Teed off at the links

Gov. Charlie Baker has closed golf courses in Massachusetts as nonessential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, but courses in neighboring Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine and New York are open.

Not only that, Baker signed an executive order on Friday that makes wearing face masks in public mandatory.

Golf course owners in Massachusetts are teed off.

Heritage Country Club in Charlton is less than 10 miles from the Connecticut border, and Bill Plante, owner of Heritage, said some of of the club's regular golfers are traveling south to play.

“It’s not only frustrating,” said Plante, “but can someone tell me, ‘Is the air different in Connecticut than it is here?’ Because that’s what we’re treating it like.”

Plante said he reached out to members of the state Legislature in an attempt to open golf courses in the state sooner than the May 18 date that the governor has set.

Plante said he hasn’t heard about anyone contracting the coronavirus by playing golf in Connecticut. He pointed out that the golf season in Massachusetts usually lasts only six months so courses will take a huge financial hit by closing for a month or two. Losing golf outings and weddings will hurt as well.

“I don’t know if they’ll open clubhouses all year long,” Plante said.

Plante believes golf courses will be able to enforce social distancing.

“The state is saying we’re stupid and we can’t go out and do any of this,” Plante said. “They’re not going to let us because we’re just not going to follow it and I disagree with that.”

Jesse Menachem, Mass Golf executive director and CEO, said the Alliance of Massachusetts Golf Organizations is scheduled to meet virtually with the governor’s advisory board on Saturday morning in an attempt to open golf courses as soon as possible.

“Golf is a very healthy sport and activity,” he said, “that can be aligned with the activities that are currently available, walking, biking, hiking and riding. It’s not only good for public health, it’s good for physical and mental health.”

“Golf courses are the safest place in the world to be right now,” said Gordon Bliss, owner of Blissful Meadows GC in Uxbridge. “There isn’t a safer place and I cannot understand why people don’t understand that. We’ve got over an acre per person with a full golf course here. So people can spread apart and remain healthy.”

Bliss’ son, Kevin, owns Crystal Lake GC in Burrillville, Rhode Island, and his golf course is busy. Massachusetts golfers are not allowed to golf play in Rhode Island until after they’ve quarantined for 14 days, but they can play golf in Connecticut without quarantining. Bliss said some golfers who usually play Blissful Meadows are playing at Raceway Golf Club in Thompson, Connecticut, and Connecticut National in Putnam, Connecticut.

“It’s a stinking shame that there’s such a variety of practices between states,” Bliss said. “They’re taking all the golfers down there and letting them play and then sending them back here and creating crowds that are beyond imagination.”

Dudley Darling, general manager at Juniper Hill GC in Northboro, said some of his regular golfers are also playing in Connecticut.

“I can understand that, but it’s tough,” he said. “I believe we could be open. I believe we should be open, but we’re not going to violate the governor’s order.”

Darling would like courses in the state to open by National Golf Day on Wednesday, but he doesn’t expect it.

When Juniper is allowed to reopen, it will do its best to protect the golfers from the pandemic. Juniper has installed a Plexiglas partition at the pro shop counter, will accept credit card payments only and will restrict access to the pro shop to the counter and bath rooms. Staff will wear gloves and masks. Carts will be restricted to single riders and disinfected after each use. Golfers will tee off at 10- or 12-minute intervals instead of the usual eight. Cups on the greens will be raised and bunker rakes and ball washers will be removed for nontouch rounds.

“How many sports can you play where it’s a noncontact sport?” said Joe Carr, owner of Bedrock GC in Rutland. “There’s probably only a 5% reason we shouldn’t be playing. I don’t see a problem with playing.”

“I don’t understand it,” Holden Hills CC general manager Jeff Bailey said. “I don’t think it’s right. I really don’t. People should be allowed to go outside, get some exercise, play some golf. I don’t understand why they’re not allowing it.”

Nick Marrone, one of the owners of Wachusett CC in West Boylston and Kettle Brook GC in Paxton, had hoped to receive town board approval to open both courses this weekend, but posted on the clubs’ websites that they will not open yet.

Golf courses would be fined $300 per day if they opened before the governor allows.

“The alliance does not feel golf courses should open right now,” Menachem said. “It’s not going to help our cause in getting golf open in the very short term.”

Contact Bill Doyle at william.doyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter@BillDoyle15