Because of a concern about employee safety and the risk of spreading COVID-19 through contaminated surfaces, many Utah golf courses are temporarily closing.
Salt Lake City will close all six of its courses for at least a week, beginning Monday, March 23. Davis County is also closing its courses Monday for at least a week.
“We’re going to pause for at least seven days to reevaluate the procedures we’ve already put in place to make sure it’s a safe environment for everyone,” Davis Park head pro Brad Stone told the Deseret News. “We felt like with things escalating like they are, we want to be part of the solution and then systematically reopen when we can.”
Outdoor activities like golf have been considered safer during the COVID-19 outbreak as long as people maintained safe social distancing by keeping at least six feet away from other people. But the nice weather and limits on many other activities has caused courses to become more crowded, making close contact more likely. There are also concerns that the virus could spread across surfaces such as sand trap rakes, flags or carts, putting other players and employees in danger.
Ski resorts faced a similar quandary last week, when they were initially promoted as a safe outdoor activity but began closing soon afterwards because of concerns about employee safety, crowds and high-touch surfaces.