Coronavirus outbreak linked to the June golf tournament in Meridian

A golf tournament in June at The Club at SpurWing has been linked to several cases of COVID-19, according to local health officials.

The Wing Ding golf tournament took place from Wednesday 24 June to Saturday 27 June at the private club. The central district health department investigating coronavirus outbreaks in Ada county was aware of “about 12 positive cases,” spokesman Christine Myron told Idaho Statesman via email on Friday.

“Given the timing of the golf tournament and where we are today, people who may have been exposed to the tournament would get sick right now,” said Myron. “It’s not the first we’ve heard of people who have proven positive by referring to a golf tournament within the state, but it appears to be the first identified group associated with a golf tournament here in Ada County.”

A total of 144 people entered the Wing Ding tournament, according to Todd Bindner, SpurWing’s chief golfer.

Most of the players were 40 and 50 years old. Older members generally gave up on the tournament, Bindner said.

“I was surprised” by the outbreak that followed the tournament, he said.

SpurWing had no known or suspected case of COVID-19 among staff prior to the tournament, Bindner said. Since the event, four of the golf shop’s 20 employees have shown themselves to be positive, as well as some servers.

Masks, food and social distance

The private golf course had no indoor events as part of the four-day competition. Participants entered the golf shop, using two doors to enter and exit. The club asked people to wear masks when they were inside and all employees had to wear masks and gloves inside, Bindner said.

On the golf course, most SpurWing staff wore gloves but were not required to wear masks, Bindner said.

SpurWing encouraged players to observe the 6-foot rule for social distances and to share golf carts only with their close contacts, which generally meant they could ride with their partners, he said.

The food was served as a packed lunch, Bindner said.

“We never had big dinners to sit,” he said. “We thought that if we stayed away from that, we would be safe. … We are all, how, how did this happen? “

In addition, the club did not have a scoreboard, to prevent people from gathering in one place, Bindner said. “We had scorecards that had been passed between all of them,” he said.

Bindner said he was unaware of anyone from the hospitalized tournament.

“Most people I know have it, (they said it) felt it was flu symptoms,” he said. “Headache, fever, muscle aches, tired, then he seemed to be recovering well.”