Golf courses reopen their doors
By Greg Seubert
Social distancing was not a problem for Joe Mihna.
“It’s great to be outside rather than being cooped up in the house all the time,” he said shortly before teeing off on the sixth hole of the Waupaca Country Club.
Mihna, of Waupaca, was one of a handful of golfers at the private nine-hole golf course on Waupaca’s east side April 24.
Waupaca Country Club is one of hundreds of public and private golf courses around Wisconsin that could reopen that day after the state revised its Safer at Home order from late March that classified golf courses as nonessential businesses and ordered them to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Tony Evers extended the order April 16, but allowed courses to open April 24 with certain restrictions.
While other golfers headed out in groups of two, three or four, Mihna golfed alone.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I normally play here, but I got nine holes in at Foxfire (Golf Club) before they shut everything down. That was almost a month ago and it’s been a drag since then.”
WCC course superintendent Jeff Barlow expected about 25 golfers to show up opening day.
“They have to call us and make a tee time,” he said. “If they’re a guest, they have to pay with a credit card beforehand. They’re supposed to arrive 10 minutes before their tee time, go to the tee and tee off as soon as possible. When they complete their round – whether it’s nine holes or 18 holes – they’re supposed to leave immediately.”
Under the restrictions in the Safer at Home order, golfers cannot use a cart, must observe social distancing and must schedule a tee time and pay in advance.
Courses open, clubhouses, pro shops closed
Courses are required to keep clubhouses and pro shops closed; space tee times to avoid clusters; keep driving ranges closed; and can continue to perform basic maintenance.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Barlow said. “My job over the past month has been to get the course ready. We were able to do minimum maintenance, clean up the course and things like that. Until the executive order got changed effective April 24 at 8 a.m., we were kind of at a standstill with what we were going to do. Nothing changed from my standpoint with getting the course ready, but in the week leading up to the 24th, we had to prepare the course following the mandates that were issued.
“We had some pretty decent weather in early April, so we were able to get some work done out here before we got the snow,” he added. “We got quite a bit of wind after that and had to do some more cleanup, but it doesn’t take long to put the accessories on the golf course, maybe a day or two. This year, we didn’t have to put a lot of accessories out is because the only things we have on the course right now are the pins and the cups, which are raised up a couple of inches, so there’s no touching of the flagpoles and cups.”
At the same time a handful of golfers were at the Waupaca Country Club, business was booming at Iola’s Glacier Wood Golf Club.
“It’s a big deal,” said Andrew Harvey, the 18-hole course’s head golf professional and director of operations. “We’ve got about 130 golfers scheduled for today, even though it is walking only. People are getting anxious and they want to get outside and get some fresh air.
“It’s a good thing that we can get started,” he said. “We should have a pretty full house today, Saturday and Sunday.”
The course opened at 8 a.m. April 24.
“Being that we had an early spring this year, it would have been nice to have been able to golf,” Harvey said. “People have been locked in their house and this gives them a little bit of an escape to get out and walk around if nothing else. Looking out the window and seeing sunshine and 50 degrees, it’s a great thing that we can get some people on the golf course.”
This year’s first day doesn’t compare to other openers, according to Harvey.
“It’s very different because this is walking only and we’re not allowed to use power carts,” he said. “It’s not as busy as it would be if a person could take a cart. Even if they’re not accustomed to walking nine or 18 holes, they’re out here trying it.”
Mihna is happy to be back on a golf course.
“I knew it was bound to happen,” he said of Evers’ order to shut courses down. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s just the way it is.”