MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Golf courses will remain open in West Virginia, but Governor Jim Justice said Tuesday he would prefer the courses to be accessible only to the state’s residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I would discourage anyone coming in from out of state,” Justice said during a Tuesday press briefing.
On Monday, Justice closed all state campgrounds, as well as the overlooks at Blackwater Falls and Coopers Rock, in an effort to discourage out-of-state visitors from congregating in West Virginia.
“So for now, it’s better not to visit,” Justice continued. “If the course staff know that out-of-state visitors are on the course, let them play, but encourage them to not come back until this is over.”
Not only could that be an extremely difficult guideline to enforce, it could cause a financial strain to area courses that have seen added business from an influx of golfers from states who have already shut down their golf courses.
As of Tuesday, governors in border states Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Maryland had already elected to close their golf courses.
“In March, we had around 230 rounds of golf played here,” said Aaron Gizzi, the golf professional at Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa. “That’s unlike any other March in a long time. Much of that was an influx of golfers from outside the state, about 75 percent of those were from Pennsylvania. A few, too, from Maryland, but mostly from Pennsylvania.”
Don Schillinger, the golf pro at Mountaineer Golf Course, said his course has also received an influx of calls this month from out-of-state players.
With Gov. Justice closing state campgrounds and discouraging out-of-sate visitors, Schillinger said he wasn’t sure what to tell those who called.
“About 80 to 90 percent of the calls we took were people from Pennsylvania,” he said. “With everything going on, I wasn’t sure if it was really legal to tell someone they can’t come in or could come in and play.
“I guess I’m looking for answers like a lot of people. I’m not really sure what to do. Am I supposed to card everyone that comes here to play?”
As for steps area golf courses have taken to help diminish the spreading of the COVID-19 virus, Art Craddock of The Pines Country Club said the course has stopped the use of golf carts and further spread out tee times.
Craddock also said the club is only open to members during the coronavirus outbreak and members are not permitted to bring guests to play.
“We do have some members who are outside of the state,” Craddock said. “We have taken a ton of calls from others outside of the state, but we will not allow them to play at this time. Obviously, our situation is a little different than public courses.”
At Lakeview, Gizzi said carts are still permitted, but are bleached after each use.
“I can’t tell you how many pairs of pants I ruined last week from all the bleach,” he said.
Walking the course is also permitted at Lakeview.
Schillinger said the snack bar at Mountaineer Golf Course has been shut down and players are only permitted inside the facility while paying for their rounds.
Golf carts and walking are both permitted at the course.
“We’ve set up sanitizing stations outside and we’ve also set out benches for people to sit outside and have a beer if they wish.”
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