Golf courses may be a beacon in this pandemic, but the industry is still suffering
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Golf courses may be a beacon in this pandemic, but the industry is still suffering

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About 10 days ago, I played golf for the first time since Maryland Governor Larry Hogan closed golf courses statewide. I had to cross state lines to do it, playing at Stonewall Golf Club in northern Virginia.

Pulling in the parking lot, I felt something I'd describe as first-tee jitters. I was a little nervous because I hadn't played golf in a month, and the only swings I had put on a ball were playing my backyard golf courses. Partial swings with a sand wedge, as fun as they are, aren't exactly preparation for an adult-sized golf course. I was also wondering what golf was going to be like in this pandemic.

I've been keeping track of course openings and closings by states, scouring for rules and regulations that have now become commonplace musts for courses to remain open. I had committed them to memory at this point, but I hadn't seen them in action. Would golf be, well, weird?

See why full golf courses could still be struggling

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About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is a scratch golfer...sometimes.

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

Ryan occasionally links to merchants of his choosing, and GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure.