GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Golfers flocked to courses across the state Saturday after Governor Gretchen Whitmer relaxed some restrictions of the stay at home order.
“It’s not perfect conditions out today but it’s Michigan so we take what we can get,” Kevin Leland said.
In Grand Rapids, the city-owned Indian Trails Golf Course was open for the first time in a month.
For Leland and his friends it’s a welcome break from isolation.
“I called my friends last night and said you want to get back out on the course tomorrow morning so first tee time we could find available we got the tee time,” Leland said.
“All of us, all my friends have been working from home so it’s been nice to get out and see some friends, not over Zoom so that makes it fun,” he added.
Still golfers are asked to maintain proper social distancing and courses are taking extra-precautions to keep people safe.
One thing you won’t notice out on the courses right now are golf carts, the Governor’s order doesn’t allow those quite yet.
“Obviously with no carts it’s a little different but it was nice to get a little exercise to go out and walk 18,” Leland added.
But others don’t have a choice.
“Most of the people in our league are over 60, the oldest one is my partner is near 80 and its really hard for a lot of us to walk,” Kevin Vaughn said.
Vaughn says he loves to play golf but him and his buddies have trouble walking more than a hole.
He wants the governor to take another look at the so-called no cart rule, so they can still enjoy their favorite game
“You have to do what the governor says but it is to a point that’s going too far as other people are saying, its open up, you’re not really by anyone,” Vaughn said.
“It gets us out, the only time we really get to interact with each other,” he added.
