Golfers tee off with limitations

May 8, 2020

Golf courses in Wareham are teeing off again after being shut down for over a month, with some new policies to keep golfers safe while they enjoy the sport. 

“This is a first phase opening,“ Timothy Faye of the Bay Pointe Club said. 

Faye said that he and others at Bay Pointe are “very appreciative of the governor allowing golf courses to reopen,” and that Bay Pointe will be compliant with all of the new guidelines. 

Bay Pointe residents Jean Purrier and Shirley Collins took to the golf course for the first time since the shut down on Monday, May 11.

“We’re happy to be out here, we’ve got to beat the rain,” Purrier said as clouds loomed overhead early on Monday afternoon. 

While on the course, the two friends maintained their distance, and wore masks to be safe during their game. While this was their first time back in weeks, the two golfers said they typically play two to three times a week.

Christine Dirienzo, owner of the Little Harbor Country Club, said that golfers can book tee times at the club’s golf course, which reopened on Friday, May 8. 

“It feels absolutely great, we’re excited to see all the golfers,” she said.

Governor Charlie Baker has set several guidelines about how the courses can operate: Restaurants, clubhouse, and pro shops must remain closed, caddies and motorized carts are not allowed, and golfers can not play in groups larger than four. Social distancing must also be maintained on the course by staying six feet away from other golfers. Tee times are being spaced 15 minutes apart to prevent crowding on the courses.

Dirienzo said that while golf courses are not deemed essential business, the grounds crews who maintain them are, and so “the golf course is in great shape, it just hasn’t had any golfers on it” during the shutdown. 

With limited operations, both Faye and Dirienzo said that the financial impact on their businesses will be tough to predict, as it is unclear how much revenue they will be able to bring in over the next few months.

Per Governor Baker’s restrictions, tee times must be booked and paid for online or remotely.

Tee times at Little Harbor can be booked at: littleharborcountryclub.teesnap.net/.

To book a tee time at Bay Pointe, go to: https://baypointeclub.com/.