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For many, the return of golf is a religious experience

By Tom King - Staff Writer | May 11, 2020

Some argue that golf is not a sport, it’s just a game.

Others argue that golf is more than just a sport, it’s a religion.

We’ll go with the latter. Just ask Green Meadow’s Roland Delisle, who worked at the course for 28 years and as a reward now gets a lifetime of free golf.

Delisle couldn’t wait to get out on the course Monday, the first day New Hampshire courses were allowed to open since they all closed on March 27 due to the pandemic.

Delisle never got out back then. You see, he is 94 years young, and the Lowell, Mass., resident had to undergo a heart procedure back in February. His wait wasn’t seven weeks, it was six months.

“I had a valve put into my heart in February,” he said. “And then they had the virus. Before that I was short-winded, I couldn’t play golf. November was the last time I played. I normally play on Mondays and Wednesdays.”

So Monday was like a holiday for someone who doesn’t look close to 94. Even so, men his age right now are normally kept in bubble wrap due to this horrible virus. But the game of golf is a strong, strong pull, and Delisle doesn’t strike you as the type to stay put. Thus, Monday was Golf Day.

“You bet,” he said after his putt just missed the hole on the seventh green. “Anything to get out.”

Yes, Monday was a day when golfers could finally exhale. Unless they wore a mask – not a requirement except for course employees – they could breath in the fresh air, the smell of fresh cut grass, etc.

But it was strange to see the parking lot at Green Meadow not even half full Monday morning. With tee times spread out by 12 minutes, plus a frost delay, things weren’t the same. The frost delay pushed things back an hour for everyone.

“It’s a bizarre day,” said one course employee who was checking on people in the parking lot. “People were OK with the process. I thought there’d be a lot of headaches and a lot of angry people, but it’s gone pretty well.”

But not as busy-busy as golf courses can be. However, that is almost by design. There were no multiple groups on any hole yours truly saw at Green Meadow and then over at Nashua Country Club. While that seemed abnormal, one must now consider that part of the new normal when it comes to golf. And no one is going to complain about good golf course traffic. The courses are looking green and great, and now they finally have people other than course employees on them.

“The pace is good, people were fantastic this morning,” Green Meadow general manager Pete Dupuis said.

Same at Nashua Country Club. Golf was back, and as NCC pro Jason Malcolm, who was celebrating a birthday said, the feeling was “great.” The course looked fantastic. Malcolm greeting the first group of the day with a mask, but no one cared.

“They were ecstatic,” he said. “Everyone’s just happy to get out.”

But you’ve got to think no one was happier than Roland Delisle, whose next day on the links will be, he said, Wednesday.

Happy Golf Day, Roland, and may you enjoy many more.

May we all.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251 or tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).

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