This article provides examples of how two institutions are dealing with the coronavirus. The first example was provided to me by a friend who lives in the Ft. Worth, Texas area. The second was conveyed to me by my brother, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Perhaps they can provide some ideas on what to do and what not to do in dealing with this epidemic.

A Logical Procedure

The medical clinic in Ft. Worth knew of her arrival time for an appointment not related to Covid-19. She and her husband drove up to the clinic doors at the exact agreed-upon time. A valet was provided for each patient when she/he drove up to the doors. A nurse with a mask, gown, and gloves came to the car to check her in.

They drove the car to a parking place where she waited briefly for a text message instructing her to go to the front door. She went to the front door, which was held open for her by the nurse. She never touched a door knob nor anything else in the clinic until she was in the treatment room.

She saw no other patients in the hall.

Accompanied by a nurse, she went to the treatment room and was outfitted with a mask, which had been made especially for her a few days previously.

After her treatment, her husband was sent a text instructing him to bring the car around to the entrance. The clinic then reversed her exit procedures to those of her entrance procedures.

An Illogical Procedure

My brother’s golf course in Albuquerque is closing down. Of course, the café/bar and club house should be subject to crowd isolation. But the golf course itself?

These closed doors could rather easily have had their employees (who, by the way, would not be drawing unemployment checks) stationed at the course to take reservations and dispense food and drink “curbside.”

Like the Ft. Worth clinic, when someone called in for a tee time, they could have been instructed as to their arrival time, and required not to arrive early or late. If they did, they would be instructed to sit in their cars (for early arrivals) or go back home (for the late arrivals.)

Gone would be weekly arranged tee times. All reservations would be done by phone and a debit/credit card. Like the clinic example, players would have to arrive at the course under strict time requirements.

The name of the player and his/her tee time would be given to the starter. The starter would ask for the player’s name at the first tee. Thus, the only golf course person who would have any contact (from at least six feet, of course) would be the starter. All other employees would be inside the pro shop or bar/café.

For the latter, as is done on most golf courses, the players would call-in to the bar/café before making the turn (from the ninth to ten holes) and place their orders. When they made the turn, the victuals would have been placed at a curbside table to be picked up. Charges for the food/drink would be done before-hand with a debit/credit card.

In a typical golfing round, there are usually four persons to a group. If necessary, make it two. The foursomes are spaced hundreds of yards apart. If necessary, increase the time between tee-offs and instruct the players not to narrow the distance to the players in front of them; not much different than the rules of today. As with the current setup, golf course personnel would patrol the course and monitor the players’ progress through their rounds.

The players are outdoors and the foursome (or twosome…or even a onesome) several hundred yards apart. With a little creativity and ingenuity, such as that displayed by the Ft. Worth health clinic, the golf course could have stayed open, with no hazards to anyone’s health.

Both private citizens and public institutions must change their behavior until this emergency is over. The clinic did. The golf course did not.

During this crisis, many people will not fare well mentally (perhaps even physically) with a prolonged confinement to a few rooms. A properly managed golf course would provide one of those rare facilities where a person could actually go outside, get some exercise, as well as relief.

My public health club is closed. Our private condo gym and swimming pool is closed; so are the sauna and jacuzzi.

In desperation and to combat confinement fever (AKA, the sour barn syndrome), I might even take up golf…assuming the courses are open.