Keney Park Golf Club - Hartford, CT 06120

How golfers can respond to the COVID-19 scare

Herewith some advice:

Pack disinfectant wipes. You may not be able to steer clear of a COVID-19-infected person, but you can certainly wipe down the steering wheel of your golf car. Packets of alcohol-based sanitizing wipes can easily fit in your golf bag or golf car console.

Keep a tube of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your pocket to use after giving a high-five for a great shot or shaking hands on the 18^th hole.

Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with your hands unless you have used an alcohol-based sanitizer first. Also do this before touching food or cigars.

Make sure to wash/sanitize your hands after answering nature’s call. Yes, even after a trip behind the trees.

Leave in the flag on putts. Thank you, USGA. No tending necessary.

Walk, don’t ride. This reduces the more intimate contact of a cart.

Fist-bump instead of handshake. It’s more hygienic—and hip. But don’t pull a Tom Watson:

Better yet, bump with your elbow instead of your fist.

Know your partners. It’s obviously a good idea to avoid playing—and especially riding in a golf car—with someone who’s persistently coughing or sneezing. But sometimes you have to ride with a stranger. Unless you know her or him personally, don’t believe they just have allergies.

Don’t play if you feel at all flu-like. And if you dare play, wear a face mask.

The 18-hole Keney Park Golf Course was designed by Devereux Emmet, with the first 9 holes opening in 1927. A preeminent figure in the history of golf course architecture, Emmet is responsible for local courses such as Hartford Golf Club and The Country Club of Farmington, and iconic layouts nationally such as Bethpage State Park in New York and Congressional Country Club in Maryland. The back-nine at Keney Park opened in 1930 and was designed by Robert “Jack” Ross, an engineer for the City of Hartford.

Since early 2014, Keney Park Golf Course has been the focus of a massive restoration, with design efforts led by Matthew Dusenberry of Dusenberry Design. Dusenberry, a Milwaukee-based golf course architect, was a longtime associate at Greg Norman Golf Course Design, and has worked on layouts such as Doral in Miami and Doonbeg in Ireland.

The full-scale restoration of Keney Park Golf Course includes completely renovated tee boxes, fairways, greens and bunkers, as well as an updated clubhouse.

How golfers can respond to the COVID-19 scare