OT
People: If you do not like a thread, do not click on it. Don’t be such little kids and say I am never going to post if so and so aren’t kicked off. Maybe you should just not post.
Clearly this thread has gone off the rails at times, but it comes back. This is a great way to see how different people are dealing with the current situation facing all golfers.
Since this thread started, major golf associations have started sharing where golf is open and closed. Same with the magazines and other sites. This is common for a topic to start on GCA and then get covered elsewhere.
We all have more in common with each other than we might like. I am fine with that. I hope this thread continues.
chris
[size=78%]ps. I also hope to get to golf with many of you that I have never met before. Even with not necessarily believing your opinions. [/size]
The thread topic implies that there are different restrctions and guidelines in place for golf courses.
Therefore the organizations setting these guidelines and restrictions have different opinions.
For someone to have a different opinion of what certain areas should be doing in their specific case, or what guidlelines are in place seems like perfectly normal behavior(they vary widely and change-in both directions-day to day)
We're going to be in this a LOOOOONG time, and at some point we are going to have be practicing social distancing in all walks of life , even and especially as we return to work and the "new" normal life.
Having a different opinion doesn't make one wrong.
I'm in no way suggesting courses should be filled with employees on site and keg parties taking place in the parking lot.
I am suggesting that if Erik and his daughter play 9 holes on a sunny day on an empty nearby course that it is perfectly safe behavior. (although he has made it clear that he's following the Governor's orders to not do so)
Some people and activities are going to be locked down for multiple months, maybe even a year to a a year and a half.
Others aren't as ther situations are and will be different.
Like it or not, in urban areas, parks and green space are crowded, and can interfere with someone getting essential sunshine and exercise, both keys to a healthy immunity system.Those areas should be scouted and avoided. I've been walking 3-5 miles daily on green belt trails and hardly ever see another human, but only because I know these trails well and how to avoid popular areas.
Golf should be no different when we return.
Durness, for someone who lives in Durness, would be a more likely candidate to reopen than St. Andrews, or Braid Hills in Edinburgh.
This is not a "14 day" or a 30 day event-it will vary in every situation/locality.
Therefore Durness,for walking distance locals, at some point, under strict social distancing safety guidelines should not have to wait for it to be safe to play golf at Braid Hills.
and, as someone who has engaged in multiplle disagreements of opinion with Erik over the years, I will say hearing his point of view has only made me more educated on the topics we have debated-while we often agree to disagree, I have learned a lot and generally understand his opinions on equipment and instruction are well researched and data driven.
In fact, the three links he listed provide some very interesting insight into our current dilemna.As he points out, those are merely for consideration, along with much other research and data that need to be considered. I was taught by a mentor years ago to go see instructors who I did NOT agree with if I wanted to learn something, as we all get stuck in our own echo chambers, especially in the social media era.
I'll conclude that we all are going to be having to draw our own conclusions in the coming months, as the information we get will not solely be data driven or balanced science, but rather agenda driven by two sides battling a coming election in November, one attempting to rewrite the history of a badly failed response and another trying to use the leadership vacum to push their own political agenda.