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Two IGA Point Events Will Not be Played in 2012
The Iowa Golf Association has learned that two sanctioned Player of the Year point events will not be on the 2012 tournament schedule. Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion informed the IGA this winter that the Hunters Ridge Amateur had been discontinued. The event was sanctioned by the IGA as a point event in 2007 but low participation and other factors resulted in its demise.
In a more recent development the IGA was informed by Clinton Country Club at the Oaks in late March that the Clinton Riverboat Days tournament will not be played in 2012. The Riverboat Days event has been an IGA point event since 1985. The old Clinton CC was sold to Ashford University in December 2009 and the club subsequently purchased the Valley Oaks public golf course in the spring of 2010.
D’Anne Kroemer, who is both a club member and a member of the IGA Board of Directors, told the IGA board that: “Possible reinstatement of the event in future years is uncertain but it will definitely not be played in 2012.”
At its spring board meeting the IGA discussed the future of the IGA point event schedule. Rules and Competitions Chairman Tom Christensen reported that the committee and IGA Staff plans to review the entire calendar of events and evaluate the possibility of adding more events to the schedule.
“We are not in a rush to make wholesale changes, but these recent developments make this seem like a good time to undergo a complete review and to brainstorm some ideas for improvement,” said Christensen. “There are many historically traditional events that we want to keep healthy, but we also think some additional events should be considered.”
“The reality is that tournaments have become more regional, with players less inclined to travel long distances because of both cost and time factors,” said IGA executive director Bill Dickens. “An event played in Burlington really doesn’t “compete” with an event played in Sioux City on the same date, so we want to look at the possibility of adding some events in geographic areas of the state that are now underrepresented. Our ultimate goal is to encourage more participation and to provide more opportunity for our members to compete for player of the year honors.”
Interested parties may submit questions and ideas to Bill Dickens at dwdickens@iowagolf.org.
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