By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
Golf courses in Mesquite and throughout the state opened again after an unexpected announcement from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on Thursday, April 30. Golfers from all over the region wasted no time getting back on the courses.
Local golf course officials reported a spike of golfers over the weekend. But they expect this rush of golfers to gradually flatten out after that initial opening; at least, until the casinos open and tourism returns to Mesquite.
Falcon Ridge Golf Course opened on Saturday and is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines. The course is also offering discounts to Clark and Washington County, Utah locals.
“We are grateful to finally be open, but opening now does not solve our revenue needs,” said the
Manager at Falcon Ridge Golf Course who requested not to be named. “We are opening with 105 golfers; I expect that number will go down to about 60 per day. But about seventy percent of our business comes from tourism. We need the casinos to open. The governor really needs to focus, looking at city by city, not county by county.”
Mo Hembree owns and manages Coyote Willows Golf Course and was surprised by the governor’s announcement, but grateful to be open.
“Governor Sisolak said Thursday morning that Nevada golf would not be opening,” Hembree said. “Yet that afternoon he stated we could open. Our phones are ringing again, thank God! It is a blessing.”
Coyote Willows is welcoming golfers who want to walk for the exercise, as well as cart riders. The business is keeping all the strict social distancing guidelines which were in place prior to the shutdown. They now open at 6:30 a.m.
The Palms Golf Club just across the state line in Arizona remained was able to remain open during the Nevada shutdown. Thus, the course was able to benefit from all of the forced Nevada course closures. Many Mesquite golfers and others in the region, just continued the sport at The Palms.
The Palms numbers soared from an average of 95 golfers a day to around 240 during the COVID-19 business shutdown, according to Palms course manager Brian Wursten.
Even so, Wursten said he was happy to hear that Mesquite courses were open again, despite the spike in business that his course had experienced.
Arizona has not reported any rise in the spread of the virus due to golfing and The Palms has been adhering to the same social distancing guidelines as Nevada.
“Workers who went on furlough, because of COVID will be able to return to their jobs when they feel safe,” Wursten said.
The Casablanca Golf Course owned by Mesquite Gaming will remain closed until the casinos are reopened.
