGA and Symetra Tour, she said, have already taken them up on the cash advance.

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“That’s the most important thing with our athletes,” said Daly-Donofrio, “keeping it so they can manage their bills and pay their rent so they can train.”

The PGA Tour shared with players details of its cash advance program several days ahead of the LPGA. The program, as reported by Golf Digest, allows players ranked 1-150 in the FedEx Cup standings the ability to take up to 50 percent of their projected FedEx Cup bonus, up to $100,000.

“I would say if (LPGA players) read about the PGA Tour cash advance,” said  LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, “I would just say to all of my members, I’m sorry. I wish I was on the PGA Tour cash advance program, but I’m not, either. But listen, we don’t sit on the same savings account, and I know I’m not going to solve players’ full financial problem, but at least it’s something.”

Earlier this week, the PGA of America unveiled its Golf Emergency Fund. Members of developmental tours, including Symetra, are included among those eligible to apply for a grant.

Iacobelli finished second in the only event the Symetra Tour held this year before the season was postponed due to coronavirus, earning $11,771 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She’s doubtful that the tour will resume in June, though she is still able to practice on a regular basis at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida.

Iacobelli calls Suntree her little bubble. She drives to most places, including her parents’ nearby house, in her golf cart. The 32-year-old purchased her home two years ago after a ninth-place finish at the LPGA stop in Hawaii.

Lori Beth Adams working on the house. (Lori Beth Adams)

“Biggest check I’ve ever made in my life,” she recalled, “and now I own a house.”

Iacobelli didn’t go to Q-Series last fall. Didn’t plan to go to two Symtra Tour events scheduled in California either. She’s never had financial backing or sponsors and thought it made the most sense financially to sit those two out.

“By the time you get a hotel and a caddie and food, I rounded up to $6,000,” she said. “I would rather live in my house for three more months.”

When the PGA Tour canceled the Players Championship in March after one round and split the $15 million purse evenly throughout the field, it worked out to about $52,000 each in unofficial earnings.

“It’s tough to make that in a year doing what I do,” said Iacobelli, who won on the Symetra Tour last year and finished 16th on the money list with $60,912.

During tough times, the financial chasm between the men’s and women’s tours feels even greater.

Steve and Lori Beth Adams (photo submitted)

Lori Beth Adams spent the early part of the pandemic working in the shop at her local course, Indian Valley, in Burlington, North Carolina. After tearing a tendon in her shoulder in the winter of 2018, Adams felt like she came out of this year’s offseason ready to make some noise.

Or at least make enough money to move out of her parents’ house.

It has been a tough road of late for the Adams family, long before the global pandemic. Last April as Adams was driving to the Symetra event in Arkansas, her mom called to let her know that her father had fallen 12 feet and broken both of his heels.

A diabetic since the age of 4, 65-year-old Steve lost his job and, as a result, Lori Beth lost a good portion of her financial backing. Surgery is not an option for Steve, and he can’t stay on his feet long.

“If they even cut a two-inch incision,” said Lori Beth, “he’ll lose his feet.”

Ryan French, the man behind twitter’s popular “Monday Q Info” account, helped her set up a GoFundMe page. So far she has raised $860.

Lori Beth also filed for unemployment in North Carolina. She can still get out and practice in Burlington and recently started helping a family friend flip a house.

Symetra Tour officials called last week to check in in Adams.

“We’re all in this together,” she said.

Report: PGA Tour to resume with rescheduled, fanless Charles Schwab Challenge

The PGA Tour will move the Charles Schwab Challenge to June and play without spectators. It will be the first Tour even since early March.

PGA Tour officials will announce this week a new date for the resumption of play that has been suspended due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, according to a Golf Digest report.

According to the report Tuesday that cited multiple people who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, originally scheduled for May 21-24, will restart the PGA Tour June 11-14. The report also said the tournament would be played without spectators.

A PGA Tour official would not comment on the report.

According to Golf Digest, PGA Tour officials and the Players Advisory Council discussed scheduling plans during a conference call on Tuesday.

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The pandemic has severely impacted the 2019-2020 wraparound season. Ten tournaments, including The Players Championship and the Open Championship, have been canceled. The Summer Games in Tokyo were postponed to 2021.

The Open Championship, originally scheduled for July 16-19, was canceled earlier this month for the first time since World War II. The tournament was to be played at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. It will now be played there in 2021.

The U.S. Open, scheduled for June 18-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, was moved to September 17-20 and is still set to be hosted by Winged Foot.

The PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco, which was supposed to be played May 14-17, has been postponed to August 6-9 and remains at Harding Park.

The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, was to have been played April 9-12 but has been postponed to November 12-15.

The FedExCup Playoffs have been moved – the Northern Trust at TPC Boston to August 20-23; the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Field, Illinois, to August 27-30; and The Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta to September 3-7.

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PGA of America offer millions of dollars in cash grants to help industry workers

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund will help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The PGA of America announced on Monday that it has developed the Golf Emergency Relief Fund to help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund started with a $5 million pledge by the PGA of America with a matching fund for gifts by third parties of up to $2.5 million, raising the total to as much or more than $10 million. That money will be made available in direct payments to a wide range of the golf industry’s 1.8 million workers, not just the 29,000 PGA of America professionals. Those impacted financially by COVID-19 can apply for a share of these funds as early as Thursday.

“This is all going to individuals,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “We tried to design it in a way that makes the most sense and gets it to the people in the most need.”

The fund will be administered by E4E Relief, an independent third-party public charity. There will be two phases, the first supplying grants of $500 to $1,500 for people in the most immediate need, then transitioning several weeks later into a second phase with grants topping out at $3,500.

Qualified applicants will include Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members, caddies who are employed through a handful of caddie companies, Association of Golf Merchandisers members, players on developmental tours and more (see the complete list of possible candidates at the bottom of this story).

The initial funding includes direct contributions from PGA of America board members and executives, and Waugh said those contributions are not yet fully determined but will reach into the high six figures. The effort also is being supported in various ways by a number of industry organizations, including the GCSAA, PGA Tour, LPGA, U.S. Golf Association, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Association of Golf Merchandisers.

“We’ve added the Relief Fund as a next layer of defense, to pump a little adrenaline into the system in the form of cash,” Waugh said. “We’re just thinking about how to get everybody to the other side, so that’s our approach.”

Seth Waugh (Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Waugh estimated that with outside contributions, the fund could grow to as much as $20 million. He said the PGA of America has not been able to fully audit how much of the golf industry has been impacted by COVID-19 or to what degree, but he said “it’s a bunch of small businesses that are getting crushed” as more than half the golf courses in the U.S. are closed with 16 states banning golf altogether during the pandemic, based on a recent National Golf Foundation report.

“You go to any business with a zero-revenue model, that’s pretty hard to model, right?” Waugh said. The full impact on the golf industry “obviously depends on how long it lasts. … This is an event-driven crisis. Everything was going well. If this is a two- to three-month crisis, we probably can come back pretty much as business as usual. If it goes longer than that, there will be some failures and there will be some consolidations.”

Hence the relief fund, Waugh said, as well as delaying PGA of America membership dues and working directly with all 41 PGA sections to help them survive the pandemic.

“We’re put on earth to serve our members and the game, and what more important moment to do it than now?” said Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas who took his role with the PGA of America in 2018. “You wake up every morning trying to figure out how to be smart and to be human, and the most important part is how can you be the most human. If you can do that, and prove that you have a brain as well as soul, you can come out of these things better than you went in.”

Below is the complete list of industry employees who may apply for a grant at https://relief.golf:

  • PGA of America professionals (includes members, students and associates)
  • LPGA professionals (includes members and students/apprentices)
  • Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members
  • Employed or contracted as a caddie of one of the following caddie companies (qualifying employers and their subsidiaries): Caddienow, Caddiemaster, 4C Caddies, Premier Caddies, ClubUp, CaddieU, Circuit Caddie and Caddy King
  • Association of Golf Merchandisers members
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the PGA Tour (Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour China Series)
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the LPGA (Symetra Tour)
  • Employees of United States Golf Association authorized allied golf associations
  • Employees of PGA of America sections
  • National Golf Course Owners Association members

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