Don't grab your golf clubs and head to courses operated by the Niagara Parks Commission just yet.
On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford announced that golf courses could begin reopening as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
The NPC plans to begin with a soft reopening of its Ussher's Creek and Chippawa courses next Friday May 22nd.
The phased approach is to allow Niagara Parks Golf to finalize and perfect all of the new health and safety measures, train staff on the new protocols and install signage across its golf courses to help guests better navigate the changes.
The soft reopening will offer walking access only to Ussher’s Creek and Chippawa Courses and public washrooms will be available out of the halfway house.
Niagara Parks is planning a larger reopening on Friday, May 29, that will include golf cart access with one cart per person and limited food and beverage options available at the halfway house.
The clubhouses and beverage cart services will remain closed.
Niagara Parks Golf will be following provincial guidelines and industry leading standards around health and safety, including enhanced cleaning measures of public washrooms and high-touch surfaces, as well as the sanitization of golf and pull carts after each use.
Portable outdoor handwashing stations will be available to ensure that all guests are washing their hands before and after completion of play.
Additionally, items such as ball washers and rakes will not be available, and all flagsticks will remain in each hole with added inserts to eliminate the need to touch the cup when retrieving a golf ball.
In addition to signage, Niagara Parks’ golf team will help ensure all guests are practising physical distancing and avoiding groups and gatherings larger than five.
While the clubhouses will remain closed, golf shops will be open for check-in and retail purchases with measures in place to control the capacity in the store and allow for proper physical distancing.