Alcohol Back on Courses, but with Restrictions 0

Golf courses are free to sell alcohol again – but not out on the course and not inside where people congregate, according to a piece by Mark Smith of Enchantment Sports.

The May 22 guidelines announced by the state limit sales to “take away” only from an outside walk-up concession stand like this one at Ladera Golf Course on Albuquerque's West Side.

Here are the guidelines set issued  by the state, as quoted by Smith:

1. Alcohol can be sold on a “take away” basis only, which means people cannot sit and congregate with it in an area like the clubhouse, restaurant, patio, etc.

2. Alcohol can NOT be sold from a beverage cart.

3. Alcohol can only be sold from a concessions-type area, where golfers can get the product and then go straight to the golf course.  The goal is to avoid and eliminate the congregating of people that alcohol can promote.

Colby Reddoch, director of golf at Los Altos Golf Course, told Enchantment Sports he'll likely start sales of alcohol when it once again can be sold on beverage carts.

“I honestly don’t know if we are allowed to have them, but I don’t have one out on the course,” Reddoch said. “Once alcohol sales are allowed to be sold from a cart, I’ll have one back out.”

Smith cited his personal experience in trying to stay hydrated on the golf course.

“Last week, I teed it up at Ladera with my 9-year-old son, Brock.

“We each bought a Gatorade at the snack bar before the round, then consumed them by the third hole in the mid-afternoon blaze.

“No problem. There’s a water fountain on the fourth tee, right?

“Sure is.

“But like all water fountains on all New Mexico golf courses, it is required to be capped during this Coronavirus transition period.”

You can read Smith's full story here.

(Photo by Mark Smith)

By New Mexico Golf News staff