While bars and restaurants have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s golf industry has flourished.
“We were up probably 20 percent in rounds played this year,” said Rob Jarvis, the golf pro at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course and a recent past-president of the New England Professional Golf Association.
Two-thirds of the club’s members have already renewed for next year, said Jarvis, who said that he would be happy if even one-fifth of them had renewed at this stage during a normal year.
“Golf became a need this summer, not just a want,” he said. “People appreciated the sport more because it was one of the few safe things they could do. You could see your friends, get some exercise and get out in the fresh air … Golf helped take their minds off the virus.”
Golf proved to be an especially popular activity in Maine this summer, as it lends itself to social distancing. It was also an outlet for people desperate to get out of the house and participate in an activity with friends.
“It was a great year for Maine golf courses,” said Brian Bickford, the executive director of the Maine State Golf Association. Bickford added that members not only played more than usual but brought new people to the course, citing an increase in couples and juniors playing.
Mike Dugas, golf pro and part-owner of the J.W. Parks in Pittsfield, said the number of rounds played at his course were also up around 20 percent thanks to members playing more rounds than usual, people playing for the first time and “recovered” golfers who used to play but hadn’t in years because they had found other things to do.
But Dugas also pointed out that the financial picture isn’t as rosy as people think.
He said there was “a lot more expense involved” in order to adhere to the state’s guidelines pertaining to safety protocols. Golf carts had to be cleaned after every usage and their sanitizing products had to be plentiful.
“And my clubhouse business was horrendous,” he said. “We lost two Christmas parties and a birthday party this month. That probably cost us $15,000.”
A lot of tournaments were canceled across the state including fundraising events.
Jarvis pointed out that a golf pro from Rhode Island told him their course lost $400,000 in clubhouse food and beverage sales.
“And you can’t make that up in golf rounds,” he said.
In addition to parties, clubhouses are also popular venues for wedding receptions and class reunions.
“I’m not trying to paint it as a bad situation,” Dugas said. “But people need to understand that just because the rounds are up doesn’t necessarily make us more financially sound.”
Jarvis and Dugas said the industry also benefited from favorable weather.
“We only had one day when we were completely rained,” Dugas said.
“We were full five of the last seven days we were open [in early November]. We didn’t have any tee times available,” Jarvis said.
Another positive for golf courses was a boost in equipment and apparel sales.
“People weren’t going away on vacations like they usually would so they had more money available and would buy things like new golf clubs,” Jarvis said.
The social distancing protocols included more time allotted between tee times, limited access to the clubhouse, just one person to a golf cart unless they were family members or lived in the same house and an inverted or upside-down cup in the hole or a noodle placed in it to prevent golfers from reaching all the way down into the bottom of it to retrieve their golf ball.
Golfers were also encouraged to arrive right before their tee times and leave right after finishing their round rather than mill around in the parking lot.
Golf pros and golf course owners across the state are hoping this boost in golf interest will carry over into next season.
Dugas said if they can keep the number of rounds up, eliminate COVID-19 and have similar weather to this past season, it would be the “perfect scenario.”
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Golf had a revival in the pandemic, but Maine clubhouses still lost money - Bangor Daily News
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