Can you play golf during a solar eclipse?
Brent Nicosen first realized there was something going on when he got a call from a fellow coach struggling to find hotel rooms.
The University of Indianapolis, where Nicosen coaches the men’s and women’s golf teams, always hosts the Ken Partridge Invitational in early April as one of the men’s teams last tune-ups before postseason play begins. Sixteen other teams, as well as an “A” and “B” team from Indianapolis, will compete at Purgatory Golf Club beginning Sunday in a three-day, 54-hole event.
However, during Monday’s round, there’s going to be a lot more than a golf tournament going on.
Purgatory Golf Club is in Noblesville, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. The course is also in the path of totality for the solar eclipse, which is occurring throughout the United States on Monday afternoon. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially.
Between roughly 3:06-3:10 p.m. ET at Purgatory, the day will turn to night, as 100 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. Even before and after totality, it will seem as if the sun is setting and then rising again in the middle of the afternoon.
The eclipse is predicted to chart along a 115-mile-wide path of totality, shrouding portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada in unnatural darkness and unveiling the sun’s elusive outermost layer for a brief moment, USA TODAY reported.
“I thought it was really odd all the hotels were booked, so we started doing research and then realized what was going on,” Nicosen said. “That’s when we started talking about it and figured this could be a cool thing.”
Nicosen said the plan is for tee times to be a bit later Monday so players will be on the course during the eclipse. Although they may have to stop play for some time, it’s well worth it for the phenomenon.
The Hamilton County Sports Authority donated sunglasses for every player in the field, so golfers will be able to put on the shades to look safely at the eclipse when it begins and throughout the course of the event. Nicosen also reached out to meteorologists in the area to get a better idea of how it would affect the golf tournament and what to expect and to get safety tips for everyone involved.
“It’s just going to be like a rain delay or a fog delay, like any delay we could have,” Nicosen said. “I think we’ll just hold in place. That’s the game plan right now.”
Last month, Nicosen led the men’s team to a victory at an event featuring five freshmen in the lineup. Now, he gets to host a tournament during a solar eclipse.
“Checking two more boxes off the career list,” Nicosen said.
