CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The executive director of the West Virginia Golf Association views Gov. Jim Justice’s executive order about golf as a good reinforcement of what golf courses are already doing.
WVGA’s Brad Ullman said those who operate courses are stressing social distancing, limiting cart ridership to one–unless the riders live in the same home–and eliminating common touching areas.
“We love going fishing in the rivers and streams in West Virginia just as much as we love going to the beautiful golf courses of the state and I think the governor’s order reinforces the fact that people need to be smart about this and be safe about it. It offers up additional guidance about the safety and well-being,” Ullman told MetroNews Friday.
Gov. Justice signed the order Thursday
“This is just another heads up that people have given us,” Justice said. “We’re trying to keep our outdoor spaces open but people are telling us that people are not complying to social distancing.”
Ullman said golf courses are a natural place for social distancing.
“Golf courses are over the span of a couple hundred acres and the opportunities for social distancing is there and we hope that with the latest order from the governor that golfers will continue to heed that type of information and continue to play golf,” Ullman said.
Specifically, some courses have gone to all walking while others have implemented cart riding restrictions. Most all have eliminated bunker rakes and put into place special provisions to make sure no one touches flag sticks.
“All the golf courses have implemented rules that say the flag stick must remain in the hole,” Ullman said. “Therefore limiting the amount of touching that will take place on the flag stick.”
The WVGA is able to track business and golf courses and Ullman said it’s been busy for this time of year.
“Hopefully it’s a refuge for people to maybe take a little time to get away from the chaos that’s going on right now and we truly believe golf is a good way of doing that,” he said.