High school golf organizers disagree on safest way to play during pandemic
While golf has been deemed safe enough to play during the coronavirus pandemic, some high school tournament organizers believe a rule waiver on the traditional method of competitive play could make it safer.
The Monroe County Falcon Invitational played in Tompkinsville on Friday and the Scott County Cardinals Invitational to be played on Aug. 15 in Georgetown are among the tournaments opting to have their competitors tee off together with their own teams in fivesomes rather than be grouped in foursomes with players from other teams according to rank.
The idea is to keep players from different geographic areas as separate as possible and perhaps minimize their coronavirus risk.
But those plans hit a snag when the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association’s All-State Committee clarified that any tournaments held under the team fivesomes format would not earn All-State points and thus players competing in them would not be adding to the season statistics that could earn them coveted postseason honors.
At the end of each season, the KGCA recognizes 20 boys’ and 20 girls’ players split among first and second All-State teams based on points accumulations that are awarded according to how players place in tournaments. Kentucky’s Mr. and Miss Golf awards go to the top overall points earners and the points system also determines which players and teams earn invitations to the KGCA All-State Championships, created last year to bring together the state’s best in a hyper-competitive prelude to the regional and state tournaments.
“To start off, I thought (team fivesomes were) going to be the initial way that things were going to have to be done, so I built my tournament to be around that because I agree with that being the safest way,” Monroe County Coach John Jackson said. “After I got all of my tee sheets done, sent coaches emails, and got everybody lined up to be there, I found out that All-State points will not be awarded for doing it my way. And that’s OK with me. I’m fine with that because I feel that this is the safest way to run a golf tournament, right now.
“We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and the way that I look at it is July 31 kicks things off for golf — and I don’t want to be the reason that … a bunch of kids get sick. I don’t want to be the reason golf gets canceled or even maybe some other fall sports are in jeopardy because of a big outbreak in Monroe County.”
Defending competition
Kevin Mims, Henry Clay girls’ coach and executive director of the KGCA, said he understands the concerns of Jackson and the format’s other proponents, but he noted that many high school golfers have been competing as individuals in groupings from different geographic areas in junior tournaments since the sport resumed on June 29.
“If you’re going to be awarding the best golfers in the state All-State points, you’ve got to have the competition set up to be a competition,” Mims said, adding that having just two players from the same team in a grouping is prohibited in the regional and state tournaments managed by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and waiving that rule, as yet, has not been discussed.
For competition’s sake, having teammates tee off together, while it might be considered by some marginally safer, it also presents the opportunity for teams to take unfair advantage of being able to play and be coached together even if there might not be outright cheating.
“You have checks and balances in golf,” Mims said. “You can’t have everybody on the same team keeping scores, especially, and then (having) their coach keeping the score and doing all the rulings for them.”
At Friday’s Lafayette Five Star General Invitational in Lexington, two-time defending state champion Taylor County Coach Todd Polston said he sided with the All-State argument. The Lafayette event ran its varsity competition in traditional foursomes and its junior varsity competition in team fivesomes.
“I think they are doing a great job here (at Lafayette) with social distancing and the masks,” Polston said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem either way. I lean toward the All-State side. If you’re playing with your coach and your team — I don’t want to say anyone would change scores — but I think that’s just difficult to control score-wise. (This way) you’re holding everybody accountable. And you get to play with different players. I like that format much better.”
Under both formats, players are to have their temperatures checked as they arrive and coaches are to make sure they screen each player with a series of the typical coronavirus screening questions. Then they must maintain the social distance of 6 feet as they play. Pins are never removed from the holes. Spectators are limited to two fans per golfer.
“So, with either way that it’s put, you’re going to have some interaction whether it’s with teams or with other individuals on other teams,” said Lafayette Coach Derek Wyman, who said he consulted with the local health department about his event. “There’s benefits to both. There’s not necessarily one way that’s the best. But with the KGCA being able to award All-State points, we want to make sure that our players at this tournament are able to take advantage of that, so that’s the route that we decided to go with here.”
Safety first
Scott County Coach Bryan Flanders said his event will be professionally run and each grouping is to have a separate scorer from another team or an impartial volunteer to help mitigate any perception of impropriety.
“Essentially, we’re working with the parameters of our administration and the health department as well as trying to minimize as much interaction between kids as possible,” Flanders said. “And keeping the teams together and playing in fivesomes is something that’s being explored at the collegiate level as something to minimize that.”
Flanders argues the risk of a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic is enough reason to waive traditional rules.
“You’ve got to sort of think outside the box and be willing to do things that you normally haven’t done (and not stick to them) just because they’ve always been done that way,” he said.
For high school golf’s regular season, the KHSAA has adopted rules from Golf House Kentucky, an umbrella organization that encompasses multiple golf organizations and manages the state’s junior golf competitions. Golf House has said high school tournaments “may” have team fivesomes. But Mims said that doesn’t mean the KGCA has to recognize those tournaments for All-State purposes.
“We can’t legislate how you run your event … Your event is your event,” Mims said. “I can’t tell you that you have to do stuff. But now, when it comes to All-State (qualifications)? If you want your event to count as an All-State event? Then yeah, I do have some rules.”
The KHSAA Board of Control briefly touched on the format issue at its special meeting last week, but did not weigh in. Commissioner Julian Tackett said the All-State points matter is up to the tournaments and coaches to decide and that while he recalls that teeing off in team fivesomes was originally recommended, it’s ultimately discretionary.
“Some people are choosing not to do that because it’s a competition thing. And, you know, some people are gonna choose not to go to those events because they’re doing that deviation,” Tackett said.
Failed petition
Dan Dillingham, Greenwood athletics director and former longtime coach, joined a petition to the KGCA advocating that the team fivesome format events be included in the All-State points system, but the school reworked its event to meet the All-State rules after the petition was rejected.
“We still feel that teams playing together overall would be, probably, a little safer option considering the circumstances,” said Dillingham, whose event Monday will be held at Bowling Green Country Club, the site of the KHSAA boys’ and girls’ state championships for the last 14 years. “But, you know, we also know that All-State points are important for many teams, and we want our tournament to be important. We’ve got a lot of good teams coming in, and wanting to play a great course, play the state championship course, and we want to continue to be able to offer that.
“We’re going to still take every precaution we can to make sure it’s a safe and enjoyable golf tournament and that’s what we’ll go with.”
Love of the game
Scott County’s Flanders said he did have four teams pull out of his tournament after everyone learned it would not garner All-State points. But those vacancies were quickly filled. He also said his team would be participating in events being run the other way. He’s just not going to be the host of one.
“For the programs that are looking to just have the opportunity for their kids compete, the All-State points are secondary to them,” Flanders said. “For some of the higher level programs, the All-State points are an opportunity for recognition for the players, which I understand and appreciate. … I feel like we’re doing what’s right. You know, that whole All-State points thing has been — if you do the math on it — it really narrows it down to a select few to get to that point. And there’s a lot of good golfers in this state that are playing it for the love of the game.”
Monroe County’s Jackson said he would take his team to All-State formatted events if his players’ parents sign off on them, but as a tournament organizer, he’s still not comfortable putting other teams at what he feels as more risk.
“Can kids still come in contact with one another (in team fivesomes)?” Jackson asked, rhetorically. “Sure. They could walk by one another going to the restroom or something like that. But, in my opinion, after I’ve consulted with my athletic department and my local health department — they’re behind me a hundred percent that this is the safest way to do it, and that’s how I’m going to proceed.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 12:18 PM.
