Playing Golf During a Pandemic

Recently, some experts in public health analyzed the dangers and risks of dozens of activities and the coronavirus continues to paralyze a large portion of the globe. Where did golf fall in this assessment? Well, it wasn't the most dangerous, or the least.

Not surprisingly, some of the most dangerous activities were going to a bar or a concert type event. Both of these activities scored a 9 out of 10 on the danger scale, with a 10 posing the highest possible risk. Perhaps surprisingly, no activities were actually scored a 10. Again, hittin' up the bar or a concert were two of the riskiest events, getting the highest danger score that was awarded.

What was the least risky activity? Tennis. As an avid tennis player, I can attest to the fact that, as long as you are playing singles, it is extraordinarily rare to come within 6 feet of anybody, particularly the player across the net from you. The vast majority of the time in singles tennis you are a full tennis court's length - 78 feet - away from the other player. And if you play outside, you all but eliminate the risk.

The next safest activity was getting takeout at a restaurant. To me, calling this an activity is questionable, if not ridiculous. Among the other safest activities were gassing up your car (again, questionable/ridiculous), jogging or bike riding, and going to a museum or library.

Alright, so where did golf come in on the danger scale? Golf ranked 31st out of 36 activities. In other words, 5 activities were deemed safer than playing golf while 30 were ranked more dangerous. This shouldn't be very surprising for a number of reasons. Let's discuss.

Golf is a no contact sport. Contact sports aren't a great way to socially distance or avoid breathing in what others are breathing out. Golf is also generally experienced in small groups. Typically, golfers trek the course in groups of 4 people. Smaller groups mean smaller risk.

Giving other golfers space is also built into the game. For one thing, you risk getting whacked in the head with a metal rod swinging through the air at very high speeds if you get too close. It's also bad golf etiquette. You always stand several feet away from the person taking their shot, with or without a worldwide pandemic.

Another big reason for the safety ranking of getting out on the golf course is the outdoors. The wind and the vast amount of air and space result in very little chance of virus smuggling particles sticking around, especially in any sort of concentrated way. You also have the ancillary benefit of the vitamin D your body will produce from exposure to sunlight. I called this an ancillary benefit, but there is an argument to be made for getting enough vitamin D being one of the single best things you can do to avoid a disastrous result from contracting COVID-19.

Some other secondary benefits you can get from playing golf that weren't included in creating the danger rankings are spending time out of the house, reducing stress and anxiety, spending time with family and friends (again, out of the house), and actively moving your entire body from head to toe.

There is a lot of uncertainty in world right now, and conflicting advice along with the awful politicization of everything right now makes it difficult to know what may or may not be safe. It would be difficult to argue against golf being one of the safest activities you can participate in right now. And to be extra cautious, go 1 golfer per golf cart. Or better yet, just walk! It'll be great for your body, mind and overall health. If you decide to go golfing, check out this site for everything you will need.