In Massachusetts, golf is still restricted under Gov. Charlie Baker’s ban of non-essential businesses that lasts through May 18, but a pair of courses are planning to defy the order.
Cara Cullen, who owns Kettle Brook Golf Club in Paxton and Wachusett Country Club in West Boylston alongside her two brothers, told Fox News Monday she will open her courses within the “next few days.”
Neither club responded to Boston.com’s requests for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
Massachusetts is one of four states that is still enforcing a statewide ban on golf, though New Hampshire’s courses will reopen on May 11. Maryland and Vermont are the only other states that have no date set to reopen.
“If golf is so unsafe, why do 47 states think it’s safe?” Cullen said. “I mean, if golf is that unsafe, then Governor Baker should come out and tell these other states that they’re wrong, and he should tell Massachusetts citizens that they cannot cross that border.”
Cullen, who said she said her desire to open does not stem from a lack of belief in the severity of the coronavirus. On March 31, her mother-in-law died as a result of a COVID-19 infection.
“I don’t think this is a hoax,” she told Fox News. “I think it’s serious. And my four children never saw their grandmother again and haven’t been able to properly grieve. So I do recognize how real this virus is.”
Cullen told Fox News her courses will implement rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including single-use golf carts, no building entry, outdoor check-in, and masks and gloves for employees.
“I’ve put my faith in him and our patience is done,” Cullen said of Baker. “At this point, unfortunately, if we don’t open in a few weeks, we’re done.”
The Alliance of Massachusetts Golf Organizations has been working since the end of March for golf to be deemed essential, but to no avail. On May 3, Mass Golf issued a statement after a meeting with the re-opening advisory board, saying they “hope to hear soon that golf can resume in the Commonwealth under the established guidelines presented.”
A message from Mass Golf and the Alliance of Massachusetts Golf Organizations.#MassGolf | #MassGolfFamily pic.twitter.com/Ts6MiUTAlZ
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) May 3, 2020
