Social distancing at play on Mills county golf courses

Mills county’s golf courses are open.

That may not seem a revelation for a typical Spring, but this is no typical Spring.

With the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering businesses, playgrounds and most public gatherings, the county’s golf courses are open to the public – with some new social distancing guidelines.

The Glenwood Golf Course and the Fairview Hills Golf Course in Malvern both opened last week with new, strict sanitary and safety protocols to minimize the possibility of the deadly virus spreading through contact in the clubhouse and on the course.

Fairview Hills officially opened April 1. With clear skies and warm temperatures for most of last week, groups were already out on the course, said Brady Smith, president of the Fairview Hills Golf Course Board.

Under the current protocols allowed by the state health department, the courses can’t host tournaments or fundraisers.

But Fairview’s clubhouse is open to the public but to just three customers at a time to pay green fees and buy refreshments. Carts are limited to one occupant unless the other occupant is a family member.

“We’re trying to keep things as business as usual and want people to use common sense,” Smith said. “We want this to be a safe place for people to go.”

Mike Kenkel, president of the board at the Glenwood Golf Course, has consulted with the Iowa Golf Association and kept an open line of communication with Glenwood Chief of Police Eric Johansen.

“The biggest thing we’re trying to do is maintaining social distancing,” Kenkel said. “But still in talking with people we see the need for exercise and fresh air. So, we want to keep that going.”

Glenwood is operating with a “minimal touch, minimal contact” model.

In addition to limiting carts to one customer unless the second is member of the same household, Kenkel said they have essentially removed anything the public can touch at the course to prevent the potential spread of the virus. Ball washers and rakes in bunkers are gone. And the cups have been raised a half an inch above the green so the ball won’t fall in.

“So, the ball just hits the cup and doesn’t go in and you don’t have to pull the flag and touch both of those things,” Kenkel said.

Kenkel is also recommending players call ahead and pay green and cart rental fees with a credit card to limit contact in the clubhouse.

“For beverages and snacks, they can call in for that and it’ll be put in a cart and they’ll have a cart number and they can just get in and go without much interaction,” Kenkel said.

The Glenwood Golf Course officially opened March 29. They aren’t currently taking tee-times but with warmer weather and the recent closing of the public basketball and tennis courts, Kenkel expects traffic to only grow.

“We’re still working things out and as is always the course early in the season, it’s a work in progress,” Kenkel said. “This is one thing out there people can do and the response has been good. There’s been challenges and there will be more, but people have been respectful of the new rules and the course.”

While there is no limit on the number of total players that can be on the course, Glenwood and Fairview have limited play to four players in a group on any one hole.

After weeks of people being cooped up and many restrictions still in place, Smith said Fairview has been “surprisingly busy” for this early in the season.  

“We feel like it’s important we stay open,” Smith said. “Our biggest concern as a board is the liability. What would happen if someone comes down with COVID-19 and it comes back to the course? That’s the last thing we want so we’re taking every precaution we can to protect golfers when they’re out there.”