The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Grey Hawk ready to tee off golf season
Grey Hawk Golf Club in LaGrange is looking to have a strong summer despite the delayed start.
Grey Hawk Golf Club in LaGrange is looking to have a strong summer despite the delayed start due to the novel coronavirus.
“We opened up May 1 for the season, and it was a good opening, all things considered,” said Scott Wesemeyer, general manager of the course at 665 US Grant St. “We made sure to follow every guideline. At the start, we only had one person per cart. We have since given folks the option of whether or not they want another cart.
“We are also making sure we sanitize everything, especially the carts as they come in,” he added. “We have a product that sanitizes in about four and half minutes and then we can let a new group use the cart.”
Wesemeyer said the virus did not affect the opening date of the course too much.
“We typically shoot for the end of March,” he said. “April was just filled with crummy weather anyway, so waiting until May did not hurt us that badly,” he said. “Ownership made the decision not to open immediately out of fear of the safety of our employees and customers. It was a very calculated decision and made for a better opening for everyone involved.”
Wesemeyer said it was madness when the course opened.
“The demand was really high,” he said. “We had the phone ringing from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for tee times. The biggest question for folks was if we had anything available and I had to frequently say that we were booked.
“We have about 70 carts and we were only doing one per cart, so that really limits what we can do,” he added. “We also wanted to have time in between tee times to keep people safely distanced. We book up to seven days in advance, so I have had plenty of people call me for a round of golf they will play in a week.
“I want to mention Tim Robey, the greens superintendent here. He has done a great job of making sure everything has gone well during this time.”
Wesemeyer said the golf course will not have outings this year.
“We had a lot of companies already cancel and get a date for next year,” he said. “We can’t really do our shotgun style of play we use for the outings and there is this fear of getting all those people together for those.”
Wesemeyer said Grey Hawk’s course is in good condition.
“We have very immaculate greens and fairways,” he said. “Everything is in really good, pristine shape. We got a four out of five from Golf Advisor’s Golfer Choice Award for the quality of the course.”
Tim Smith, a golf instructor with GolfTEC, was out on the Grey Hawk course May 28 to help teach David Thomas of Bay Village.
“It’s a play lesson to help lower David’s strokes,” Smith said. “The lessons focus on making smarter decisions, accuracy, aim and a positive mindset. I chose Grey Hawk because it has a lot of variables for teaching moments. You have the different hills, bunkers, water, holes with a lot of trees and wind and holes without, so it really is a good, diverse course.”
“We have very immaculate greens and fairways. Everything is in really good, pristine shape.”
— Scott Wesemeyer