CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The weather is starting to warm up and golfers in Illinois are hoping aspects of the governor's stay-at-home order will be modified so they'll soon be allowed to hit the links.
"Right now, everybody’s getting a little bit of an itch," says Troy Newport, general manager of Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont.
He notes Illinois courses have been hit hard financially while golfing is allowed in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and — beginning Friday — in Wisconsin.
"I certainly understand the reasons for the original stay-at-home order and what was going on. Looks to me like we’re getting surrounded right now as far as states that are allowing courses to open,” Newport said.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he is considering a wide variety of sectors, including golf, as his administration determines when and how to ease restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newport says future golf outings, which bring out dozens of golfers and usually include some kind of catered meal, are being dropped.
"Most of those folks have kind of moved away from May and June at this point. They’ve called us and said, ‘Could we back things up, put ‘em later in the year?’ A real big hit for us. June’s always our busiest month for that,” he said.
Golfer Tim Winters says he misses playing.
"I probably would have gotten in close to 8 to 10 rounds already this year. I golf every Sunday at Cog Hill and then I would play once or twice during the week."
Tom Molidor says he wouldn’t mind golfing with physical distancing and other COVID-related restrictions, if that's what it takes.
"I love walking. If it means pulling a cart, that’s fine."
Pandemic-related restrictions that are part of golfing life in other states include requiring golfers to observe physical distancing measures, allowing one person per golf cart, using touch-free pins on the greens, keeping clubhouses closed and requiring all golfers to make reservations online.