Room
to
Breathe
Golf Finds a Resurgence During the Pandemic
B Y A L A N S H I P N U C K
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 111
S
O MANY INDUSTRIES HAVE SUFFERED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, BUT ONE
IS BOOMING:
GOLF. AND THAT IS ESPECIALLY TRUE HERE ON THE MONTEREY
PENINSULA, ONE OF THE SPORT'S MECCAS .
"I'VE
BEEN IN THE GOLF INDUSTRY FOR 20 YEARS," SAYS PAT JONES, DIRECTOR OF GOLF
AT
BAYONET & BLACK HORSE. "I'VE NEVER SEEN IT LIKE THIS. IT'S BEEN CRAZY."
IN
RECENT MONTHS, B AYONET & BLACK HORSE HAS RAISED ITS GREENS FEE BY ROUGH-
LY $20 AND YET DEMAND IS STILL SURGING, WITH WEEKEND TEE TIMES BEING BOOKED
SOLID TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
PACIFIC GROVE GOLF LINKS REPORTS A SIMILAR CRUSH
OF GOLFERS,
AND JOHN SAWIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF GOLF OPERATIONS AT PEBBLE BEACH
CO., DESCRIBES THE GIDDINESS OF HIS CUSTOMERS AS, "LIKE KIDS ON CHRISTMAS EVE."
