Golf goes on.
Well, professional golf as we know it has been put on hold around the world for now, but recreational golf is still going strong in many parts of the country.
The golf course, it seems, is one of the last escapes for people, one of the few places we can still go to get out of the house for a bit and self isolate.
The PGA Tour would normally be gearing up for the Valspar Championship this week on the Copperheard Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
But the Tour announced March 13 that the Valspar was off, just four days before the first practice rounds, canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
If there’s a bit of good news here it’s that you can play the course, in tournament-like conditions:
“With rates starting from $199, Innisbrook is offering this once in a lifetime opportunity to play the tournament-ready Copperhead Course, host site of the Valspar Championship, at a special value for a limited time.”
In Arizona, this was supposed to be the week that the LPGA descended on Phoenix for the Volvik Founders Cup at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa Wildfire Golf Club. But the LPGA postponed that and two other tournaments due to coronavirus concerns.
There are two courses at Wildfire, the Palmer Signature Course and the Faldo Championship Course. Tee times are up for grabs on both, with rates from $159 to $209, which is about the going rate for high-end golf in Arizona during the busy March season.
While you’re in the Phoenix arena, why not hit up TPC Scottsdale, home of the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. There are 36 holes with online bookings available morning and night. Prices on the Stadium course (with the famous 16th hole) range from $259 in the afternoon to $359 for the prime 7 a.m. spot. The Champions course can be played for $74 to $189, depending on the time of day.
