OUTDOORS: Like other outdoor recreation, if done right, golf can still be played safely during this horrible time

We’re all trying to figure this coronavirus stuff out as we go, we're all navigating this new reality at the same time and we’re all in it together.

So, it’s for those reasons, among many others, including all the stress and anxiety we feel these days, that I have tried to be more patient than I’ve ever been and I've tried hard not to criticize pretty much anybody or anything.

Again, we’re all in this together, and make no mistake, coronavirus doesn’t discriminate. It can, and probably will touch all of us in some way — and by all of us, I don’t just mean the human race, I mean right here in Havre.

So please, have some dang compassion for each other in the coming weeks and months.

Now, having said that, I will say, I was disappointed in a decision that was made shortly after Gov. Steve Bullock’s stay-at-home order came out, and that disappointment was in Hill County’s decision to include golf courses in the closure.

To be clear, golf courses were not part of Bullock’s non-essential order, and though old man winter has returned for a time, golf courses all over Montana remain open.

And it’s my feeling that, they should be open in Hill County too. Now, before everyone jumps on me for being selfish because everybody knows how much I love to play golf, let me clarify one thing: My desire to have golf courses remain open during this crisis has little to do with my own golf game and a lot to do with me wanting to give others that outlet they’re looking for.

Since this column is being run on our Outdoors Page this week, let me just say, golf is part of the great outdoors, and while Bullock, the CDC and experts around the world have encouraged people to get out and exercise during these quarantines, during the stay-at-home orders and in some places, tight lockdowns, let’s be honest, some people don’t go walk for walks, or hikes, or runs, or bike rides and they won’t. Some people don't have dogs to walk or kids to push in a stroller. But, some of those same people would go golfing. I know plenty of people that consider golf their outdoor activity, their form of exercise, and their way to enjoy being outside.

Just like others enjoy fishing, hiking and playing frisbee with the dogs, all things that are allowed under stay-at-home orders if done safely, others enjoy just getting out on the golf course.

And in thinking that, golf is the way for people to get out during this crisis, I’m obviously not alone, because in states all around the country, many governors and health leaders have not deemed golf non-essential.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is a crisis that has me up at night, has me worried, frankly it has me scared to death. Yes, I just admitted that to everyone reading this, so please, don’t think because I want golf courses to be open, that I’m not taking this seriously. If you think that, or read into it that way, you don't know me. Just ask my wife how seriously I’m engaged in social distancing, self isolation, information and concern over this pandemic.

But, as scared as I am, I’m not scared of golfing, because just like the runs I go for every day, or the hikes I will go on when the weather gets better, I'm following the rules, I'm doing what our leaders are asking of me. I'm doing those things alone, I'm otherwise doing nothing but going to work and staying home, just like we're supposed to be doing right now. And the United States Golf Association and the Montana State Golf Association have taken measures to make sure golf is a safe activity during this pandemic.

Obviously, golf has two things going for it. It’s a non-contact sport that actually encourages distancing from one another. And secondly, it’s outdoors, which means, less close contact with other humans and less surfaces for the virus to land on.

Of course, there are still risks, and those have been addressed.

Golf courses around the country and in Montana have adopted many changes to help golf continue, while also addressing the new normals we live with. Those steps include no cups in greens or raised cups so golfers don’t have to reach into the hole to get their ball after making a putt. The practice prevents the cups from being touched as well as encourages players to touch only their own ball.

The flagstick is another issue. But, rule changes last year took care of flagsticks having to be removed once golfers are on the green, but making sure putts don’t wind up in the bottom of the cup even further ensures that golfers will not touch the flagsticks. Some courses have still taken the extra step to removed flagsticks from the courses altogether, meaning golfers will have to be willing to play to blind greens.

Courses around the country have also removed ball washers, water coolers, rakes, scorecard holders, pencils and pretty much every other item that can be touched by human hands during a day on the course.

Back to the rules, another rule in golf is, no sharing clubs. Every golfer is supposed to have his own set of clubs, so again, if the rules are followed that would cut down on communal touching as well.

Then there’s the issue of carts. Normally, in foursomes, which is the most people allowed to play together in a round anyway, a maximum of two motorized carts are used. However, many courses and the USGA itself, has adopted the idea of no one sharing a golf cart during the pandemic, in accordance with social distancing guidelines. That means, if you want to ride, you ride alone.

There’s also the matter of clubhouses. From what I’ve seen, clubhouses are only open to check-in, to pay for the round and that’s it. There is no food or drink served, in accordance with closures and no one is allowed to stay inside the clubhouse for any reason. Some clubs have even gone to an online only, or phone or text-only tee time and check-in system with carts already having keys in them, so the clubhouse doesn’t even need to be open at all.

And finally, there’s the matter of social distancing itself, and let’s be honest, amateur golf, recreational golf, encourages social distancing anyway. Why? Because most of us aren’t very good. We all have different swings, and therefore, our golf balls usually end up pretty far away from each other most of the time.

Now, I’ll say this, if the folks who love to play golf, and the courses themselves can’t be trusted to follow procedures in place to keep us safe and keep us healthy, then chuck it all. Shut it down and don’t bring it back until the all-clear is sounded. I have absolutely no problem with that.

However, knowing the golfing community as well as I do here in Havre, and on the Hi-Line, I trust that this can all be done the right way. I fully the trust the staff and owners of Prairie Farms and Beaver Creek Golf Course to do things by the book, down to a T and thus keep us safe and out of harms way. And again, if they don’t, and if my fellow golf enthusiasts don’t participate in every guideline I just listed, and any others courses might set forth, then well, the party’s over. I have no problem with one bad apple spoiling the bunch in this case, because health and safety of everyone is all that matters.

Now, before I wrap this little soapbox speech up, let me be clear about one more thing. I’m not calling the sport of golf essential. I think that would trivialize the seriousness of the crisis we’re all going through right now. It is just a game after all, and, I think we can all agree, there’s bigger things to worry about, and games are on the back burner, for the foreseeable future.

Also, make no mistake, I’m not advocating for us in Havre to have the golf we're all are used to. That’s not the world we live in today. I’m not talking about golf leagues, tournaments or any other golf events. If this summer is one that those things just can’t happen, then so be it. We’ll all have to deal with that. And, because those things I just listed require large groups at the course in the first place, then, I’m already of the opinion that, they’re not realistic anytime soon.

But, on the flip side of that coin, people need things right now. They need, even if it’s for two or three hours one day a week, to have something normal, even if it’s as trivial as hitting a little white ball with a club. They need something to hold on to in these very scary and uncertain times, and at least in my world, golf is one of those things that can give people an emotional break from what they’re going through. Golf, as maddening and frustrating as that game is, can give us a quick jolt of happiness, a quick burst of exercise, and above all else, a brief escape from this new world we’re all living in. And I think, whether it's golf, walking the dog, or going fishing by yourself, people not only need it, but those things will help us get through these tough times.

And again, I say that golf can do that, not just for me, but more so, for a lot of people I know. And isn’t that the point? Aren’t we supposed to help each other right now? We can definitely help each other by staying home, first and foremost. We can help each other by following the rules set forth by medical experts who tell us how we can put a stop to this terrible pandemic. But we can also help each other out by making sure we all have emotional and physical outlets we can turn too, and if that's golf, than, in a safe manner, that falls in line with the guidelines mentioned above, then I say, go hit some balls, go play a round of golf.

Just make sure if you do, you do it safely, and in all ways right now, please, please be respectful of your fellow humans. If you're sick, STAY HOME, but if you are feeling good and you're needing some exercise, and golf is the way you get it in the spring and summer, then, I think you should be allowed to do just that.