Coronavirus Florida: Palm Beach County golfers no longer can play on public golf courses in Martin County

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Golfers in Palm Beach County are going to have to look elsewhere to get their fix during the coronavirus pandemic.

Martin County commissioners voted Thursday to keep the golf courses open - but restrict play on public courses to county residents, starting Friday.

The move is obviously aimed at golfers from Palm Beach County who have making the trek north to continue playing the last two weeks. Palm Beach County closed its courses on March 26, not long after Miami-Dade and Broward counties did the same.

"The biggest issue was people coming from outside the county. Once courses were closed in Palm Beach County, we got a flood of people coming our way," Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi told TCPalm. "I hate to say it's us versus them. (But) there are two draws to Palm Beach County: boat ramps and golf."

The restriction does not apply to private clubs in Martin County; members of private clubs are allowed to continue playing, regardless of where they live.

Golfers from Palm Beach County can still travel to Port St. Lucie or Indian River counties to play. PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie closed a week ago.

Commissioners said they will shut down a public course if they are allowing non-residents to play. The restriction comes a day after Martin County reported its first death from COVID-19, a 77-year-old man.

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