Restrictions will make it difficult for courses to make money

FORE!

Finally - after more than a month of waiting - Illinoisans were allowed to hit the links Friday.

They did so under a host of restrictions - ones that have many in the industry shaking their heads and wondering how long they can survive.

"The courses are happy that we're opening," said Jeff Yackley, the director of golf at the Links at Carillon in Plainfield. "That's obviously a step that we needed. The problem is the rules that we're now forced to (follow) are non-sustainable."

The rules laid out last week by Gov. J.B. Pritzker include:

• Twosomes only.

• Tee time intervals of 15 minutes.

• Closed ranges and practice greens.

• No riding carts, unless an individual has a physical impairment.

• No pull cart rentals.

"The administration worked with (the) industry to figure out a way to allow outdoor recreation without putting the health and safety of people at risk. The guidelines for golf in Illinois were created by public health experts," Pritzker press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said via email.

"As we face a global pandemic, we would hope golfers can enjoy their recreational activity in the safest way possible without spending time criticizing the rules before they are even implemented."

The problem from a course operator's standpoint boils down to revenue. Eight golfers per hour isn't going to cut it in most cases.

"First of all I'd like to say I think the governor's doing a great job. I'm all for J.B. Pritzker," said Tim Miles, the president and CEO of Golf Visions, which operates 14 Chicago-area courses. "But I feel like we got the short end of the stick here."

Why the difference?

The tee sheet at Palmira Golf & Country Club in Saint John, Indiana, has been full for weeks. The course, a few miles from the Illinois border, is allowing foursomes and spreading tee times by 15 minutes. Golf carts are available and given to seniors or those with disabilities first. Only one golfer is allowed per cart.

The range is open as well, with patrons paying at the window and picking up a sanitized bucket of balls, which have been placed in a row near the first tee box.

Yackley and Miles both wonder why Illinois can't allow all of this as well.

"The science doesn't differ from state to state," Yackley said. "There are risks whether you're in Illinois or if you're in Indiana. I'm not quite sure why they think we can't operate the same (guidelines)."

Tough on seniors

Combine the restrictions on golf carts with the fact it's impossible to purchase a pull cart right now, and it means many seniors will have to carry their bags. Places like Carillon and Tanna Farms in Geneva have significant distances between holes, meaning walks of 7 or 8 miles will be required.

"People want carts. It's that simple," Miles said. "The walk at Tanna Farms would be 3 miles just from the greens to the tees. Then you're going to walk about 5 miles when you play.

"There's nobody that can carry a bag and walk 8 miles, except for young bucks who have a small Sunday bag."

Yackley believes single-rider carts should be permitted. Miles would like to see two bags on a cart, with only one person allowed to drive. The other player can walk to their ball with a few clubs in his or her hand.

"I go to the grocery store and I could pass by 500 people and touch carts," Yackley said. "The virus doesn't know essential from nonessential. So if we can (go to the store), we can make it work on the golf course."

Raise rates?

Courses will be operating at about 25% capacity, with no way to make additional revenue from the pro shop, restaurants, the range or on cart rentals. It begs the question: Perhaps the solution is to significantly raise rates to better align with supply and demand?

"We're gonna do it. We have no choice," said Miles, who has been in the business since 1985 and leases out Foxford Hills, Settler's Hill, Tanna Farms, Chapel Hill in Johnsburg, Midlane Country Club in Waukegan, Lake Bluff, Village Green of Mundelein, Broken Arrow, Deer Valley and Oak Grove.

In past years, Miles said Settler's Hill has been adjusted down to $40 or $50 at times on the weekends, but will now be $65 walk or ride. Foxford Hills will be $79 and $69 for seniors. Miles said the average price had been about $52. Tanna Farms, where one could find specials for $25 and $27, will be $45 and $35 for seniors.

"The golfer is going to pay more to play; I don't think there's any doubt about it," Miles said.

Yackley doesn't necessarily agree, believing many people want to play with their friends.

"The customer may be more willing to pay a little more if we're actually able to supply (them) with some normalcy," Yackley said. "But when you take everything away from them and then on top of that ask for more money, it's really tough. People may just hang tight and say: 'We'll just see what happens three or four weeks from now. When they lift more restrictions we'll start playing again.'"

Suggestions

Courses can get 88 golfers out between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. A full tee sheet with eight-minute intervals would yield more than 300 tee times for an 18-hole facility.

Of the 88 possible golfers, Miles knows that up to half may be prepaid members at a number of his facilities, meaning no additional money will be coming in.

So what to do? Miles and Yackley would like to see foursomes allowed; tee time intervals shortened and single-rider carts allowed.

Do those things and a course that charges $35 to walk and $53 to ride could easily bring in $5,000 more per day and $150,000 per month.

"The sport of golf itself separates everyone," Yackley said. "Once you tee off, you're 250 yards away from the people behind you. You could go eight-minute (tee times) and go foursomes.

"What they should require is just say: 'You have to still stay 6 feet apart. Only have one group on the tee at a time.'

"You can have people wait in cars until two minutes before their tee times. People will do whatever it takes to do social distance."