It’s still golf season at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Coyote Run Golf Course.
Tom Denklau, club manager, said he is still getting good turnout. One day this week, golfers had to wait three hours because of a “frost delay,” but when the sun broke through, everyone got on the course.
“That was one of my worst days, dealing with frost and 60 players on my sheet,” he told park district commissioners at their Dec. 1 meeting.
Later in the week, he had 10 players registered, but served 46. Denklau said he’ll keep the course open as long as Dave Ward, superintendent of golf, feels crews can keep up with conditions, and the weather holds.
Ward told the Chronicle, “Due to the continued heavy play, we are currently still involved in routine maintenance like raking bunkers, changing cups, moving tee markers, replacing divots, cleaning up tree debris from a fall of high winds, etc.
“Closing is a moving target – typically anywhere from the end of November to January. When we see a forecast of more than two weeks of unplayable weather, we close the course and pull the flag sticks off the greens. If we should get a good spell of golf weather, all we need to do to open is put the flag sticks back out,” Ward said.
Commissioners thanked Denklau and Ward and their teams for all the work they’ve done at Coyote Run this season.
Denklau doesn’t have final statistics for rounds played at Coyote this year, but said “it was a summer that the golf industry will probably never see again.” Nationally interest in golf was up 11%. He attributed that to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that outside activities required fewer restrictions so people turned to golf.
He also noted that golf courses in Illinois were shut down from mid-March to May 1 under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders, so the season started later than expected.
Denklau said the rates at Coyote Run were adjusted this season, with 9-hole, senior and resident special rates replaced by standard rates of $65 for play with cart up til 11 a.m., $55 with cart for mid-day play, and $28 with cart for super-twilight rates after 5 p.m.
Commissioners agreed to keep the same rates for 2021. Some adjustments may be made, but everyone agreed that the first, second and third quarters of the year will probably look pretty much like 2020.
Once the general population is vaccinated and golf again has competition from sporting events, concerts and other gatherings, Denklau told commissioners he expects golf play will drop and special rates may be in order.
“As market dynamics shift, we will shift with them. I’m in full support of the strategy you’ve outlined,” Commissioner Steve Johnson said.
