BGC Members,
As of today, March 25th, we are moving forward with opening the golf course this coming Wednesday, April 1st; this is in line with what the State and County courses are doing. Obviously, this is a fluid situation and things can change very quickly. In the event that things do change, we will inform you via email, text and through the bellportgolfclub.com website. We will be taking extreme precautions during this time and we ask that you do too. Below is a quick rundown of some precautions we will be taking.
· You must make a tee time prior to playing. Walk-ups will not be accepted. Tee times will be in 15 minutes intervals. We will begin accepting reservations starting on Tuesday at 8:30AM. You will only be permitted to make 1 tee time per phone call.
· We will only accept credit card payments during this time. Beginning on Monday, we will be accepting credit card numbers over the phone (631-286-7206). We would rather you call ahead with this information. Your information will be destroyed once this time has passed.
· All tee times will be made by calling the Starter’s Booth (631-286-4139), no more than 1 day in advance. For availability reasons, you will be required to make a tee time prior to playing. Tee times will be available from 8:30AM – 4:30PM during the week and 8:00AM – 4:30PM on the weekends. Please be aware that the last golf cart will go out at 1PM. Guests will not be permitted to play until after 1PM at which it will be walking only.
· Practice social distancing throughout the facility; this includes on the golf course, in the Locker Rooms and in the parking lot. This is very, very important to ensure the safety of everyone.
· We will be practicing a Golf & Go Initiative during this time. Arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to your tee time. We ask that you change your shoes at your car, carry your own bag and only check in at shop for those riding or bringing guests. After your round, throw away any garbage that may be in your cart and leave the facility.
We ask that everybody reads the below statement. As always with any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at the Pro Shop.
We are currently living through unprecedented times where the outcome will be a direct result of how well we work together. At the end of the day, we are a family and must look out for not only ourselves, but for one another. With that being said, we do plan on opening BGC on Wednesday, April 1st with some restrictions based on the CDC recommendations.
· First, we are asking those individuals who don’t feel well to please stay home. The CDC recommends the following:
o Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
o Cover your cough or sneeze at all times, washing your hands immediately afterwards.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
o Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
o Do not travel to high risk or high populated areas
o If you are sick, stay home and see a medical physician.
· Although the golf course will be open, the Pro Shop will operate on a closed-door system; bag storage will NOT be available. Through this time, we will only be accepting credit cards, either over the phone or through the front door. We will create a file for you so that you don’t have to continually give us your card information. Please be aware that all of this information will be destroyed when this comes to a halt.
· During this time, the Locker Rooms will be left open throughout the day, with the restriction of only 2 individuals in the facility at a time. The North entrance for the Men’s Locker Room will be locked until further notice. We ask that you spend as little time as possible in these areas and additionally, we ask that any items that are taken out of the Locker Rooms are not returned until we go back to normal operations. We will not have a daily Locker Room Attendant, but both Locker Rooms will be cleaned on a nightly basis to ensure cleanliness. Please note that the outside bathrooms and showers will be closed.
· Due to government restrictions, Peter’s on the Green will not be open for a period of time. Please do not congregate, either prior or after your round, in other areas around the facility.
· All tee times will be made by calling the Starter’s Booth (631-286-4139), no more than 1 day in advance. We will be going to a 15-minute tee sheet and limiting large groups to just one foursome. For availability reasons, you will be required to make a tee time prior to playing. WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING WALK-UPS DURING THIS TIME. Tee times will be available from 8:30AM – 4:30PM during the week and 8:00AM – 4:30PM on the weekends. Please be aware that the last golf cart will go out at 1PM. Guests will not be permitted to play until after 1PM at which it will be walking only. Furthermore, we ask that you do not show up more than 15 minutes prior to your tee time.
· In the event of a delay due to frost or other Spring conditions, please be advised that tee times will not be pushed back, they will be cancelled.
· WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU WALK DURING THIS TIME. Please practice social distancing and keep at least 6 feet apart at all times.
· In order to maintain proper distancing between players that ride, we will allow individuals to take their own golf cart. With this being said, we do plan experiencing cart shortages; carts cannot be reserved during this time. Please be patient with us as carts come in, they will be cleaned, gassed and washed down prior to us sending them back out. When carts are returned, extra sanitizing will take place on our golf carts. Due to our limited staff, we will not be handling golf bags and please do not ask us to bring you a cart on the golf course.
On the golf course, we will be taking multiple precautions.
· We ask that nobody touches the flagstick at any time. There will be some form of PVC in the cups to ensure the ball doesn’t drop below hole level. Please be cautious taking the ball out.
· There will be no rakes in the bunkers, so if your ball does in fact land in one, simply smooth the area with your foot and place your ball. We are asking you to smooth the playing area as you exit the bunker as best as possible.
· Water and Ice machines will not be operational through this time. Please plan accordingly.
· There will be no sand/seed on any golf carts, near the 1st tee or on the par 3s. Please replace your divots throughout the golf course. Additionally, all ball washers and tee markers will not be out for the foreseeable future.
· We encourage you to bring your own hand sanitizer and use as necessary.
We advise everyone to educate themselves on the virus and utilize the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for information on taking precautions to help lower the risk of exposure. We attached some links below for your benefit.
Yes, we realize some of this may seem like overkill, but we are taking this matter very seriously. We are looking out for you, your fellow members and our staff. Things are obviously changing by the hour and we will update you accordingly.
Thank you for your cooperation and support during this complicated time. We appreciate it to the fullest!