Golf Sticks To Social Media Though COVID-19 May Say Nay On Play

Of all the possible outdoor activities available to enjoy during the COVID-19, golf somehow caused the most controversy. It would seem a reasonable move to allow the game to be played during the social distancing lockdown as golfers play outside and generally far away from one another. Still, there was resistance to the idea of teeing it up again.

Even if players agreed to play by new rules — staying six feet apart, booking tee times remotely, playing alone, no carts, etc. — the bans stayed in place. There was a sense that allowing men and women to go outside and enjoy themselves would somehow make the public threat seem less severe. Perhaps officials feared they would seem frivolous and less in command if they allowed anyone to play any game in public.

Whatever the explanation, the bunker walls are collapsing as states began opening golf courses this past week in many states. While grass is cut and greens rolled, companies in that realm continue to engage via social media with players who can’t get out and those who are about to trod the rough again. The following brief list outlines some of the more interesting efforts:

Miura: The elite Japanese club builder is hosting a series of Instagram virtual happy hours with pro golfer and tequila enthusiast Abraham Ancer. Miura will partner up with Ancer’s Flecha Azul Tequila for repeat, cocktail-driven Instagram events.

Meadowood Resort, Napa Valley: One of the top-rated destinations in the Napa region, Meadowood is graced with a cute par three course and an outstanding golf training facility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the property remains closed, but Meadowood produced a series of #AtHomeTogether Vimeo episodes of its team members sharing wellness tips, recipes and fitness ideas from their homes. The property’s golf coach, Doug Pike, stepped up with a few swing tips for players itching to walk the fairways again.

V1 Sports Coaching: V1 is already a virtual service as app users record and analyze their swings with coaching assistant over the internet. Currently, V1 is using social media to show future and would-be customers that their product is still useful within the current social distancing guidelines. The minds behind the app are conducting giveaways via its Facebook channel to grow and engage an audience with prizes such as golf equipment that can be used alone, in a backyard or inside the home.

Boyne Golf: An organization of some of Michigan’s best courses, Boyne Golf looked around at the needs of its community while their properties remained closed. During quarantine, they sent out posts supporting the #GreatAmericanTakeOut to help local restaurants.

Glenmuir Clothing: This Scottish golf clothing brand Glenmuir launched a three-part short film series on YouTube with The Average Golfer filmed at famed courses Archerfield, Formby and Conwy “to capture the spirit of golf during these difficult and uncertain times.” The folks at Glenmuir called this Coronavirus outlawing of golf the first time it happened since King James II’s bans in 1457, 1471 and 1491.

Reynolds Lake Oconee, Georgia: A 12,000+ acre property in containing six top shelf courses, Reynolds Lake mixes the game with elite residential properties. Even the private golf homes around those courses had to obey the quarantine rules until faciltities recently reopened. The property launched the MyReynolds.TV video platform to keep local spirits high. Meanwhile, their representatives promoted the #ReynoldsTogether hashtag to show community members what everyone was up to in lockdown.

Big Cedar Lodge, Missouri: Home to golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods, the Big Cedar Lodge wilderness resort turned to Vimeo to make sure their future visitors knew, COVID-19 be damned, summer will come again.