By Design – Issue 49, Summer 2020

17 W ith much of the world now beginning to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and take steps towards what we previously considered ‘normal’ life, golf course owners and operators are considering how consumer attitudes might change and how they might best respond. Many golf courses in the U.S. were required to close for a prolonged period during the pandemic, to limit the spread of the virus. In the week ending 6 April, the National Golf Foundation (NGF) reported that only 44 percent of golf courses were open. But fast-forward two months to the end of May, and golf is returning with a flourish. Ninety-seven percent of U.S. golf courses were back open for play, according to NGF, and many were reporting “new faces,” with people trying out the sport for the first time or returning after a lapse in play. In a recent story in the New York Times , Bill Pennington reported that when Hazeltine National Golf Club, near Minneapolis, Minnesota activated its automated online tee booking system, it took just two seconds to fill the entire tee sheet for the following day. And Hazeltine isn’t an isolated case. Golf clubs have been inundated with bookings and membership requests. Speaking in an Asian Golf Industry Federation podcast, DJ Flanders, senior vice president of Troon International, said: “Almost without exception, we sold memberships during this period because there were people who wanted to play golf and were willing to buy a membership so that they could get out and play.” Many other sporting facilities have remained closed for longer, giving golf the chance to fill the void for people who want to exercise and compete in an open space. This has been possible thanks to the practical steps that clubs have taken to make sure the sport is safe. Henry DeLozier of GGA Partners says: “As golf courses and private clubs across the globe reopen to accommodate golfers with pent-up demand and new-found eagerness, golf course operators are taking the prescribed steps for reducing and sanitizing touch-points such as flagsticks and ball washers, reduced practice tee services and on-course comfort stations.”