PROVO — Wasatch Mountain State Park had 165 corporate tournaments cancel this spring and summer, yet head professional Chris Stover filled up two 18-hole courses almost daily the past three months.
The virus battled with golf in Utah and lost.
The highly contagious, economic-stopping COVID-19 world pandemic may have changed life as we know it, but it turned golf courses in Utah into outdoor playhouses for the cooped up, unemployed and shuttered.
“Our tee sheet has been full virtually every day. It’s tough to get out without a tee time.” — Craig Norman
It’s been their set-free card.
At Hobble Creek Golf Course up the canyon from Springville, head professional Craig Norman broke course records for rounds played in May and June.
At Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, head professional Chris Newson claims May was double his best month ever. “June has leveled off somewhat, but still ahead of last season by about 20%.” Like most courses, Soldier Hollow had corporate tournaments cancel events but many have said they’ll revisit plans in the fall.
Because Utah decided to keep golf courses open, unlike neighbor Nevada, the state’s courses were hammered this spring. Tee times are hard to get and tee sheets in pro shops are filled. It is almost impossible, many say, to just walk up to a golf course and try to “get on” for even a nine-hole round.
So in demand has been the chance to get outside, away from crowds and four walls of a house, that some courses have turned to the internet or automated tee times where golfers lock themselves in, with a credit card payment, so tee sheets won’t be hit with no shows — it is that hot a commodity to play.
“Our tee sheet has been full virtually every day,” said Norman. “It’s tough to get out without a tee time.” Norman’s course, owned by Springville City, found a unique phenomenon when it first opened as a walk-only course in March, April and part of May: Players actually played faster rounds. “They played faster even when we had one player to a cart. There is no rhyme or reason for it,” said Norman.
At Spanish Oaks Golf Club, head pro Ryan Rhees agreed, spring it has been nuts. “I’ve never seen anything like it in 25 years in the business to tell you the truth,” he said. “I guess people who are out of work and kids who are out of school were going crazy and golf is one thing they could get out and do, and they have. Even when we were walking only, we were filled up.”
Rhees was able to hold his annual Spanish Oaks Open in May and it drew a larger field of professionals than usual. He limited the field, spread out tee times to 12 minutes, had registration online, players picked up their scorecards, played, returned them and results were sent out by email. “It went smooth, really smooth, actually,” said Rhees. “We limited contact and did social distancing, a bag lunch/breakfast was on the carts so nobody had to gather to eat.”
Newson at Soldier Hollow State Park said his silver and gold courses have both been booked solid. He’s had to reschedule or cancel corporate events, but he’s been able to keep two big ones on his calendar for spring.
Darci Olsen, head professional at Glenmoor Golf Course, opened a new driving range late due to renovations but like the others, claimed her tee sheets, created electronically over the internet, have been full every day. She too has been able to reschedule corporate events for August or September, but has had requests for tournaments of small groups of 50, and her men’s and women’s associations and junior golf programs have been hammered.
The virus may be a threatening menace, but by every measurable financial instrument you can poke at the golf spring season, the cup runneth over.
“We’ve had to give up some revenue for single rider carts for social distancing, but the course has been at capacity,” said Olsen. “I’ve heard Stonebridge and The Ridge were not doing their men’s association this year so we might get a little busier. Our ladies league has been hopping and so have our Youth on Course.”
Spring golf a budget saver?
Count the ways.
“I don’t think we’ve had a bad weather day, we’ve had play every day,” said Rhees. “Memorial Day holiday is the busiest weekend of the year and the day after is usually the worst and the course is empty, but this year it was just as busy the day after the holiday as it was for the holiday.”
“We are definitely up over last year,” said Olsen, even with investing in some power wash equipment to sanitize carts. Most courses have added personnel for this task.
Tracy Zobell at Gladstan Golf Course in Payson echoed everything his fellow pros said. “We’ve been as busy as we’ve ever been. I wish it was a trend that would stick around, but we’ll see.”
All Utah courses have followed a strict protocol of social distancing, sanitizing carts and protecting employees with plastic shields in proshops. Many are not taking cash and are asking patrons to pay with credit cards.
“In my 25 years in the business, I don’t recall ever filling out every tee time every day,” said Stover. “And that’s what we’ve had at Wasatch State Park.”
Folks, 2020 hit us hard, but Utah’s golf community fought back even harder and is winning big time.