Golf courses aren’t expecting an outpouring of sympathy. The public perception of the industry is reflected in its inclusion on what is informally known as the Internal Revenue Service “sin list,” a group of enterprises that are blocked from all sorts of government initiatives, including disaster relief. Others on the list include massage parlors, racetracks and hot tub facilities.

So far, there’s been no reference to the sin list in any of the coronavirus programs passed in Washington. But Jay Karen, the chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association, says he and his colleagues are on alert.

“There’s a bias against the game and the business of golf, and it’s patently unfair,” said Mr. Karen. “The feeling is that golf courses are owned by a bunch of rich guys, which is a very old narrative that no longer holds true.”

Nationally, 80 percent of golf is played on what are known as public courses, Mr. Karen added. In terms of revenue and payroll, these are businesses roughly the size of a typical restaurant. Unlike most restaurants, though, golf courses are outdoors. They would have a reasonable chance at survival, supporters say, if they were allowed to stay open.

“It’s a game that is played in what is essentially a 200-acre park, with a maximum of 70 people in the park at a time,” said Steve Skinner, the chief executive of KemperSports, which manages 130 golf courses. “That’s more than two acres per person.”

To Peter Weiss, the mayor of Oceanside, Calif., that seems like ample space. He had hoped all courses in the city would stay open, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order. But in late March, the last holdouts attracted enough players, and media attention, that health officials ordered them closed the next day. As a courtesy, the mayor called to give the courses a heads up — and to see if they had any tee times for a final round.

One did. “It was one of my better golf experiences, honestly,” Mr. Weiss said. “And it didn’t feel crowded. There’s more people at a Trader Joe’s.”