Charleston, South Carolina, United States: To prepare golf course owners and operators for dealing with the myriad uncertainties, disruption of business and potential outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) has compiled and developed resources and programmes, all available at https://www.ngcoa.org/coronavirus

“Our advice and guidance is meant for any golf course, but we know owners and operators must do what they feel is best for their own situations and the restrictions under which they may now find themselves,” said Jay Karen, the NGCOA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are incredibly proud of the response and work we are seeing by the nation’s golf course owners and operators, and the organisations that serve this game and industry.”

NGCOA’s Park and Play programme – which provides course operators with an actual ‘checklist’ of measures they can take so their customers have a socially-distant golfing experience – received approval from physicians with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Many courses have already adopted the programme’s protocols to make sure their customers can maintain appropriate physical distance from others, and play in a sanitised environment, as required by their States.

The workplace and HR resources section includes a Q&A related to employer-employee obligations and the possible impact the pandemic will have on labour and legal aspects of golf course staff, as well as links to relevant pages from the CDC, DOL, IRS, NFIB and others.

A page for State-level updates lists executive orders as they relate to golf course mandates.

The marketing resources equip businesses with email, social media and community involvement tips that promote communication and goodwill. It also shares some revenue generating and cost-saving tips.

NGCOA members and staff have also been active on the association’s members-only discussion board, an invaluable platform for sharing the latest local news, brainstorming ideas and soliciting advice from other golf course owners and operators.

“In unique, uncharted situations like this, an industry needs its trade association the most,” said Steve Graybill, President of Foxchase Golf Club, and President of the NGCOA Board of Directors. “NGCOA has been working around the clock to anticipate the needs of all golf courses and provide the tools to mitigate the negative effects on our nation’s golf businesses.”