Margret Strohbach, left, and Michael Strohbach, right, celebrate Margret's birthday on May 5 by joining in the statewide reopening of golf at the Newaukum Valley Golf Course.
Michael Strohbach, 65, of Chehalis, tees off during the reopening of golf statewide on May 5 at the Newaukum Valley Golf Course.
Corrie Strohbach takes a swing at the Newaukum Valley Golf Course on Tuesday, May 5, marking the return of golf statewide.
The sun beat down on spring flowers at the Newaukum Valley Golf Course as the thwack of golf balls filled the 70-degree air as throngs of golfers swarmed the south Chehalis golf course Tuesday afternoon. Washington state allowed for the reopening of all 278 of its golf courses, joining 46 other states across the nation as the first major sport to make a comeback after the novel coronavirus outbreak. Massachusetts, Maryland and Vermont — along the District of Columbia — are the only remaining states holding out.
Golf’s triumphant reopening on May 5 is the alarm bell that the restarting of other sports is somewhere on the not-so-distant horizon, and not some far-off planet never to be stepped foot upon in the foreseeable future.
Washington state’s resumption of golf includes partial reopenings of other outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting and the use of state parks and state lands for day trips.
It was a pleasant respite for many who’ve been stuck at home the past six weeks following Gov. Jay Insleee’s stay-at-home order issued on March 23.
Michael Strohbach of Chehalis, along with his wife, Margret Strohbach, and daughter, Corrie Strohbach, were thrilled to be at Newaukum Valley Golf Course Tuesday afternoon after a long golfing drought. To top it off, it was Margret’s birthday, as well.
“You feel like you’ve just been released from prison,” Michael Strohbach said. “You get to go out and smell air for the first time.”
The state released a list of rules and regulations for golfers to abide by, most notably limiting two people per group. Threesomes and foursomes can play together only if they are from the same household or family.
“We’ll be playing in twosomes for a while, except for when a foursome is all one household,” Inslee said when discussing the golf guidelines. “You can only play golf with one person outside your own household, and you still need to socially distance.”
Michael Strohbach, 65, who’s been golfing since he was 10 years old, said he’s willing to comply with whatever restrictions are imposed, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with them.
“Even though they have certain restrictions, and I think the restrictions are crazy, I’ll play by the restrictions as long as you can play golf,” Michael said. “So we’re really happy that they’re open. When you’re golfing, look how far away you are from people anyway. Yeah, we want to be safe for older people, but at the same time we have to let the small businesses open up that are going bankrupt. Be safe, be cautious and we’re out here to have a good time.”
Golf courses must also comply with a long list of guidelines set by the governor’s office, which includes leaving the flagstick in at all times and discontinuing clubs and equipment rentals.
Alan Browning, the assistant manager at Newaukum Valley Golf Course, said he was happy to be back in the clubhouse Tuesday and see all the golfers take to the course.
“It’s super exciting, just to have the life back, the facility and to see all the smiles is great,” Browning said. “We have one of the best Washington days to open up. It’s awesome.”
Newaukum Valley Golf Course began receiving calls immediately following Inslee’s press conference on April 27 announcing the reopening. Every tee time at the course on Tuesday was booked all the way until 5:45 p.m. as of the afternoon. The course is booked almost the entire week, other than Wednesday, which is forecasted for a bit of rain. Centralia and Chehalis is projected to reach mid- 80-degree weather this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to The Weather Channel.
“People have just been thankful to be here today,” Browning said. “We’ve had no challenges, just a lot of happy people. The end of the week (weather) is supposed to be incredible.”
The full list of guidelines listed by the governor’s office:
Golf Operations (These items will be assessed, and potentially modified, on a weekly basis.)
Any course planning to reopen on May 5, 2020, must comply with the following:
1. Utilize on-line or phone tee time reservation systems to pre-pay and limit interactions, and restrict
payments to credit cards only to eliminate the handling of cash.
2. Maintain a log of all customers, including contact information.
3. At the golf course’s discretion, foursomes are allowed if they are from the same household.
Otherwise, no more than two players from separate households per tee time. Single players should
be asked if they would like to be paired together.
4. Restrict play to one rider per power cart, unless a minor is also playing.
5. Regularly sanitize countertops, door knobs, other common surfaces, range buckets, golf carts,
push carts, cash registers, score posting kiosks, and other frequently touched surfaces including
employee-used equipment.
6. Ensure that the flagstick remains in at all times. Players will be educated to avoid touching the
flagstick for any reason.
7. Be creative with cup liners to avoid having players reaching into the hole to retrieve golf balls,
such as installing cups upside down or partly above ground.
8. Eliminate cups and holes on practice greens.
9. Discontinue club and equipment rentals.
10. Restrict use of driving range and putting green to those with a tee time within 30 minutes.
11. Remove bunker rakes and other on-course furniture like benches, ball washers, water coolers, etc.
12. Eliminate on-course garbage cans, encourage golfers to carry and properly dispose of their own
garbage when leaving the course.
13. Modify driving range hitting areas to ensure a minimum 10-foot separation between players.
14. Install signage to discourage group congregation, or to limit numbers of people in a certain area of
the club or pro shop. Golfers will be reminded to be especially mindful of social distancing in the
parking lot, and around tees and greens.
15. Place appropriate signage outside the pro shop and clubhouse plus at the first tee entries briefly
outlining the social distancing guidelines in place.
16. Keep up to date on all changes that are happening daily.
17. Marshall the course to ensure physical distancing by reminding golfers, and where necessary,
warning repeat offenders.
18. Ask golfers to leave the golf course immediately after playing to eliminate congestion/gathering
on the property or in the parking lot.
Other Facility Operations
19. Increase the number of hand sanitizing stations throughout the clubhouse area and check-in areas.
20. Restrict access where unauthorized visitors may enter, most specifically “back of the house” doors
and entry points.
21. Increase frequency of HVAC system filter changing.
22. Ensure restrooms are frequently cleaned and appropriately sanitized throughout the day.
23. Eliminate sit-down food and beverage services, and recommend customers use pre-order “takeout” or “to go” services only. Consider offering cart-to-cart delivery if feasible.
Employee Safety and Health
24. Ensure operations follow L&I requirements to protect workers, including:
-Maintain minimum six-foot separation between staff and customers in all interactions. When
strict social distancing is not feasible for a specific task, other prevention measures are required,
such as use of barriers, personal protective equipment or other acceptable protection.
-Ensure frequent and adequate hand washing. Use gloves when possible (if not disposal, then
ensure they are regularly washed).
-Make sure sick employees stay home or go home if they feel or appear sick, identify and isolate
workers who exhibit signs or symptoms of COVID-19 illness, and follow cleaning guidelines set
by the CDC to deep clean after reports of an employee with suspected or confirmed COVID-19
illness.
-Educate workers in the language they understand best about coronavirus and how to prevent
transmission.
-See the L&I Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention: General Requirements and Prevention Ideas
for Workplaces for more information.
No golf course may operate until they can meet and maintain all the requirements in this document,
including providing materials, schedules and equipment required to comply.
