UK Golf Federation news

The Mid-Atlantic region, which includes New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and their combined 1,900 golf courses, went from having less than 5% of courses open for play to almost 25% last week, as more of New York’s 850-plus courses continue to re-open. Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois also approved golf courses to reopen with enhanced safety practices in place, including walking-only play.

Practice facilities, clubhouses, locker rooms, and pro shops will remain closed. Pennsylvania, Illinois and Washington will allow golf operations to resume next week, while Florida’s Palm Beach County, which gave approval for golf to resume from today (April 29), is home to more golf facilities than 11 US states. "While course openings are increasing, restrictions on pro shops, cart usage and F&B operations will result in lower overall revenue per round for operators.

For some, this reduction in revenue could be very challenging,” said NGF President and CEO Joe Beditz. "This is a reminder that while news of golf continuing to gain traction as a safe and healthy activity is encouraging, the industry is not out of the woods yet – by any means.” The NGF’s special webpage, www.thengfq.com/covid-19, is dedicated to continuing research on the effects of the coronavirus on golf and features the latest data and information on course operational status, government orders, and consumer sentiment.