It could become ‘unbearable’ at the Bear’s Club.
This will be the scenario with the PGA and European Tour’s in shut down mode and the Masters postponed leaving the world’s leading pros with no formal competition.
It’s a worldwide sporting cancellation scenario not witnessed on a scale since World War 11 as the Coronavirus pandemic spreads unchecked.
And while tournament golf, both professional and leading amateur events, has been stopped there’s now sure to be a rush for tee times at one ultra-exclusive Florida club.
It’s known Bear’s Club members have long been uneasy in having to share their ultra-exclusive Jupiter course and practice facilities with the game’s best.
That was the recent scenario over the Christmas/New Year break as the likes of World No.1 Rory McIlroy along with club founder, Jack Nicklaus plus Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley, Daniel Berger, Jamie Lovemark, Aniban Lahiri, Shane Lowry and LGPA star Michelle Wie were spotted coming-and-going ahead of the start of the 2020 season
Michael Jordan also lives on the Bear’s Club estate and there was an article five years ago reporting the NBA legend was furious it was taking so long to play he was threatening to cancel his membership but he’s still there.
Not all live within the security-tight high walls between Donald Ross and Frederick Small Roads including Woods, who resides on nearby Jupiter Island, while Lowry and family are renting premises a 20-minute drive away on the Ballen Isles estate.
Though at a time of year when those regular Bear’s Club members would expect to ‘regain’ their course there’s going to a fight for practice range space and tee-times on ‘Jack’s Course’.
The ultra-exclusive Bear’s Club and home to many of the world’s leading golfers.
“I’m sure there will be no shortage of company for a few social rounds,” said McIlroy.
“You’ve got to be out there practicing even though we don’t not knowing what you’re practicing for or when the Tour’s will start up again.”
Fowler said: “I’ll be at home and relaxing a little bit, taking this as a little bit of a mini-off-season in a way.”
Thomas won in the very week of the new decade and had been third in Phoenix and a T6th in Mexico and he like so many was looking forward not only to the Players Championship but also next month’s Masters.
“I was saying last week, I’m like, Man, I’m really, really starting to play well right now and I was excited for these next three weeks,” said Thomas.
“So, like all of us I don’t know what I’m going to do for a couple weeks and wonder what I’m preparing for next. It’s just a wild, wild time right now.”
Lowry has elected to remain in the Florida with his young family and wait out the suspension.
“Even though there will be no tournaments for the foreseeable future we will be better off in Florida and beside there is plenty of courses where I can play a few social rounds,” said Lowry.
And this writer bumped into McIlroy’s and Lowry’s fellow Open Champion, Henrik Stenson and his wife, Emma last Friday at the Publix store close to TPC Sawgrass.
The Stenson’s shopping trolley was packed full of groceries ahead of the 2016 Open Champion and his wife heading south two-hours to their Orlando residence.
“It’s going to be really strange to be home for what now seems could be a long time,” said Stenson.
“I know there’s a garage in our house that I’ve just kept putting off from tidying-up, so I can get to that.”
Though his wife, Emma remarked smiling: “As long he doesn’t get under my feet and stays out of the kitchen, I’ll be happy to have him around.”
