Enthusiasm for golf remains high at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor.
Tom Denklau, golf course manager, reported to the H-F Park District’s board of commissioners that Coyote Run’s number of rounds was up 23.2% year-to-date through August. That’s a higher number than the 11.3% national trend increase reported by the National Golf Foundation. Coyote Run in August was up 20.4% over 2017-2019 August averages.
During the 2020 year of the COVID-19 pandemic, golf was a favorite pastime. It allowed people to play a sport, meet up with partners and still keep the six-feet socially distanced rule.
“We have to remember that in spring 2020, the golf industry lost approximately 50 million rounds nationally due to stay-at-home orders and shutdowns (mid-March through May 2020),” Denklau stated in his report to the commissioners.
“Last year from September to December, during those four months Coyote Run (guests) played 13,398 rounds, a 5.3% increase over 2019 September to December,” Denklau said. He hopes that with good fall weather the course can stay open into December.
Denklau expects numbers will start dropping off now that youth sports, festivals and other outdoor activities are available, or people choose to stay inside and watch football.
Coyote Run continued to host the H-F Frosh Boys, H-F Girls, and Hillcrest High teams, and St. Rita High’s team on occasion, he reported.