Montco's 52 Golf Courses Reopen After Coronavirus Shutdown

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Golf courses reopened in Pennsylvania and across Montgomery County on Friday as the state began to lift some restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Montgomery County is home to more than 50 golf courses, some of them among the top-ranked and most highly regarded nationwide.

The courses are a "much needed safe haven" for residents, along with nature trails, paths, and fishing streams, according to Kristofer Fair, the director operations at Bluestone Country Club in Blue Bell.

"Golf is such an important and healthy recreational activity for many of our Montco residents," he said Friday. "We are grateful to Governor Wolf for opening the 52 courses here in our county."

However, it's not business as usual. Several new guidelines are in place, and while specific restrictions may vary by course, the Pennsylvania Golf Association has issued a list of key recommendations that all should follow. That includes social distancing at all times, no caddies, no shared carts, no reopening of pro shops or clubhouses, and more.

Local golf course owners expect the reopening to be a boon. The Macoby Run Golf Course in Green Lane said that their opening day tee sheet was booked within four hours.

"The phone started ringing off the hook when Governor Wolf announced that golf could open and in PA," Macoby's Missy Peart said in a statement released by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board. "Obviously golfers are ready to get out on the course."

The Board has also put together a directory of all public and all private courses in the county.