March 17, 2020

Two GreatLIFE fitness centers are closed, but golf courses will open Wednesday to take advantage of 50-degree temperatures.

GreatLIFE’s Woodlake and Performance Center locations closed Friday, and team members are in there this week doing a massive cleaning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Nobody could have expected this, but you’ve got to make the most of what you have,” president Nick Ovenden said.

The other fitness centers are open, but GreatLIFE is limiting how many people can work out at once.

“We’ve put in a pretty strict policy and have been monitoring from 5 a.m. to 10:30 or 11 p.m. all the smaller facilities, making sure we don’t get overcrowded,” Ovenden said. “For the most part, people are pretty understanding and just happy they have an outlet.”

“To stay healthy physically and emotionally and mentally right now, it’s a weird time for high anxiety and stress, so we’re doing our part to not spread anything but provide a service and an outlet for people.”

Come with Ovenden inside one of the closed fitness centers and listen to his interview below.

Members can join GreatLIFE’s group fitness page on Facebook to access classes.

“We’re working on getting personal training workouts to do at home. We do want people to take it seriously, and if you fall in those high-risk categories, we really urge you to stay home,” Ovenden said.

All GreatLIFE golf courses will open at 10 a.m. Wednesday for walking only. Golfers can reserve a tee time. They also can call the pro shop ahead of time to check in, so there’s no need to walk in.

“One of the safest places for people to be is actually out on the golf course,” Ovenden said. “If you want to come in the clubhouse to get anything, you can do that, but we’re limiting people’s time in the clubhouse.”

Food and beverage will be open with stringent cleaning policies in place.

On the course, golfers are asked to leave the flagstick in the hole at all times. GreatLIFE has picked up all rakes on the courses, and golfers are asked to use their feet as best they can to smooth out sand.

“We’re going to do our best to keep open, but right now it’s about keeping everybody healthy, so we’re going to adhere to the guidelines given out and do our best to keep everybody safe,” Ovenden said.

Visit joingreatlife.com for the latest updates.