The party’s over for New York golfers.
While all golf courses in New Jersey have been closed for two weeks under Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order as a result of the coronavirus crisis, many in New York — including the Westchester County courses and New York State Park courses like Bethpage — have been open and thriving with business in this unseasonably warm spring.
As of Thursday, though, all New York golf courses that require employees to run them have been ordered to close, because the New York State and the Empire State Development Corporation clarified those employees as nonessential workers.
This came in an issued advisory entitled “Guidance For Determining Whether A Business Enterprise Is Subject To A Workforce Reduction Under Recent Executive Orders.”
The previous order didn’t specifically describe golf courses as nonessential businesses on its list of essential entities by the Empire State Development, the state’s economic development arm.
The new guidance was issued Thursday by Empire State Development, stating specifically that golf courses are not “essential businesses” under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pause order.
The closing of golf courses is believed to be effective through April 29, though a number of the courses in the Met Area have already alerted their customers that they’ll be closed into May. Bethpage, for example, said on its website that it will be closed until May 7. The Westchester County courses, too, are not considering reopening until May.
“What a day,’’ Brian Mahoney, the executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, said Thursday night. “I’m not aware of any courses that will be operating as a business starting [Friday].’’
Mahoney said he doesn’t interpret the order as calling for people not to play golf.
“Based on our collective understanding, the executive order does not forbid human beings from holding golf clubs and swinging them,’’ Mahoney said. “But it’s all about the workforce. The executive order covers the business of golf. No golf course can operate as a business.’’
Mahoney said the latest order is “confusing, because today, in our interpretation, didn’t really change what we knew three weeks ago.’’
A joint statement authored by the MGA and released Thursday night read, in part: “Today’s guidance provides further information regarding whether a business enterprise is subject to a workforce reduction under the recent executive order. We do not read the guidance as affecting noncommercial recreational activities on golf courses. The guidance addresses the business of golf and the relationship of golf facilities to their employees, and further reiterates that the business of golf is ‘non-essential.’
“The guidance is consistent with our positions regarding Executive Order 202.6; that is, golf course operating employees, such as starters, locker-room attendants and other similar employees, are subject to the existing stay-at-home order. Nothing in today’s guidance supports the conclusion that golf, as a pure recreational activity, played in accordance with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines and other health safeguards, is prohibited or that private golf courses must lock their gates to members simply carrying their own bags or walking for exercise.
“Our views are issued as a courtesy to our members in an effort to promote consistent interpretations of the various orders and directives relating to golf courses promulgated in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak. There can be no assurance that our interpretations of such orders and directives are ultimately consistent with the intent of the governmental entities issuing such orders and directives.’’
