Golf courses in The Villages remain open but players practice social distancing

Players sanitizing clubs, riding own carts

THE VILLAGES, Fla. – While places like the gym and recreation centers remain closed, golf courses in The Villages remain open.

Pat Ries plays golf at least four times a week. She said with all the warnings about the coronavirus, she’s disinfecting her clubs and other equipment before and after swinging.

“We have to stay 6 feet apart. We have to drive our own cart,” Ries said.

[RELATED: UF testing residents at The Villages for COVID-19 | Governor: ‘Golf cart’ drive-thru coronavirus test site at The Villages possible]

Though many are aware of the rules of the game, many golfers are aware of the rules to stay healthy on the grass.

A lot of them are keeping hand sanitzers at the ready and are staying distant from each other during the game.

"My husband and I are basically not getting together with other couples period, so we are staying separated from people," Gayle Bolinski explained.

Health officials recommend golfers should stay away from high fives and hand shakes while at the golf course.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s noticed the changes.

“You still see people on the golf course because they do social distancing in golf where everyone is in their own cart, you don’t shake hands or touch the flagstick. I think that this community has really responded and have done a lot of things to protect themselves,” the governor said.

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About the Author:

Ezzy Castro is a multimedia journalist on News 6's morning team who has a passion for telling the stories of the people in the Central Florida community. Ezzy worked at WFOR CBS4 in South Florida and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being from Miami, Ezzy loves Cuban coffee and croquetas!

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