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After almost 68 days at home, Ottawa Sun’s journalist Bruce Garrioch heads off to the Hylands Golf Membership after talking to Ottawa Senators conditioning coach Chris Schwarz for a phone interview. It is his seventh year at the Hylands Golf membership, and he admits that he had been waiting for the course to open.

Because of the pandemic, specific rules need to be implemented. He said there is no bodily contact, and they had to refrain from the usual handshakes and hugs. “Just friendly and honest thanks.” he said.

The management had to implement window hours to accommodate golfers so as not to violate the distancing. Usually, players can tee between dawn to seven a.m., appropriately dubbed the “early birds.” But now, there is a 20 minute arrangement time and a 10-minute window between tee instances.

He was accompanied by spouse Maria and two companions Ian and Wade. They played rounds at 11:20 a.m., signifying the start of the golf season for the year 2020. However, there are no scoreboards, though, and the first tee benches and ball washers are removed.