Tag: PGA of America

Bobby Jones once described the most important part of golf to be those nearly six inches between a player’s ears. These days, even more important is that six feet be maintained between players, as effective social distancing is the best way to keep golfers and course employees safe as the sport attempts a return to normal.

That was the finding of a golf industry collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that resulted in a newly compiled set of guidelines for golf’s return. The effort included the U.S. Golf Association, the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, the LPGA, the National Golf Course Owners Association, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Club Management Association of America.

The specific actions issued as part of those groups’ Back2Golf initiative are not brand new in relation to the timeline of the pandemic – most courses that have reopened or that never ceased play already have touted many of the same efforts to keep players and staff safe. But the Back2Golf recommendations are the first time the industry has compiled a list of best practices into one set of guidelines.

“It lays out a path to full recovery, whatever that looks like in the new world,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said Tuesday during the initiative’s launch. “It lays out the three phases that are important. … This is meant to be a roadmap. A lot of this has already been implemented, and that’s the good news. We’re not trying to be prescriptive and to say this is the only way to do things. What we’re saying is we … believe this is a safe way to do it.”

The three phases should be implemented based on the status of the pandemic in any given locale. They are described as:

Phase 1: Gatherings of no more than 10 people; strict social distancing; walking the course or single riders in a cart; restricted course setup such as preventing balls from falling too deeply in the hole, no touching the flagstick and removing rakes from bunkers; and avoiding clubhouses, golf shops and other amenities.

Phase 2: Gatherings of no more than 50 people; social distancing maintained; normal groups of golfers may play together; restricted course setup maintained; limited clubhouse operations; and restrictions on leagues, events and youth activities.

Phase 3: Unrestricted gatherings; comprehensive sanitation procedures; normal golf operations and maintenance; full clubhouse operations and events; and unrestricted leagues and youth activities.

If these sound very similar to general safety guidelines that have been suggested by government agencies for the past two months, it’s because the Back2Golf organizers consulted with the CDC for best practices. The CDC reviewed the golf guidelines and made several recommendations.

As an example, Jeff Morgan, CEO of the Club Management Association of America, said the first draft of guidelines recommended that workers wear masks and gloves.

“They were really particular that masks were for frontline workers and responders and that we should be referring to cloth facial coverings in the workplace, and that’s what they’re recommending overall,” Morgan said. “Similarly, unless the worker is normally wearing gloves, they recommend not wearing gloves because it creates a false sense of security when it should be a no-touch environment with social distancing.

“In each industry, they want to see social distancing described very particularly. … Their point in golf was you need to be careful that people don’t become complacent and let their guard down. So, thinking about how to describe social distancing in golf and the specific practices, (it is things such as) making sure you have clearly identified your ball when you start play so you’re not picking up the wrong ball and creating a touch point that would not be safe.”

Waugh called the suggestions a “living document.”

“As has been said, we’re kind of flying this airplane as we’re building it,” said Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. “We’re all learning as we go through this global pandemic. We’ll continue to update these practices as we go through and learn more about what works and what doesn’t work.”

While the Back2Golf initiative has no power of enforcement over the 16,000-plus golf facilities in the U.S., the groups hope that course operators will comply with the suggestions and with all local, state and national guidelines.

“Part of the operators’ responsibility, once they put those rules in place, is to make sure the players are operating by it,” Morgan said. “It’s not only about their safety, it’s about the staff safety and everyone else that is playing. I would hope that operators are aware of the entire experience and have an obligation to make sure that everybody is abiding by the rules that that facility sets up.”

Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, said that while it’s difficult to find many positives in the midst of a crisis, golf has an opportunity to showcase itself as a model of how people can begin a return to normal life while safely getting outside for some exercise and camaraderie.

“We’re fortunate to have an opportunity to start playing again that really is dependent on our collective ability to follow social distancing guidelines and to make the right choices when we’re out on the golf courses,” Davis said. “We’re all in this together, so be responsible.”

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