Golf Industry Goes Full-Swing

Text Story, Photograph

Working in a golf shop at a golf course obviously has its peak times, the busy times being in the summer and the downtime being in the winter, especially in Utah. Winters in Utah can get especially brutal, so as golfers, when February and March come around, we all get pretty excited as the new golf season approaches. However, none of us knew what was to come in February as we started preparing for the upcoming 2020 golf season. As the virus began to spread through the nation, and various states started reporting cases of COVID-19, we knew it was only a matter of time until it reached Utah, and specifically Cache Valley. As the virus reached Utah, many schools and businesses were shutting down, thereby forcing people indoors. Due to the fact that golf is played outdoors, our mayor suggested we stay open, but with heavy precautions and changes to the overall operation in order to ensure the safety of players. These precautions included raised golf cups to keep people from touching the same golf hole (picture attached), tee time slots being placed in larger time increments in order to keep everyone spaced out, players riding in carts individually, and online reservations being suggested so as to remove people from going inside to the only point of contact in the golf experience. As a result of these precautions, we were able to remain open for business to allow players a chance to escape from their homes, and because of this, the golf course saw record numbers. Tee times were spaced out, which meant that instead of a group of golfers teeing off every 7 minutes, we made it every 10 minutes. Despite this change, we saw groups of golfers literally tee off every 10 minutes, from 6:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. on most days! As the national shutdown continued, it only gave people more of a reason to select outdoor activities in order to escape the house, and it only increased the desire for most to try golf. The phones in the shop were off the hook nonstop as people called inquiring about potential open slots for them to tee off. Most calls were unsuccessful, as we found ourselves booked out days, and sometimes a week or more, in advance! This year was a strange year in many ways, filled with sadness, anxiety, and lots of stress. As an employee in the golf industry, unlike most businesses in the COVID-19 pandemic, I actually saw a dramatic rise in time spent at work, and I consider myself very fortunate for that, as many struggled regarding employment. The golf industry exploded this summer, and with the special precautions that were taken in order to ensure the safety of the players as much as possible, many people took advantage of the possible outdoor activity, and used golf as an escape from the stresses of their lives. Many...including myself.

Brandon Casper

2020-10-15