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  2020-03-20

  A Sight to Be Seen

  The photograph that is attached is a picture that I took while in the grocery store on March 20, 2020, and I remember the sight and the moment vividly. Much like the rest of the nation, I wasn't really sure how to make meaning of the recent events that were taking place across the world and, beginning in March, starting to take place in our very nation. COVID-19 was still something I didn't quite understand, but what I did know is that it was coming, whatever that meant. My apartment is roughly three blocks from this grocery store, so naturally I went there often to buy things that I needed. On this day, earlier in the morning, I remember showing up to the front door and there were massive crowds of people not only outside, but in the aisles as well, and especially in one specific aisle. I began to ask myself "why is everyone cramming into that specific aisle? There isn't even food over there on that side of the grocery store." Come to find out, these people, much like people across the nation, were mobbing the stores and buying massive amounts of...toilet paper? Yes, exactly - toilet paper. I decided that I wasn't going to get what I needed in these crowds, so I left, aiming to come back later that evening. The attached picture is on my return trip on the night of March 20, when I walked down the aisle that everyone was clustered into in an attempt to see the aftermath. Every shelf that had toilet paper that morning was completely empty, which was a sight that I can't say that I have ever seen before. I was left not only amazed, but confused as to what prompted these people to collect toilet paper in the face of a global pandemic. If the nation were shutting down for a period of time and a national quarantine was on the brink, wouldn't canned foods, water bottles, and various other items take precedent over toilet paper? Just a thought. This event made my mind up that the year 2020 was going to be a year that would not be forgotten, and this picture, to me, stands as a picture of the very moment I had that realization.
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  2020-10-15

  Golf Industry Goes Full-Swing

  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.