Here’s a genius (and hygienic!) new way of cutting golf holes

This is one of the reasons I love golf: That golfers love this silly game so much that we refuse to not play it — that’s off the table — but we will go to the end of the earth to figure out every possible other way of continuing to play.

And along the way, we’ll happen upon some brilliant ideas. Like this one, from Richter Park GC superintendent, Robert Dorsch.

Golf, unlike other sports, is still safe to play during this outbreak of coronavirus — but only if you follow some precautions (you can read about the most important ones right here).

Some courses are actually formalizing some of these rules, enacting local rules like telling golfers not to remove the pin unless they have gloves on, and even limiting golfers’ interaction with staff.

But of course, none of that solves the problem of what happens when your ball is actually in the hole, and you face the prospect of having to reach down into that petri dish to collect your ball.

Which brings us back to Dorsch’s genius idea. Cut the holes, but instead of planting the hole all the way into the ground, leave the cup about one inch above the surface. If your ball hits the cup, it’s considered holed. It’s much safer and has the added benefit of avoiding lip-outs.

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