Midlands golf business is strong during pandemic. Courses hope interest doesn’t wane

Look at activity at Midlands area golf course these days and, Greg McBride said, “You would think this is 1993 or so.”

Really, Greg? Balata balls, persimmon-head drivers still in some bags, off-the-shelf clubs without today’s technology or fitting, and eyes-only teaching methods?

“No, no,” the long-time pro at the Spur at Northwoods said in dismissing equipment and techniques gone with the wind, “I’m talking about the number of people playing golf today. Courses are packed, just like back then.”

Use last weekend for example. The temperature struggled to get out of the 40s, the wind whistled and pros throughout the area reported steady play.

Golf is one phase of life that has benefited from the coronavirus outbreak. The outdoor sport made social distancing easy and the implementing of strict safety protocols created a bonanza.

Indeed, business is so good that McBride and others are turning away players. No singles or twosomes are allowed on the weekends at some clubs.

At the busiest times, “I cut off the internet (booking site),” McBride said. “Players have to call for tee times like they used to. When we’re full, everybody’s happier in terms of pace of play.”

McBride, president of the Midlands Golf Course Owners Association, said that the membership overall “is pretty excited, pretty positive” after the organization’s recent annual meeting.

“Golf usually hurts first” in difficult times, he said. “If the stock market drops or the economy goes bad like in 2007, 2008, people look for ways to cut, and golf is one of the first things to go.

“The reverse is true with this pandemic. People are looking to get out, and golf is an outlet.”

Owners say that players they have not seen in years are showing up, and an influx of younger players has added to the resurgence. In addition to green and cart fees, courses are bolstering the bottom line with club repairs, re-gripping and pro shop sales.

The biggest negative: Clubs have lost food and beverage revenue.

“All the clubs have worked together to make sure we’re on the same page in terms of safety protocols and such,” said Happ Lathrop, who headed the South Carolina Golf Association for more than 40 years and in retirement is executive director of the owners’ association. “The commitment has been excellent. Working together, everybody wins.”

The industry “has bonded to make this happen,” McBride said. “Owners, pros, superintendents, sanctioning associations ... everybody together works wonders.”

Now that golfers have rediscovered the game, another challenge looms.

“How do we create an atmosphere or an experience that keeps them coming back?” Lathrop asked.

The weekend restrictions are one way to answer that question, McBride said. With foursomes on the course, the pace of play is steady.

He also would like to see the association’s clubs set up more tournaments, playing at multiple sites. That, he said, “will create positive experiences and give players the opportunity to play different courses.”

Needless to say, maintenance is paramount.

“A lot of adjustments had to be made out of necessity for safety, and I think a lot of the changes will continue,” Lathrop said. “Some things you had never thought about had to be implemented, and they worked.”

Going forward, “golf in general has momentum,” McBride said. “In our case at the Spur, we haven’t seen play like this since the ’90s, and a lot of the clubs say the same thing. This is no time to ease up. We need to keep building on what we’ve been doing.”

Chip shots. Furman golfer Anna Morgan (Spartanburg) earned the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association’s 2020 player of the year award. She won both the State Women’s Amateur and the Carolinas Women’s Amateur and advanced to match-play in the U.S. Amateur. Jayne Pardus (Mt. Pleasant) captured the senior player of the year honor. ... Jacob Bridgeman (Inman) won medalist honors by five strokes in leading Clemson’s men to a third-place finish in the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational in Watersound, Florida. Bridgeman, a junior, posted a three-round total of 15-under-par 201, the second-best score against par in a 54-hole tournament in Clemson history.