COVID-19 INFORMATION
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT –
MADISON COUNTRY CLUB’S COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
& FULL COMPLIANCE MOVING FORWARD
May 22, 2020
Dear Members & Staff:
Tomorrow will mark the tenth week that our Club has been open despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The cooperation at every level of MCC – from our entire membership to the management, staff, Committees and Board – has been extraordinarily successful. Despite the unprecedented challenges we faced to date, our principal goals of keeping everyone safe and our Course open for play have been accomplished. Those achievements are beyond commendable, they are a tribute to the culture and commitment that makes our Madison Country Club so special.
Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Though Governor Lamont has announced a “limited relaxation of restrictions” which began on May 20, 2020, the reality is that we face new challenges moving forward. Local officials now have the authority to close down any business they determine to be in violation of the Executive Directives and Sector Rules on increased operations of essential businesses like ours.
Accordingly, ALL of the Club’s COVID-19 restrictions and measures remain in effect, with slight modifications as announced over the past 10 days, namely, the restricted 11th hole bathrooms usage & limited Pro Shop access. In the days and weeks ahead at MCC, EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND ALL OF US COLLECTIVELY MUST REMAIN VIGILANT AND COMMITTED TO FULL COMPLIANCE WITH OUR PROPER SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES. In these respects, please remember that the appearance of our compliance is critical as well.
Also keep in mind that as the weather improves, the demands of course access from our 500 plus membership base will also increase. It is imperative that all players maintain their speed of play, at all times. Full 18 hole rounds must be completed in no more than 4 hours; 9 holes in 2 hours.
We must all continue to do our part to ensure that this wonderful game of golf remains our one safe harbor in this COVID-19 storm. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend - Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you.
Madison Country Club Board of Directors, Management and COVID-19 Task Force
May 12, 2020 Golf Course Restrooms
The Ladies and Men’s restrooms on Hole #11 are now open. The restrooms have been sanitized and will be cleaned daily. Hand sanitizer will be available outside the restrooms. In addition to daily cleaning the restrooms will have new touchless hand soap and towel dispensers installed.
While golf is a game that can easily accommodate the necessary distancing that we are experiencing in everyday life, the restrooms do not afford the same opportunity. We all appreciate the value and utility of a restroom on the course. It is our collective responsibility to respect the health and well-being of our golfing community. For the safety of all it is imperative we adhere to the following:
Use hand sanitizer prior to entering and upon exiting the restroom; Clean up after ourselves while in the restroom; Wash your hands; Dispose of paper or other items appropriately; Leave the restroom clean for the next golfer; Remind your guests of the need to keep the facility clean; Please remember these are Ladies Only and Men’s Only restrooms.
The restrooms in the Clubhouse will become available when the building is opened. Due to the COVID-19 circumstances, the 4th Green restroom facility will not be available this season.
The House Committee
May 6, 2020 Revisions to Course Policies
All of the policies and procedures are regularly reviewed by the Committees and the Board of Directors of the Club. Our goal is to allow the maximum amount of usage of the course that can be done safely. As time goes by, there will be amendments to policies. All members should understand that nothing is set in stone, and rules could be made stricter or less strict to accomplish the overall goals. We want to remind everyone that all of our distancing rules remain in effect. Please observe the 10 minute rule prior to your tee time and the entry and exit walkways to and from the course. Please remember that we need to have players pack up and leave the parking lot quickly after a round. We do not want groups of people gathering in the lot after they have played for the safety of all of the members. Everyone has done a very good job of adapting to these temporary restrictions, and we urge all members to follow the guidelines as things slowly open up. Beginning Monday, May 11th, the new policies concerning the property and playing rules will be as follows: 1. The restrictions on parking in every other spot is eliminated; 2. Reservations for tee times will be adjusted from every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes; 3. The rule restricting members to playing every other day is eliminated.
Please email golf@madisoncountryclub.org with any questions. Thank you and be well.
~~~~~ May 6, 2020
Revised Cart Policy
After reviewing recommendations from the Greens Committee and the COVID-19 Task Force, the Board of Directors has decided to allow limited cart usage starting Monday, May 11th. The Club and the staff have agreed to a procedure to clean the carts so the process is safe for members and the employees doing the cleaning.
At first, carts will be limited to those members with a physical or medical issue that has prevented them from playing or has made it extremely difficult to walk to play a round. We are not requiring a note from a doctor, but we are asking anyone who feels they need to ride to send an email to golf@madisoncountryclub.org with the explanation. The COVID-19 Task Force will review and notify the Pro Shop of the list of individuals who can rent carts immediately.
There will be a new set of rules for cart use. Carts will be limited to one rider per cart, and a cart will only be used one time per day. Members will be responsible to load their own clubs onto the cart before the round and remove their clubs from the cart at the end of the round. The member will remove and dispose of any paper, garbage, cans or other material at the end of the round, so the cart is empty and ready to be cleaned. After the member uses the cart, it will be properly cleaned and stored for the rest of the day.
We will continue to monitor the situation, the Governor’s orders and our cleaning process to be certain that everything is working properly. Our goal is to slowly expand the program until we can allow all members who want to ride to have the opportunity to rent a cart.
April 28, 2020
Updated Information Concerning Opening Times and Reservations
There are a couple of updates that are taking effect this week which will impact the membership. The changes to the hours of operation going into effect on Friday, May 1st will affect the reservation system starting April 29th. Starting immediately, a person calling the Pro Shop to reserve a playing slot will be allowed to reserve a maximum of 2 time slots per phone call. This clarification of the call-in policy is an effort to clarify our current policy and to balance the rights of all members to get the opportunity to play golf.
In a related issue, we feel it is important to state the policy concerning weather problems. If a member’s starting time is impacted by rain, a frost delay or any other weather event, there is no way to push back the entire tee sheet to fit everyone into the schedule for that day. Therefore, if you and/or your group are not able to tee off at your designated time because play has been postponed or delayed due to any weather event, your tee time for that day is cancelled. We hope that this does not occur often, but we must have a clear policy in place to address it. Geoff Squitiero MCC Golf Committee – Chair golf@madisoncountryclub.org
~~~~ April 24, 2020 Golf Committee Update
On behalf of the entire Committee, I would like to thank the Pro Shop staff and the membership as a whole for your response to the recent course restrictions. This is a difficult situation, and everyone is frustrated that we are unable to operate at our usual level of activity. The Club is following the restrictions instituted by Gov. Lamont, and we are looking forward to the time that he relaxes these guidelines. Based on the current realities, the Board has made the decision to cancel all outings, tournaments and events for the month of May.
We understand that the most common frustrations are related to the reservation system and the restriction of back to back days of play. These issues were received and presented at the Board meeting this week. While the complaints and comments were understood, the Board feels that the current system is the best way to balance everyone’s interests without putting an even bigger burden on the Pro Shop staff. The Board and the Club’s COVID-19 Task Force continue to meet regularly and will continue to examine ways to safely allow greater access to the largest number of members possible under the current guidelines. The Board continues to be concerned with the safety of both the use of restrooms and the danger to those who would need to regularly clean those restrooms. For the near-term future, all restrooms will remain closed.
Beginning May 1st, the first weekday tee time will be 7:30 am and the first weekend tee time will be 7:00 am. Also, May 1st the Pro Shop will open at 7:30 am on weekdays and 7:00 am on weekends. You may make a reservation by calling the Pro Shop three days in advance. The safe use of golf carts has also been discussed at every meeting during this crisis. Nothing has changed as of today, but there have been suggestions and plans for safe use and cleaning of the carts. We hope to have an announcement regarding cart usage within the next couple of weeks. Any plan for cart usage will be limited with gradual expansion as long as it can be done safely.
Again, thank you to every member for your understanding and cooperation until we are able to be fully operational. If you do have questions, comments, complaints or suggestions, please forward them to golf@madisoncountryclub.org
Geoff Squitiero MCC Golf Committee – Chair
Welcome to our new 2020 Members:
2020 Holes In One Mike Carr - #13, Tim Lepczyk - #2
Congratulations Congratulations to the 2019 MCC Club Champions! Lynda Foster - Ladies Club Champion Jeff Schroeder - Men's Club Champion Joan Piccolo - Ladies Senior Club Champion Hugh Duffy - Men's Senior Club Champion Maureen Porter - Ladies Super-Sr. Club Champion Frank Dranginis - Men's Super-Sr. Club Champion Matt Doyle - Junior Club Champion
Business Office/Clubhouse Hours
The Business Office is currently closed and staff is working remotely due to the coronavirus. If you are making a payment, there is a mail slot on the office door that faces
the Golf Shop for your convenience.