Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2023 - 6

I NS ID E
T HE MG A
What is MGA
Membership?
Getting Golf
to a Great Place
* BY TOM RYAN *
How is Golf Doing?
A simple question I get a lot. My response is
simple as well: Golf is in a great place, the best
it has been in more than 20 years. But how we
got there is anything but simple.
Prior to COVID, Minnesota's golf facilities
saw a modest increase in golf rounds of
1.8 percent in 2019; then in 2020 during the
worst of the pandemic, rounds surged by 29.7
percent! In 2021, rounds were up another 5
percent over 2020; and while rounds cooled in
2022, it was due more to poor spring weather
than to interest.
While COVID was devastating in so many
ways, it was the catalyst spurring the interest
and enthusiasm we have seen in golf over the
last three years.
When Governor Walz announced in March
2020 that all non-essential businesses would
be closing indefinitely, it seemed to spell
disaster for the golf industry. Even maintaining
golf courses was not allowed. As a seasonal
sport, we were in danger of losing an
entire year, with untold consequences.
In the face of the governor's executive order,
Minnesota's allied golf associations met and
developed golf-specific protocols and best practices,
and assured the governor's leadership
team that these would be widely implemented
if golf was allowed to open.
These essentially " contactless measures "
were designed so that golfers could arrange
tee times and make payments online or over
the phone with no employee-customer interaction.
All touchpoints such as bunker rakes,
ball washers and water coolers were removed;
single-rider golf carts were introduced and
cleaned and sanitized between uses; and golf
outings were organized with staggered tee
times allowing physical distancing of 6 feet
or more.
Golf's allied leadership was eager to demonstrate
that golf could be played at a safe
6
MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2023
social distance outdoors and that it afforded
economic,
social,
spiritual,
physical
and
mental health benefits vital to the health and
wellbeing of the state's golfers, and satisfied
the same protocols required to pursue other
permitted outdoor activities, such as walking,
running, hunting and fishing.
Working with the state leaders on the plan,
golf courses were officially permitted to open
on April 18.
Owners and operators proved equal to the
challenge of implementing golf course safety
protocols and were careful to run their facilities
responsibly, both from an employee and
customer perspective. Likewise, recreational
golfers demonstrated the game could be
played safely.
Over the next several months, golf's allied
leaders were quick to demonstrate that the
industry could formulate and propagate protocols
that addressed the initial restrictions
imposed by the original orders. A collaborative
effort between the MGA and the Minnesota
PGA produced a document which clearly outlined
the parameters for responsibly conducting
competitions under COVID-19 protocols,
and which was widely distributed throughout
the state.
Later, restrictions were modified or
removed relative to touching shared items,
shotgun starts and allowing spectators to
attend events.
Because of the restrictions on other forms
of outdoor recreational activities, Minnesota
golfers flocked to the golf course in record
numbers, and more importantly, they have
continued to play more golf and have sustained
the momentum of 2020.
Golf is truly in a great place in 2023, and we
all look forward to sustaining the enthusiasm
and interest we have seen since 2020.
See you on the course.
It's your invitation
to play some of the
finest golf courses
around, through
participation in MGA
Associate Members' Days
or the MGA Senior Tour. It's
your USGA Handicap Index,
now updated daily, after
a posted score. It's your
subscription to Minnesota
Golfer magazine, delivered
to your home or inbox. It's
your support of programs
and services that make the
game better.
MGA Events
to Watch
Minnesota State Junior
Girls' Championship
July 11-13, Emerald Greens/
Hastings GC, Hastings
MGA Amateur
Championship
July 17-19, Minneapolis Golf
Club, St. Louis Park
MGA Women's Amateur
Championship
July 24-26, Baker National
Golf Course, Medina
Minnesota State Junior
Boys' Championship
July 24-26, Little Crow
Country Club, Spicer
MGA Women's Amateur
Four-Ball Championship
July 31- Aug. 1, Faribault
Golf Club, Faribault
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2023
