Coronavirus Update: Golfers Counting Down The Hours Before San Francisco Bay Area Links Reopen
WALNUT CREEK (CBS SF) -- Boundary Oaks golf course general manager Mike Ash hasn't seen anything quite like the rush for tee times starting early Monday morning.
But there hasn't been anything quite like the coronavirus stay-at-home order that has idled his greens for more than two months. The ban on golf is lifted as of Monday morning with players still required to maintain social distancing during their round.
Ash's course fielded calls for a record 300-plus tee times for a single day.
"It's gonna be something like we've never seen before," he said.
Those sentiments were echoed by Jeff McAndrew, the GM at Indiana Valley golf course in Novato.
"The phone is ... it doesn't stop (ringing)," he told KPIX 5. "It's driving me batty."
Ken Doherty, the pro at Marin County Club, said it has been a scramble to get ready.
"There's a lot of rules that had to be put in place, signage made, communication and it all had to be done in a couple of days," he said.
But some of the traditions of the sport will still be on the sideline come Monday.
"You can't be high fiving your partners, you can't hang out in the parking lot, we've got the tape lined up to keep you separated," Ash said.
At Marin Country Club, golf superintendent Kevin Pryeski said there will be "no ball washer, elevated cups...right now there's no flag sticks, but we're working on that."
And you'll be required to arrive close to your time off time and you'll have to walk the course since carts will not be in use.
"They can't arrive here until 45 minutes before their tee time," Doherty said. "We've given them that much time because they're only twosomes, so that will still limit the number of people here."
But Bay Area golfers are not complaining. Peter Moore, a member of Stonetree County Club, told KPIX 5 he'll do whatever it takes to get out of his back yard.
"I got my tee time booked already," he said. "I miss fresh air, I miss whacking the ball to be honest."
At the 11th hour Saturday night, all San Francisco courses got the all clear including Harding Park, which has the look that it's ready for the PGA Championship Aug 3rd. First tee time there is 8 a.m. Monday.
"I think the golfers that experience the golf course will have the closest conditions to a major championship that they'll ever have," said Tom Smith, Harding Park's general manager. "Being closed for the period of time we were, it's hard to even find a mark on the golf course."
