Golf rounds reported up from last year

Golf Operation director Darryl Muldoon had good news for the Joint Advisory Committee on Golf on Wednesday. For the month of June, golf rounds were up 6,752 over last year.

The increase was mostly due to members playing more golf, he said. Non-member rounds were up by about 500. People aren’t traveling as much because of the coronavirus, he said, but that may also be the reason that members have time to play more golf. But the tee times have been full without the out-of-town golfers, he said.

“Wow, what a week,” he said, when reporting on the APT/ WAPT golf tournament. He told the board he has a stack of handwritten thank you notes in his office from the young golfers who appreciated their week in Bella Vista. Also, the LPGA used the story about a WAPT golfer diving into Loch Lomond to save a resident’s life on their national website. That’s good publicity for Bella Vista, he said.

Muldoon said he doesn’t know how much the tournament raised for local charities, but the numbers will be totaled and the checks given out on July 22.

He answered a question from a board member about shotgun starts. One of the changes that came with social distancing rules stopped shotguns on the courses. They remain popular, especially during tournaments, because a shotgun start — with players spread out at different holes around the course — results in most golfers finishing around the same time. With tee times golfers don’t finish together and don’t socialize with the larger group after play. Muldoon said that, while he understands why golfers like shotguns, they will not return to Bella Vista until the governor announces phase three of the coronavirus restrictions

Unfortunately, Junior Golf Camp and the Junior League had to be canceled for this summer. Muldoon said there was no way to enforce safe social distancing with 60 young golfers involved.

Golf Maintenance director Keith Ihms also reported to the committee. He warned them that not all the greens on the POA’s seven courses are exactly the same. That that can be a good thing for golfers looking for variety. Greens on Dogwood are newer and are usually faster than the greens on the Highlands.

The bridge project at Scotsdale is being bid, Ihms said. Once the bids are returned and a contractor chosen, the project can be completed quickly.

The committee was asked last month to consider the problem of non-golfers on Bella Vista courses. Muldoon said he saw a woman almost hit by a golf ball while jogging on a golf course. He approached her and she didn’t realize she was almost hit and didn’t know she was breaking the rules.

New signs are going up that explain the courses are closed to non-golfing activities from dawn to dusk.