BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

CANTON -- Golfers cruising the green at the village-run Partridge Run Golf and Country Club now have access to carts, with the caveat that only one golfer is allowed per cart.

Strict cleaning protocols are in place for the carts as well, said course manager Kevin Maginn to the village board at their meeting Monday, May 18 held on Zoom.

The village opened the course to golfers officially on April 25, with guidelines for social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions.

However, at the time carts were not allowed on the course.

Maginn said he is using the same protocol for golf course safety recommended by the PGA of America organization, which includes guidelines for cart usage, limiting them to one golfer per vehicle.

"Its a little bit more thorough than the one the state has issued," Maginn said.

"They're basically recommending that each cart have a disinfectant in the cart. The person driving the cart cleans the steering wheel and cup holders, and the seat with it. But does not wipe it down. That will be my job and the staff to wipe it and clean it."

"Then we are going to take the whole cart downstairs and hose it off, clean it again. And then bring it back up in play," Maginn said.

"But the big issue that I'm going to have is that once the area finds out that I have carts… today I got 42 phone calls to reserve a cart for the weekend, for Friday only," Maginn said.

He estimated that the course would host over one hundred people on Friday, with 60 of those people requesting one of the course's 50 golf carts.

"I think we can manage it, if I can keep play moving. In four hours I can turn them around very quickly and get them back out again," Maginn said.

He said however, that in light of the golf cart shortage under the new rules he has cancelled all of the May and June tournaments, adding that he won't have enough carts to put the tournaments together.

Maginn told the board Monday that he plans to strictly enforce the one golfer per cart rule.

"Inside the cart I put a little memo on top of the cart. If you don't follow the five rules that are on this I'm going to ask you to leave," Maginn said. "As soon as I see two people in a cart both of them are leaving."

"So you will probably get a phone call tomorrow," the manager said.

"I can handle the phone call," said Village Mayor Michael Dalton.

The manager said this wouldn't apply to fellow household members. "It's when two guys show up and tell me they live together and I know they don't. I'm just going to say 'Sorry fellas, you are each going to have to take a cart, or one walk.'"

"The other issue I have is one person is going to pay for the cart and as soon as they get out of site the other guy is going to jump on the cart," Maginn said. "And then I'm going to throw them both out."

Maginn said league play starts in June and he is working with league organizers on how to handle the numbers of players in each group with the limited cart availability.

He said he has suggested that the leagues be walking leagues through the month of July.

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