But as golf carries on in Virginia (albeit safely and differently), we wanted to share some of the ways that we are trying to provide golf while respecting the health and safety of everyone around us.
1. We have inverted all of our putting green cups so that the ball may still be "holed", but cannot fall to the bottom of the cup. This allows our players to safely retrieve the ball without touching the cup. Furthermore, Our flagsticks remain in at all times to further limit touching.
2. We have removed all of our bunker rakes so our members or caddies aren't tempted to pick up a rake. We are playing a "lift, smooth and place" rule in all of our sand bunkers.
3. And for all 3 of our practice putting greens, we are leaving the cup approximately 1" above the hole. As the player warms up or practices putting, they are never required to touch anything but still have an aiming point.
Aside from these precautions, as the golf course moves into week-4, post-aeration, we are very excited about this coming season. The turf is starting to really move and as we begin our full mowing schedule, we expect the spring of 2020 to be fantastic.
It is not lost on us how much this virus is affecting our global community. We hope that maybe, just maybe, the great game of golf will be a therapy of sorts. We will continue to work hard preparing the golf course for 2020 and pray that everyone affected by this pandemic recovers as quickly as possible.
