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The COVID-19 pandemic circling the globe has impacted nearly everything in its invisible path during the past 18 months.
One notable exception, for the most part, has been golf in Connecticut.
Unlike the situation in many other states, including the remaining five in New England, Connecticut’s golf courses have remained open throughout the pandemic, providing a welcome opportunity for those who play the game to do so safely. Even during the early months of the pandemic one year ago, starting in mid-March 2020 when the National Basketball Association suddenly paused its season and created a domino effect that struck every major sport, golfers in Connecticut have always had the ability to head to their local course and play.
“That’s not entirely true,” said Michael Dugan. “Golf in Connecticut was actually shut down. For two days.”
Two days. Blink and you missed it last March while Dugan quietly went to work. As the lobbyist for the Connecticut State Golf Association, Dugan was tasked with convincing the state’s decision makers that golf courses could – and should – remain open, even when everything else was shutting down.
“We felt it was one of the things you could do safely,” Dugan said. “It provides an outlet, something that a lot of people really needed while dealing with something as serious as the pandemic. We thought golf was worth fighting for.”
“The state entrusted the CSGA to implement rules so golf could be played during the pandemic, which is what we did. And as far as we know, I don’t believe there was any contract tracing that showed a person spreading the virus or becoming infected with the virus through golf in Connecticut.”
MIKE MORAGHAN, CSGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Fortunately for golfers in Connecticut as well as golf course operators and employees, Dugan was in their corner.
“Mike has great relationships with everyone who helps run the state of Connecticut,” said Mike Moraghan, executive director of the CSGA. “He’s an advocate for us and for the golf industry: For those who play the game and work in the game.”
Dugan began his career in politics, helping on a re-election campaign for Governor William O’Neill, then working for two Speakers of the Connecticut State House (Irving Stolberg and Richard Balducci). That was followed by 20 years spent working for two lobbying firms before Dugan struck out on his own in 2010, creating Capitol Consulting.
Golf delivered Dugan one of Capitol’s first clients when he helped the Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents successfully deal with a water issue. The CSGA reached out to Dugan a year later, and he’s been on retainer there ever since.
When the pandemic began shutting down businesses in March 2020, Dugan began working the phones, selling the positives that golf provides. But he and Moraghan added a twist – in this case, a list. They felt that golf could be enjoyed safely if special rules were created and followed. But they needed to convince the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, which would decide Connecticut golf’s pandemic fate.
Dugan and Moraghan came up with the following: no touch points, such as rakes and flagsticks, scorecards or pencils. Tee times at least 10 minutes apart. Single-rider carts. Golfers following CDC-recommended social distancing guidelines. No scoreboards at tournaments where players and spectators often congregate.
The plan worked. A few days after the state closed courses, the DECD reversed itself and allowed them to open. They’ve been open ever since.
“It wasn’t just me,” Dugan said. “It was a group of people who took the time to make this happen – took the time to understand the industry and make thoughtful decisions.”
The golfing public in Connecticut and beyond has benefited. According to the CSGA, the number of rounds posted for handicap purposes in Connecticut increased nearly 50 percent in 2020. More people played more golf on Connecticut courses in 2020, and because courses were closed elsewhere in New England during spring 2020, state facilities welcomed golf-hungry visitors from Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
“The state entrusted the CSGA to implement rules so golf could be played during the pandemic, which is what we did,” said Moraghan. “And as far as we know, I don’t believe there was any contract tracing that showed a person spreading the virus or becoming infected with the virus through golf in Connecticut.”
Dugan, who plays out of Glastonbury Hills Country Club, lobbied to help keep courses open and by doing so thousands of residents who work at golf courses didn’t lose their jobs. And tens of thousands of residents had an outdoor activity they could continue to pursue and enjoy.
“To play some small role, there’s a lot of satisfaction,” Dugan said. “Lobbyists are like problem solvers. Golf was one of the hundreds of problems we had to try to solve during COVID. We made sure the right people knew how we could do that.”
Said Moraghan: “Mike has a passion for golf, enjoys the game, understands the game, and there’s no question that helps as an advocate for the CSGA. He can explain the game to people who don’t play it.
“I’ve been telling colleagues for years, the most important thing you can do is get a really good lobbyist, because you’ll never know when you’ll need a friend at the State Capitol.”
E-Mail Michael