Chances for fun in the sun
At reopened Hermann Park, golfers can get back in the swing of things
For some, the reopening of Hermann Park Golf Course on Friday was emotional therapy.
Golfers were back enjoying the Houston city municipal layout and driving range. The facility had been closed since mid-March after a stayat-home order from Harris County leaders amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was out there (Thursday morning) and just checking everything and looking at it,” said Richard Bischoff, president of BSL Golf Corporation, which has operated Hermann Park Golf Course for close to 30 years. “Gosh, it was a therapy in itself just riding around in the golf cart looking at the grass.
“I said, ‘Man, I needed this.’ I need to add my name to the list (to play). It just felt good to be out doing that after we’ve been caught up in our homes and drained from what’s going on.”
But Houston public courses Memorial Park and Sharpstown remain closed until further notice.
Like many public places that are back in business, Hermann Park Golf Course is operating with restrictions, including social distancing.
All clubhouse employees, many in the most-susceptible age group of 65
and over, are wearing masks and having their body temperature taken before starting their shifts. Patrons entering the pro shop also must wear face masks.
“We really wanted to be careful for our employees and their safety and their health,” Bischoff said. “We’re going to have people shielded.”
Bischoff, who bought 10 gallons of hand sanitizer, with smaller containers scattered throughout the clubhouse and snack bar, is taking other preventive measures to ensure employees and the public stay safe.
Plexiglas has been installed full length at the counter. Only oneway traffic is allowed in and out of the pro shop and concession area. Only one person is allowed in the restroom at a time.
In the pro shop and concession area, the carpet is marked with duct tape showing 6-foot spacing. Food and beverage is takeout only, and no eating is allowed in the clubhouse.
Joseph Priddy, general manager and director of golf at Hermann Park, said golfers have been receptive to the new requirements.
“We’re making sure all the players are being conscious of staying 6 feet away from everybody,” Priddy said. “They understand the process and are participating and willing to follow, because this is new times for everybody. They know what to expect.”
The down time over the past month and a half was used judiciously at Hermann Park, with several projects being completed, including the outside painting of the restrooms, which also have been spray washed. The parking lot has been restriped.
Even though ball washers have been removed from the course, they all have been thoroughly cleaned. Water stands have been repaired. Benches also have been repaired as well as painted.
“Doing the kind of things sometimes you put on the back of your work list,” Bischoff said. “We’ve made the golf course nicer and more attractive and shinier through this time.”
As well as safer. Only one golfer per cart will be in place unless the pairing is with a family member. On the course, rakes have been removed from bunkers, and the standard flag sticks are gone from the greens.
When a spokesman for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in late March said it was OK for golf courses in Harris County to reopen, one of the restrictions was that driving ranges were to remain closed. Hermann, Memorial and Sharpstown stayed closed, but most other courses in the Houston area began play again March 26.
Driving ranges can now be open as long as safe practices are followed. At Hermann, every other mat has been removed to place golfers at least 10 feet apart from each other. Range balls are being sanitized and disinfected after each use.
Bischoff called Friday a soft opening in preparation for a busy weekend.
Hermann has the only driving range inside the Loop.
In the heart of Houston, minutes from the Medical Center at 2155 N. MacGregor, Hermann Park Golf Course long has been a favorite of many golfers in the Houston area. John Bredemus designed the original layout in 1922, which was renovated in 1999 by Carlton Gipson.
Oak-lined fairways highlight the par-70 configuration. Under BSL’s management, more than 1,200 trees have been planted throughout the course. Over time, Hermann Park has been cut back to 110 acres, which is not a lot of land for a golf course.
The course is in good overall shape, but there is a temporary green on No. 17.
“They’ve been out of the public for the last 30 days; everybody’s ready to get out and play some golf,” Priddy said.
Hermann Park’s reopening was tied to the lifting of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s stay-at-home order Friday as the state begins phase 1 of reopening.
“We followed that lead,” Bischoff said. “We just decided the last few days to open, and we’ve been working diligently to come up with our plan.
“Whenever he made the announcement is what kind of got us back. Then we went back to the city parks director (Steve Wright) and requested to be able to open the golf course, which was approved by the mayor (Sylvester Turner) as long as we went by the guidelines.”