Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course in Sacramento saw increased traffic in 2020 as golfers can naturally practice social distancing on the links . ( Photo courtesy of Morton Golf )
found it easier to sneak out for a weekday round . Sacramento County Golf Division Manager Greg Bliek reports he ’ s seen golfers doing Zoom calls on the course . It ’ s easy to stay 6 feet from your playing partner on a golf course , or , as one pro says , “ Golf naturally spaces you out .”
While phones rang and cash registers jingled in the pro shops , the pandemic took a sizable bite out of restaurant , banquet and wedding revenues . Shotgun starts — which , by having foursomes start at the same time on all 18 holes , are able to accommodate larger numbers of golfers for tournaments — are verboten until all restrictions are lifted .
Still , the game is in much better shape than anyone could have expected , given the unprecedented nature of the challenge . “ Change wasn ’ t as hard as we thought ,” Woods says .
Rising to the challenge
Tom Morton was ready to watch the Sacramento Kings play the New Orleans Pelicans March 10 , 2020 , when the fans at Golden 1 Center were told to exit the arena minutes before the opening tip . If a mysterious virus could stop the NBA dead in its tracks , what next ?
Morton , the director of player development for Morton Golf , the Sacramento-based company that operates Haggin Oaks and the other cityowned courses , remembers feeling anxious when he arrived at work for a meeting the next morning . “ People are saying , ‘ It looks like everything is going to shut down ,’” Morton recalls . “‘ What can we do to make our courses as safe as they can be ?’”
Rob Fong , a former member of the Sacramento City Council who works as a consultant for Morton Golf , lobbied Dr . Peter Beilenson , then the director of Sacramento County ’ s
Department of Health Services and the person in charge of the county ’ s coronavirus response .
Beilenson ’ s knowledge of golf didn ’ t go beyond “ knowing it involves irons and a putter ,” in his own words , but he proved to be the decisive figure in keeping Sacramento ’ s courses open . “ It was pretty evident that being outdoors made more sense than being indoors ,” Beilenson says . “ The people in the pro shop took it seriously because they obviously wanted to stay open .”
Motorized carts were limited to one rider . To avoid the possibility of transmission , rakes were removed from bunkers , and players were allowed to place their golf balls outside the sand without taking a penalty . Players were instructed not to touch the flagsticks , and hole inserts kept the ball from falling all the way into the cup . Ball washers and drinking fountains were covered . Restaurants could serve only food for takeout . Group lessons weren ’ t allowed . “ It was the right decision ,” says Beilenson , who resigned his county position in late 2020 . “ Golf was set up for social distancing .”
Most private clubs limited play to members only , but that didn ’ t make it any easier to reserve tee times . Jim Salazar , Sierra View ’ s head golf profes-
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