October 10, 2020
According to GolfAdvisor.com, in general, golf is thriving, but not every course or destination is enjoying the spoils of a resurgence during the coronavirus pandemic.
St. Kitts and Nevis, a beautiful two-island destination with multiple golf courses, has become the latest island in the Caribbean to open its borders, gearing up for the winter season starting Oct. 31. This follows the lead of other top island golf destinations like Hawaii (opening Oct. 15) and the Dominican Republic, which announced it will offer free health care to any hotel guest who contracts coronavirus between now and Dec. 31.
Quarantine and hospital expenses will be covered by the policy. Whether golfers will gain the confidence to travel and tee it up in these tropical paradises over the coming months remains to be seen. One report says optimism about the safety of travel is slowly rising.
Unfortunately, news out the United Kingdom is less positive. Cases are spiking and that could cause further restrictions, according to The Guardian newspaper. A popular golf course in Surrey, the Rusper Golf Club in Dorking, has announced it will close this fall, according to Golfmagic.com. The club is the fourth in the United Kingdom to close during the pandemic, following the Brucefields Family Golf Centre in Stirling, Patsull Park in Wolverhampton and Magnolia Park Hotel & Golf Club in Buckinghamshire.
