Massachusetts Golf Course to Reopen During Lockdown

As small business owners around the country suffer the economic wrath of COVID-19, with some state governments refusing to allow them to resume operation, one country club in Massachusetts is planning on defying the state order.

Cara Cullen, along with other members of the Marroney family, has owned Wachusett Country Club in West Boylston, Massachusetts, since 1939. The family has also owned Kettle Brook Golf Club in Paxton, MA, since 2008. Cullen spoke with Breitbart News about the decision she is weighing as to when to reopen for business and defy the state’s order.

Asked during a call with Breitbart News on Monday if she intends to reopen despite the governor’s lockdown order, she said yes she does and is working out the details of how to do so now.

According to Cullen, there seems to be a “general consensus” among golf clubs in the area to defy the state government’s order and reopen for business, saying, “We don’t have a choice” and that they have “nothing to lose at this point.” Cullen said she believes that if golf courses are not reopened soon, she believes most in the Central Massachusetts area will “go under.”

“We have sat back and remained patient while 48 states have opened up golf,” Cullen said before she mentioned that several from the state are traveling to other states to play golf during the state’s lockdown. “That to me is such a hazardous situation to have thousands of golfers crossing the borders to New York and Connecticut every single day to golf. I mean how many times have they brought the virus back?”

Cullen placed blame on the state’s governor, Charlie Baker, for refusing to allow golf courses in the state to reopen, saying he has created a “hazardous condition” that forces people to travel to other states.

Cullen also called out the behavior in other stores across the state like Walmart, saying there is “barely any social distancing” and people are “flocking to Home Depot, Target, Walmart, to alleviate their boredom and frustration.”

“There is no way you can tell me that what goes on down at Walmart is safer than opening a golf course,” Cullen said, adding that they are at “wits’ end.”

Asked about the economic impact of the closure, Cullen said she lost her mother-in-law in March to the coronavirus. “If I thought for a minute that it would be unsafe, I would never do it and I would take the economic hit,” Cullen said in regards to reopening. “I do understand how important and real this virus is… This weekend we would have taken in $30,000 at each golf course.”

“Governor Baker has no problem endangering the lives of all these essential employees of Stop and Shop, Home Depot, and Target, but we can’t open golf courses because it’s unsafe,” Cullen reiterated. “If he really thinks golf is not safe, then he should tell Massachusetts people right now that they cannot cross the border to golf in other states.”

Cullen pointed out that her customers are working-class, blue-collar Americans, including “firefighters, police officers, electricians, and plumbers.” She also discussed the rise of mental health issues Americans face, mentioning that 48 other states understand that outdoor recreation is essential.

“Every single aspect of opening will help the safety of what’s going on as far as stopping people from crossing the borders, stopping people from flocking to the essential stores that are open, and allowing people an outlet for their mental health and physical health,” Cullen said.

“We can’t just close up and wait it out,” Cullen continued. “If you don’t maintain a golf course, within weeks it would no longer be a golf course and you could never get it back to its original condition.”

“We’re using thousands of dollars of chemicals and treatments, every single day we are out mowing and cutting and there is no revenue coming in,” Cullen added.

During the interview, Cullen stated that she had been in recent conversations with the state government in hopes of getting the course reopened, but they failed to deliver. She said she believes the lockdown extension until May 18 is a “delay tactic.” Cullen said she joined a call recently with Lt. Governor Karyn Polito to discuss the possibility of reopening golf courses in the state. Cullen said the conversation sounded “very promising,” but it was halted on Monday with no expected reopening date given to Cullen.

Should they decide to reopen, Cullen talked about safety measures she would implement to ensure that the course remains safe for those who utilize it, which included pins for hands-free ball removal, one rider per cart, cart sanitation, masks for employees, closures of course buildings (food, etc.), and golfers to have to wait in their car until ten minutes before tee time.

“I think it’s lazy, I think it’s petty, and I think it’s not looking out for the small businesses,” Cullen concluded.