Grand Rapids Reporter

Visiting the Gaylord area during the 2020 Pure Michigan Golf Tournament Tour, radio host Paul Beckmann recently had the chance to discuss how the local tourism industry around Gaylord has been affected by COVID-19 restrictions with Paul Beachnau, the executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau.

From the start of the pandemic, the Gaylord golf courses took enforcement of coronavirus restrictions very seriously, Beachnau said on WJR's "The Frank Beckmann Show."

"They put protocols in place that made it very, very easy and made people feel very comfortable playing,” he told Beckmann.

Paul Beachnau, Executive Director at Gaylord | LinkedIn

In fact, with the freedom offered by golf being an outdoor activity where normal play already fits well with most social-distancing guidelines, the Gaylord courses have actually seen a surge of golfers who are either new to the sport or haven’t played in years, according to Beachnau.

"Your chances (of contracting COVID-19) are reduced so substantially by being outside,” Beachnau told Beckmann.

With three decades of promoting themselves as a premier Midwestern golfing destination, Beachnau told Beckmann that a lot of what they do in promotion is focusing on the quality of experience they can offer at Gaylord.

Beckmann said he has been impressed with some of the ways he has seen the golf resort adapting to continue offering amenities and services to their guests.

Beachnau told Beckmann that, while they were not allowed to promote themselves during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders, when some of the restrictions lifted, Gaylord has been able to really capitalize on the number of outdoor recreation opportunities, in addition to golf, that the area offers. He noted biking and kayaking on the Sturgeon River as examples.

"There’s so many opportunities, but golf certainly is a linchpin for us and one of our top activities,” he told Beckmann.