I played golf today.
(a thread)

First let me say I’m fortunate to have a partial membership at a private club in a county where courses are still allowed to be open. And I’ve always enjoyed playing golf alone. I was social distancing before we knew what social distancing was.

Very impressed with how Rio Bravo Country Club has handled the crisis. I didn’t have to roll down my window to get a parking pass at front gate. And only encountered one person — the attendant — in the Golf Shop (they limit it to two customers at a time).

Golf Shop has installed a plexiglass barrier between attendant and customer with card reader on customer side. Kept me from feeling like either of us needed a mask because of face-to-face exposure.

Everything touchless for most part, as it should be. (They’re still taking cash, which should be phased out, but that didn’t affect me.) Also, nobody should require credit-card receipt signature anymore — I didn’t sign them before all this. And they’ll pre-auth my card next time.

The course itself is the safest place of all. Rio Bravo is very walkable. I kept my position, never had any contact with others, and enjoyed the day just me and Ragsy in 70s California weather. Shot a disappointing 44-49 with the hickories — wish I could blame that on the virus.

It looked like they’d installed the cups upside down to make them shallow, which was helpful. Water jugs are no more, so bring your own bottle (gotta hydrate now more than ever). And they’d removed a lot of trash cans, which I don’t quite understand.

Overall, the golf experience was near-perfect. And it’s proof that if both the course and the customers treat this virus with the caution it deserves, golf is an activity that, with proper precautions, can still be enjoyed by many in these challenging times. Be smart. Be safe.