While most area golf courses have re-opened during the coronavirus outbreak, a few have remained closed — for now

While most area golf courses have re-opened during the coronavirus outbreak, a few have remained closed — for now

Darrell Hull, director of golf at The Links Golf Club in Post Falls, says he gets one or two calls like this every day.

“I get phone calls where people rip me a new one, saying ‘You guys should not be open, it’s irresponsible, it’s reckless, you’re spreading it (the coronavirus) around,” Hull said. “And my answer is, we’re following every protocol that Panhandle Health, the CDC, the governor ... we’re following every protocol that we can to make it a safe environment to recreate. And until they tell us we can’t do that, we’re just following orders.”

Tim Morton, director of golf at The Highlands in Post Falls, says he also gets calls from folks, angry his course is remaining open during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s funny when they say I shouldn’t be open, then they say, ‘Well, do you have a tee time for such-and-such day?’” Morton said.

When Idaho governor Brad Little issued his 21-day stay-at-home order on March 25, golf courses were among those businesses not deemed “essential” to stay open.

So Idaho courses shut down.

But when Little clarified his stance the next day, allowing golf courses to stay open under heavy restrictions, most reopened — or opened on schedule a few days later.

Some remained closed.

Among those open include The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, Circling Raven, The Links, The Highlands, Twin Lakes Village and the nine-hole Ponderosa Springs.

Prairie Falls Golf Club in Post Falls and Avondale Golf Club in Hayden Lake remain closed. Prairie Falls plans to re-open next Wednesday.

Golf courses in Washington have been shut down since March 25, by order of governor Jay Inslee, until at least May 4.

So many Washington golfers, particularly from the Spokane area, are flocking over the border into North Idaho.

“I’ve already, since 8 o’clock, fielded at least 300 phone calls,” said Brent Walsh, general manager of the Coeur d’Alene Golf Club, on Thursday, shortly after noon. “We’re booked open to close, every day.”

He said there were around 150 rounds played at the course on Wednesday — not bad, he said, considering the course didn’t open until 9 a.m. due to frost.

Walsh estimated perhaps 75 percent of the golfers playing his course these days come from Washington.

Last year? Maybe 25 percent.

“If daylight and weather allowed it, we’d be slam-packed from 6 to 6,” Walsh said.

He said there are no tee times available at the course through Saturday.

“My first opening right now is (for) a twosome at 4 o’clock on Sunday,” he said. “Monday, the first opening is at 3:48 (p.m.). Tuesday, 3:24. Wednesday, 3:48, and 3:20 on Thursday. And that’s a week out.”

Morton said The Highlands is at nearly 200 rounds per day, probably double for this time of year.

Probably half the golfers at his course are from Washington, which is double the amount normally.

“I think everybody is being careful, and they’re tired of being cooped up in the house,” said Morton, who was last at StoneRidge, and came to The Highlands in May 2019.

Hull said The Links had about 180 rounds played on Wednesday, and were on pace for more than that Thursday.

“We start teeing them off at 8 in the morning,” he said, “and today and tomorrow, my first available tee time is 6:10 in the evening.”

How much golf can you get in these days, starting that late?

“How about 4 or 5 holes?” Hull said.

The golf pros say, for the most part, golfers are adhering to the list of more than three dozen precautions handed down by Panhandle Health, the CDC and others — don’t touch the flagstick, the bunker rakes have been removed, only one person per cart instead of two, maintain social distancing, etc.

“I had a husband and wife who owned their own golf cart, who rode here together, and I couldn’t allow them to ride together,” Hull said. “They were not very happy, but they got their separate carts and they went on their way.”

At most courses, the putting green is closed, and the spaces on the driving range have been widened. Clubhouses and pro shops are closed to golfers. Drinks can be sold through a “drive-through” window. Paying greens fees ahead of time, by credit card over the phone, is encouraged, to lessen the amount of interaction between golfers and pro shop personnel.

Greens fees, cart rentals and range balls keep some money flowing in, but courses are losing out on merchandise sales due to these restrictions.

“It was a tough decision to stay open, actually, because we’re short-staffed, too,” Hull said. “We’re in spring staff (some employees are students who don’t start until school is out), and a couple of my staff members have elderly people who live with them, so they do not want to work right now. And I’ve told them, if they don’t feel comfortable working, stay at home. I understand; I don’t want you here if you’re not comfortable working.”

At The Links and The Highlands, the cups were raised a couple of inches so they are above the level of the putting surface, “so once they hit the cup, the hole is over,” Hull said.

“You can’t have any lip-outs,” Morton said. “Everybody’s scores are a lot better, the pace of play is much better.”

Some courses are using pool noodles or PVC pipe so the ball doesn’t fall so far into the hole, lessening the chance of accidentally touching the flagstick.

At the Coeur d’Alene Golf Club, they cut up old driving range mats into a shape that was the width of the cup, and slipped it over the flagstick.

“It’s raised up, so you still see the ball fall in a little bit, halfway in,” Walsh said.

He said he’s allowing two to a cart if they’re from the same family, or household.

To spread out the players, Walsh increased the interval between tee times from 8 to 12 minutes, but plans to make the tee times 10 minutes apart starting next Thursday, giving the course one more tee time per hour.

At the beginning of the golf season, prior to the coronavirus shutdown and re-opening with restrictions, Walsh (as well as pros at a few other area courses) bought some Finn Cycles, which are like a motorcycle for golfers. The cycles top out around 12 mph, and you straddle your clubs on the front of the bag.

As it turned out, they have become great social distancing vehicles, Walsh said.

“It speeds up play, too, because everybody’s going to their ball,” he said.

In posting its intentions to stay closed back in late March, “we don’t feel it is appropriate or responsible to stay open,” Prairie Falls said on its website.

But Billy Bomar, majority owner of Prairie Falls, doesn’t begrudge those who did.

“I think it’s an unfortunate situation for everybody, he said. “I’m fine with (my decision); I did what I wanted to do with it, me and my (owner) partner, wanted to keep my staff safe. I would hate to have someone come in (to play) that didn’t know (they were sick). Hopefully that doesn’t happen to anybody.”

“Hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon. We’re just hoping to get back to doing what we love to do.”

And as someone who plays tournament golf regularly, Bomar says he’s missing just playing. Locally, the Inland Empire PGA pro-am schedule is usually underway by now. And regionally, the Pacific Northwest PGA schedule had pushed back some of its tournaments.

“The one great thing is, I’ve seen so many people out riding bikes, and exercising,” Bomar added. “And hopefully everybody keeps doing that when things go back to normal.”