THUNDER BAY – Golfing and sailing may be on the horizon.
The City of Thunder Bay on Friday announced it would allow marinas and golf courses to begin preparaton for the upcoming season, after the province charted a course to relax some of the restrictions put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Any preparation work must be done under strict safety guidelines, with no public access until the province gives the go-ahead.
That's good news for Fort William Country Club general manager Brian Bruni, whose maintenance staff has been busy removing green covers and starting to clean up the Mountain Road course in anticipation of the statt of the season.
They've also started the hiring process and Bruni said they'll likely be ready to go at a moment's notice once they get the OK.
“We are trying to plan and prepare for an eventual opening and we're using the current emergency shutdown date of May 12 and 13 in terms of a target that we're looking for,” Bruni said.
“While the business is not open, we are certainly trying to keep things moving from an administration point of view, from a planning and preparation perspective and anticipating that we will hopefull be able to get out there and start playing in the near future.”
Golf won't look the same as it did in 2019, he cautioned.
Golfers will be expected to make some accomodations in order to play. Bookings and any payment required will have to be made in advance. There will be limited access to the clubhouse, if any at all, and sit-down food and beverage service will not be available – though take-out is an option being considered.
Changes will be felt on the course too, Bruni said, noting they'll be following best practice guidelines put in place by the industry, on top of any provincial regulations.
“We'll be minimizing touch points as much as possible, so having no pins removed. We'll have a cup that will be raised above the normal level so there is no need to reach down deep into a cup to remove your ball,” Bruni said.
Ball washers and garbage cans will also be removed from the course.
Carts will likely be single-rider only and washed thoroughly after each use.
“We are looking at increasing the time between tee offs to minimize the opportunity for gathering to keep that six-foot social distancing. We're looking at no access to putting greens and no access to the diriving range facilities.”
Finally, only groups of two will be allowed out during the early stages of the season.
“And we will be monitoring activity on the golf course to make sure that groups are not too close to each other and a lot of sanitation and cleaning,” Bruni said.
Courses in British Columbia, Prince Edward Island Alberta and New Brunswick are already open, while courses in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador will be open by mid-month at the latest.
