COVID-19 and your Golf Business
Bulletin #4 - March 22, 2020
The NGCOA Canada has been monitoring the various COVID-19 notices, directives, and closures both federally and provincially. Through these Bulletins, we are attempting as best as possible to keep you as up to date as possible however because the situation is so fluid we also encourage you to familiarize yourself with your provincial guidelines and directives. We have developed an online resource page where we post any relevant information and are updating this resource daily. You are also encouraged to join the NGCOA Canada - Operator Corner on Facebook where members are already engaging in discussion on what they are doing at their operation, or planning to do, to ensure they are following the direction of Federal and Provincial Health Agencies.
 
You may currently be open or preparing to open and wondering if this is the right decision. While this is an individual decision by each golf course, we strongly recommend that you follow the directives of your provincial and federal governments. When making the decision to close or stay open while following strict safety protocols, the health and safety of individuals should be the number one consideration. We do however believe that golf as a sport is ideally positioned to allow for social distancing while providing some necessary mental health relief to golfers within your community. As you are considering whether to open or to remain open, you are recommended to regularly check our online resource page for links to provincial websites for ongoing changes.
 
For courses making the decision to be open, we have assembled a number of best practices taken from various sources including feedback from operators across the country and have included them below and posted them to our online resource page .
BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR GOLF FACILITY
The following are some recommended best practices to choose from. You are encouraged to check with your provincial health authority to ensure you are always following the latest guidelines as things continue to change on a frequent basis. 
Food & Beverage | Restaurant
  • Use ‘call-ahead, take-out’ or to-go service.
  • Consider ‘tap’ credit and debit card payments to reduce hand-to-hand contact.
  • If you do accept cash, ensure that all staff wear protective gloves
  • Ensure beverage carts are cleaned and sanitized before reuse; sanitize all touch-points of both employee and customer.
Clubhouse
  • Based on your provincial and federal government recommendations and orders, communicate with members and the public on the actions you are taking; reminding them that you will strictly adhere to guidelines established by local, provincial and federal governments. Click here for the NGCOA Canada template that you can download and edit to meet your needs.
  • Place appropriate signage outside the pro-shop and clubhouse entries briefly outlining the social distancing guidelines in place.
  • Provide clear professional signage informing guests of operational changes and encourage recommended sanitation practices.
  • Increase the frequency of cleaning, sanitation and disinfecting of all locations, especially high traffic areas such as counter surfaces, tables, public restrooms, door handles, golf carts, flagpoles, and more.
  • Educate staff on hygiene, sanitation and food handling, and its impact of preventing the spread of communicable diseases.
  • Increase the number of hand sanitizer stations throughout the clubhouse, especially entry points and lobby.
  • Regularly sanitize equipment and provide customers with reminder signage and supplies necessary for post-use cleaning. 
  • Increase the frequency of HVAC system filter changing, and recommend more frequent cleaning.
  • Close locker rooms and allow changing of footwear in parking lots.
Golf Operations
  • Consider accepting only online or call ahead pre-paid green fees. Eliminate any walk-ups or cash payments. Update your website to indicate this.
  • If accepting green fees at the pros shop, consider ‘tap’ credit and debit card payments to reduce hand-to-hand contact.
  • Consider a process to allow booking extras with online tee-time bookings allowing for prepayment of range baskets, etc. which can be prepared ahead of time and placed in a designated area for pick-up limiting social interaction.
  • Consider providing designated tee-times for two-some requests such as evening tee-time slots.
  • Consider removing all merchandise items, normally smaller accessories, from your counter and place them out of reach of any customers that may be inside.
  • Consider having a greeter outside the front door of the pro shop – if tee-time is pre-paid then golfer is directed to 1st tee by the greeter, if not one person at a time allowed into building to pay.
  • Restrict the number of people inside the pro shop at any given time.
  • Consider increasing tee-time intervals to further increase the social distancing protocols.
  • Eliminate club rentals.
  • Eliminate push-cart rentals.
  • Encourage golfers to walk.
  • Consider the elimination of golf carts for golfers
  • Encourage golfers and staff to refrain from handshakes or any other contact.
  • Remove bulk scorecard, pencil, and tee holders from starter areas. Only issue when requested.
  • Remove ball washers or tape them shut.
  • Remove or disconnect water fountains or coolers; consider offering bottled water only.
  • Temporarily remove bunker rakes.
  • Direct players to leave the pin in the cup at all times, consider raising the cup 1" above the putting surface, inserting the cup upside down, or creating a gimme circle around each hole location to reduce surface contamination.
  • Close every-other driving range bay to increase social distancing.
  • Bring range ball baskets into the pro shop to wipe down handles and provide sanitizer next to ball dispensers so people can wipe the handles down themselves along with signage to help people remember to do it.
  • Consider adding a hand washing station at the driving range with reminder signage.
  • Ensure range balls are cleaned thoroughly with soap after every pick up prior to making available for customers.
  • Remove all non-essential devices from the range, such as bag stands or den caddies. Place balls on the range for your customers so they can be accessed using a club.
  • Close putting green or place alignment sticks, or stakes on the putting green as targets, and/or turn the cups upside down and leave in the hole. Remove all flags and institute a “bring your own practice balls policy.”
Workplace Safety
  • Educate staff to recognize the symptoms of COVID-19 in each other and your customers.
  • Establish a communication plan to keep your employees informed and updated on issues affecting the workplace.
  • Institute a policy that requires employees to tell you when they’ve been exposed to any highly communicable illness, and then direct them to the local health agency for appropriate testing. 
  • Conduct meetings by phone or online wherever possible. For in-person meetings, ensure safe social distancing (6+ feet) between attendees.
  • Create a COVID-19 committee for your facility.
  • Ensure appropriate signage is present throughout your facility.
  • Provide necessary sanitation supplies and personal protection equipment.
  • Ensure hand washing signage is present at all wash stations.
  • Provide hand sanitizer stations for both staff and guests in multiple locations throughout the facility, including golf carts.
Your Association continues to monitor this fluid situation and will continue to keep you apprised of the latest developments.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at ngcoa@ngcoa.ca should you have any questions.

The NGCOA Canada Team