TEXARKANA - Five local golf courses have made some adjustments and continue to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic.
New Haven Golf Golf Club, The Links and Texarkana Country Club serve members and golfers on the Arkansas side. Northridge Country Club and Texarkana Golf Ranch remain open on the Texas side.
General managers include Joey Baumann of New Haven Golf Club, Dylan Bigham of The Links, Billy Powers of both Texarkana Country Club and Northridge Country Club and Hunter Campbell of Texarkana Golf Ranch.
"Ultimately, business has been about the same," Baumann said. "We've had two days of sun and everything seems to be right on par. We have been wiping down golf carts, keeping people out of the building when checking them in and out and we have bleached the facility several times a day.
"I believe people are enjoying finding some normalcy, being outside and getting away from confinement. To be able to offer a place that people can still come to is rewarding. I want to keep everyone happy and working. I am going to make sure that we keep a clean facility and take all precautions in order to keep people safe."
The safety of the golfers has been the foremost concern. Disinfectant, wipes and bleach have helped keep the pro shops safer.
"Business has been the same here at The Links," Bigham said. "Business has picked up on sunny days. The virus really hasn't had much of an affect on us. We are not letting in more than 10 into the clubhouse. We have the clubhouse shut off from the front so they have to work around and check in at the back.
"We are wiping the golf carts down with Clorox wipes. We have stopped brewing coffee and we cut off grill items. More residents have come out to play lately; some bring their children. We meet some golfers outside with our clipboard and check them in outside. It has been about half checked in inside and half outside."
Bigham is not the only manager checking golfers in outside of the pro shop. Over at Texarkana Country Club and Northridge Country Club, Powers has been doing something similar.
"We have been sanitizing the carts, and we took the water off the golf course," Powers said. "No one can touch the pin. So no pins can be pulled. We put something in the bottom of the cup so that golfers can get their ball without touching anything. We are setup to where all food is to-go only. People can come in and get a burger to go if they want to. For members, everything is about the same aside from not being able to dine in.
"The rain has been more of a stopper for us more than anything. Golf is so spread out, so there is not a lot of togetherness. It is a great thing to do at this time to get out and have some fun. It's like going to a big park. We are taking everyone's safety serious."
Campbell said that business at Texarkana Golf Ranch has been the same for them as well. Some events had to be canceled due to the outbreak.
"Our business is down for the month compared to this time last year, but we have also been closed for five more days due to rain," Campbell said. "It is not a fair comparison, and I would say business has been the same. We've had over 100 rounds of golf a day with the nice, sunny weather in the past two days. That many rounds are about par for this time of year. Normally, we would check everyone in on the inside, but lately it has been half and half. It is kinda like a drive through check in at our window.
"We are walking around constantly with a bottle of sanitizer spraying down doorknobs, computer keypads and all of that kind of stuff to keep our building as sanitary as possible. Every morning, I spray all of the steering wheels of the golf carts. We have pulled in our water coolers."
All of the local golf courses take up a large expanse of land which makes golfing a more ideal activity during the outbreak. Distancing is one of the best practices in order to stay free of the virus.