Golf’s A Game Where Lending A Hand Isn’t Out Of The Ordinary
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-05-11
By GORD MONTGOMERY, Inside Golf
EDMONTON, Alberta — In reality, golf is a game that’s all about lending advice. You know, that so-called help you get from a playing partner you may have just met, who tells you to “Keep your head down,” or “You’re swinging too fast,” and “I wouldn’t use that club here.” Why that often uncalled for ‘help’ is so common in golf, even the guys on the PGA TOUR lend tidbits of advice every once in a while to fellow competitors.
But there are times in golf when advice is good, and no, we don’t mean the aid you receive from a teaching pro. Rather, advice from someone who get a leg up on a drastic change in the game and then letsl others know about that in order to ensure everyone has an enjoyable, and in this case a safe day, on the course.
That was the case recently in Edmonton, when Murray McCourt, the executive professional at The Ranch G&CC bent the ears of around a dozen head professionals and general managers from area courses about how he and his team were properly set up when the word came down that golf was back on in Alberta after being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the guys at The Ranch were so far ahead of the curve they opened on day one of a new season, which in some cases was up to 10 days in front of other places.
McCourt began by saying he wasn’t exactly sure when the government was going to green light golf, but his course was ready when the word was given. He noted that with the NAGA (National Allied Golf Association) document that had been widely circulated to courses, plus the Alberta government, the thought was the new protocol guidelines would closely follow that. In this case, that’s exactly what happened.
“That had come out several weeks prior to us being allowed to open and with that it allowed us to get set up with a plan and implement it at a moment’s notice,” explained McCourt. “With that, I wanted us to be as prepared and ready to roll as possible.”
“When the alert came, we were “Well, why wait?”
What was done at The Ranch was likely the epitome of what was hoped for by the industry and the government. Right from the time a golfer pulls into the course’s grounds, they are directed both by signs and staff as to what to do and where to go and not go.
Even though the golf business is hugely competitive, this idea of helping other courses goes beyond the lure of the dollar, McCourt said. This wasn’t about competition. This was more about teamwork, about making the game safe no matter where one tees it up.
“In a lot of ways this offer was to help our golf community, and the population in general. Our industry’s been given a lot of rope to show you can play golf safely. It’s now up to our industry to prove them (government) right and that they were right in giving us that rope,” McCourt commented on being so willing to help others follow the proper safety measures. “It’s very important for every single golf course to follow these protocols and do it well to protect everybody. We were in a position to set up properly and I want to help others in the industry do it properly as well.”
“This is something new, something different and they’ve been running their golf courses for a long time. So to have this big a change in a big hurry, it’s hard to navigate and everyone needs to figure out how to do it at their own facility.”
As to what your everyday golfer sees when they drive onto the grounds at The Ranch to tee it up, McCourt explained what his staff are doing to keep the public safe while out for some enjoyment.
“We have a greeter at the top of the hill who verbally gives you protocol on what you need to know before you get to the starter. Once you get to the starter, he’s going to give you more information on what you need to do to safely get around the golf course. How to order food and beverage for take-out. All that kind of information. We also give you information on our GPS screens.
“We are controlling where people are and what they’re doing at all times while they’re here to make sure they’re safe, verbally and with signs. I’ll tell you, signs are one thing but telling them and having conversations with everybody is probably the number one thing that’s going to get the points across.”
So while the battle for green fee dollars will continue, for this one day at least the willingness to help others in the industry in order to keep golfers safe and healthy was front and centre and why the game of golf, and the provincial industry members, are so highly thought of across the rest of the country.
CHIP SHOTS
…. golfers talked to at various times on a few Edmonton-area courses all noted they were adhering to the social distancing protocols and having no issues with the same …. no one was concerned about the raised cups although one golfer questioned the reality of a hole-in-one if the ball just glanced off that hole protecter without actually entering the hole …. the one area McCourt noted people seemed to dislike about the new guidelines was the fact they had to pre-pay.