By Robbie Bills
Sports Editor
Relaxed COVID-19 (coronavirus) shelter in place guidelines have allowed the Gilmer Recreation and Parks Department to renew some of its services.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s shelter order for those under the age of 65 expired last Thursday, March 30, at 11:59 p.m. The following day, the Times-Courier interviewed Gilmer Parks director Kevan White and Whitepath Golf Club general manager Mike Brumby.
While some of River Park’s attractions are now open to the public, those who wish to visit should continue to practice responsible social distancing.
“At River Park, we’ve opened the walking trail and common areas as far as open spaces,” White said. “The exercise machines on the walking trail are good to go.
“Clear Creek Park is open. The batting cages and fields aret open. We opened those last Friday (April 24), and we’ve had several people coming out throwing and playing and taking batting practice.”
White added, “We kept the spring open the whole time through certain parts of the day. So many people come down there to get their water so that’s one part we kept open the whole time during the shelter in place.”
Tennis courts, pavilions and playgrounds remain closed. White plans to see how the situation develops before making decisions as to when they will be available to the public.
“We’ll probably open the playgrounds the same time we open the pavilions,” he said. “We’re going to continue to monitor the situation and listen to the governor. I’d say in the next couple weeks they might be open.”
While at the park, White encourages visitors to remain vigilant in regard to social distancing.
“We want everybody to come out and enjoy the park,” he said. “We want everybody to keep their distance from one another and be safe.”
Whitepath Golf Club had been closed since March 19 and reopened last Friday. There are safeguards on and off the course to protect staff, golfers and the community.
“The main thing is the pro shop area where we’re limiting access points,” Brumby said. “They can’t just walk all over the pro shop anymore. We’ve got the front door open (for those who need) to use the restrooms, and the back door is open if they want to come in and get a drink or prepackaged snack. There’s a side window where they can pay.”
Brumbly contacted surrounding courses to see how they planned to handle incoming golfers during the pandemic.
Most carts will be limited to one person. Because there are only 50 carts, golfers must call ahead to set up a tee time unless one is planning to play late in the day during off-peak hours.
“It’s one per cart unless it’s immediate family or they live in the same household,” Brumby said. “I know I’m gonna catch grief for it ... like today I’ve got eight guys coming from Chatsworth. They’re riding over here in the same vehicle, but I’m gonna put them in separate carts.
“We’re going to do this for a couple weeks and see where it goes, see how things change with numbers and all. If it’s to where we can get back to two per cart we will. If not, we’ll just have to keep it to one per cart for a while.”
To minimize surface contact by different individuals, cups will be inserted upside down on greens so golfers can retrieve their ball without sticking their hand all the way in the cup. Pins will remain in the cup at all times and golfers are prohibited from touching them.
There will not be any water coolers or trash cans on the course. Golfers can offload any refuse when they make the turn. After the round, golfers will dispose of their own trash at the cart barn. Carts will then be sanitized by Whitepath staff.
“It’s going to be aggravating and it’s definitely more work, but we have to do it in order to be open,” Brumby said.
Any further questions can be directed to the park and rec office at 706-635-7700 or Whitepath at 706-276-3080.