Once the last tee times on March 25 go out, Bandon Dunes Resort will close all five courses until April 6. The move follows a March 23 executive order from Oregon Governor Kate Brown ordering Oregonians to stay at home with the usual exceptions for essential trips to grocery stores or health care providers.

The town of Bandon has issued an even stronger order, closing all hotels to "transients" staying less than 30 days due to an influx of visitors from Portland and other areas seeking shelter along the coast. While Bandon Dunes Resort is not subject to the Bandon ordinance due to its location outside of town, they are proceeding with an abundance of caution.

I've been running the AmateurGolf.com Two Man Links Championship for 18 years, with the 19th annual event scheduled for April 23-27. We have not cancelled the event yet, after polling each player by phone individually. Many of them drive to the tournament, and wish to proceed even with a smaller field. The resort has been gracious about offering full refunds for anyone that doesn't want to travel during this crisis.

I'm fortunate to have close contact with Bandon Dunes on a daily basis, as the longest-running continually-held amateur tournament at the resort. For the last two weeks, they have been operating on with new guidelines, closing all restaurants and bars and offering a limited to-go menu for golfers to consume in their rooms.

General Manager Don Crowe told John Gunther of "The World" that golfers were grateful that Bandon was staying open.

"We're hearing positive feedback from guests who are thankful we are open," said Crowe. They appreciate the fact that we have taken such serious precautions to protect them in this situation."

I continue to believe that golf, played with social distancing precautions like not touching the flagstick -- who knew the USGA's new rule would come in handy this way -- is a tremendously beneficial and safe way to keep our sanity during these difficult times. The problem isn't being on the course so much as getting there, especially for those that come to a resort like Bandon Dunes by plane. Not only is the travel portion risky, the potential to spread the virus to other places isn't necessarily prudent.

So I'm sure that Bandon will follow the state and federal government's guidelines and recommendations before re-opening. AmateurGolf.com will be watching closely, and will communicate any changes with our tournament players.

Closing for the first time in 21 years is evidence that Bandon Dunes doesn't take the situation lightly. I have full confidence in the resort and it's staff to provide us with the best service possible when they do reopen, even if that means a grab-and-go breakfast before hitting the links. It wouldn't be the first time we hit the first tee with an egg sandwich in one hand and a driver in the other.

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