What did COVID do to golf? T
he first tee is stacked, and that is a common scene for golf courses around the country right now. In this year of unrest, golf has been one of the stabilizing activities. Things have been altered slightly, but the game remains the same. In the Lake Martin area, spring breaks turned into early summer as the lake and golf courses played vital roles in creating sanity and sanctuary for so many. This year also brought true spring weather conditions, as well. Aside from the rainy days in later winter months, March, April and May included some of the most beautiful weather in my memory to the area. Oh, we did have a couple days of violent weather (leading me to get a new roof), but aside from those few days, it has been beautiful. People found solace in making Tallapoosa County and the surrounding area a place of refuge during the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Alexander City fared well financially this spring when Alexander City Mayor Tommy Spraggins announced the city’s tax boom from this season. Before that report, I certainly thought we would be in the hole, but thanks to Lake Martin and the beauty of the area, that wasn’t the case. Anyone who has visited Willow Point or took a boat ride on the lake in March, April, May or June knows that the reason for the boom is obvious. It appears that almost everyone with a cabin or house on the waterfront made Lake Martin a primary residence this spring. While visiting Willow Point Country Club to play golf or any of our other local golf courses, golfers most likely rode in carts alone, rather than sharing the cart with a fellow competitor or partner. This was a responsible decision by those in the golf industry to maintain social distancing during the pandemic. Household members were allowed to ride together, but everyone else was required to ride solo. This did a few things to the game. For the player, it sped up play, as everyone could drive a cart directly to the golf ball; that was good. For the golf staff, things were much busier than in seasons past. In chatting with a few of the cart barn employees, they sent out every cart in their fleet almost daily since March. The workers not only cleaned the carts when they were returned but also disinfected 32 Lake Martin Living
them. Normally, trash disposal, a quick wash, spot-check tire inflation, park the cart back in its spot, plug it into the charger and say goodnight to that buggy. This year, more times than not, carts were returned from morning play to be run during a second round of golf in the afternoon. It has been a double-duty season for the carts, which made it double-duty for the golf pros and staff. I have to hand it to the golf pros and their employees who accommodated all of the golfers so well this year. They’ve done an excellent job. Think about this, too: Not only was the workload increased on the golf shop staff but also, maintenance employees had to step it up during this time. The single rider situation for golf carts doubled the traffic of tire wear and tear on the grounds of the golf course. With sand bottles for filling divots removed from carts, repairing divots fell upon maintenance crews. With larger numbers of golfers playing daily, hole locations and tee markers were changed more frequently. While manicuring acres and acres of grass, these people had to coordinate the shorter available time to perform their duties with a greater number of golfers on the course. Do something nice, and the next time you see a maintenance person working on the course, a pro shop staff member or cart barn employee, share your gratitude with them in the work they have performed for your benefit. When you, the customer, acknowledge the extra effort that these employees put into your recreation and enjoyment, it pumps up their morale. Normally, they tend to work even harder knowing that you have taken notice and appreciate their efforts and craft. Last week I made my way down to Dothan, Alabama, for the 2020 Press Thornton Future Masters Golf Tournament at Dothan Country Club. This is one of Alabama’s premier junior tournaments and one that I have visited for recruiting purposes yearly since becoming the golf coach at Central Alabama Community College. In 2000, our own Lee Williams won this prestigious junior golf tournament. This year’s Future Masters was a bit different from years past. This past year, Dr. Press Thornton passed away. His absence was certainly felt by many, but his sons, wife and Dothan Country Club members were still in full force to
