Welcome to the ‘touchless golf’ experience in Olathe, Shawnee
The Johnson County parks system has found a way to reopen its two golf courses during the physical-distancing restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandamic.
Officials call it a “touchless golf experience.”
The new measures, which apply to the Heritage Park Golf Course in Olathe and the Tomahawk Hills course in Shawnee, are aimed at maintaining the 6-foot physical distancing requirement and reducing the likelihood of picking up the virus from a surface. They include:
▪ Cutting the number of tee times by half. Tee times are being offered every 16 to 20 minutes between 8 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Players starting after 2 p.m. will be limited to nine holes.
▪ Requiring golfers to book tee times and pay fees online or by phone, eliminating face-to-face transactions. Make arrangements at JCPRD.com or Teequest.com, or call 913-829-4653 for Heritage Park or 913-631-8000 for Tomahawk Hills.
▪ Allowing only one person per golf cart, and sanitizing carts after each use.
▪ Prohibiting indoor or outdoor seating.
▪ Removing bunker rakes and ball washers.
▪ Using modified or raised holes that eliminate the need to remove golf balls from the holes.
“Touch free golf is a good example of how a local industry can communicate and work together to handle adversity,” said Devin Wetzel, assistant superintendent of parks and golf courses for the Johnson County Park and Recreation District. “The golf industry consists of professionals that work with each other and share ideas for the betterment of the game. Our staff was in contact with other city, county and private courses to see what ideas they had and also shared what we are trying to implement.”
The county had closed its golf courses on March 24. The courses reopened March 30 under the new procedures, which were approved by the county’s health officer and director of health and environment.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Welcome to the ‘touchless golf’ experience in Olathe, Shawnee."