Are you ready for some golf?
The sports world has been in hibernation since mid-March, when NBA star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and set off a rapid chain reaction that trickled down to every level of every sport worldwide. For almost two months, athletes haven’t had any platforms upon which to compete.
Until now.
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Ted Bishop and Crystal Morse of The Legends Golf Club have unveiled plans for the Johnson County May Junior Tournament Series, which will offer local golfers a chance to play in a competitive setting for the first time since pandemic-related distancing regulations put sports on hold almost two months ago.
Tournaments will be played on each of the five Saturdays in May, starting this weekend. The events, which are not affiliated with the IHSAA or any local school teams, are open to all boys and girls currently attending high school or middle school in Johnson County.
“It’s going to be fun,” Bishop said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of high school players that are missing out on their season — in particular for the boys, they would have been playing invitationals on virtually every Saturday anyway. This will be an opportunity for some of the girls who want to play to get some spring golf action in, and certainly a great chance for the middle school players as well.”
High school players will play 18-hole rounds, with middle schoolers playing nine holes either on the par-3 course or on the main layout, depending on skill level.
Points will be awarded based on overall finish each week in order to crown a series champion in each division at the end of the month.
Golf, played in small groups across a vast expanse of land, has been one of the few traditional recreational avenues available to people during the statewide stay-at-home order. But even with the built-in distance that the sport provides, additional precautions have been put in place at local courses this spring.
Those measures will remain in place for this tournament series. Bunkers will be played as ground under repair, so that players can take drops out of the sand; there are no rakes on the course. Flagsticks are to be left in while putting and not handled, and all players will be required to walk the course and carry their own bags — no carts or caddies.
Bishop said that any spectators who attend must walk the course, stay on the cart paths and practice appropriate social distancing — something that shouldn’t be a problem based on what he’s been seeing on the course this spring.
“My observations over the last month of us being really busy is that I’ve been really pleased at how well everybody’s policed themselves.”
Regardless of the restrictions, players are eager to get back to competing any way that they can.
Franklin junior Liv Parramore, who was the county player of the year in the fall, says that she’s been playing every day that the weather has allowed this spring, but she’s also itching for a taste of tournament play.
“It’s been fun just playing around,” she said, “but definitely tournament style’s a lot different, so for (Bishop) to do that for us, it’s going to help us for if we’re going to have a summer season and then the girls season in the fall — if that will happen.”
The series will be especially welcome for boys players who lost their high school season this spring, including Franklin junior Damon Dickey, who qualified for state as an individual a year ago. Disappointment abounded when the IHSAA pulled the plug on the entire golf season earlier this month after the state closed schools for the remainder of the school year. But for local players, this series will serve as the next best thing.
“It’s going to be great,” Dickey said. “It’s been nice to have a break, too, to be able to practice and work on the stuff I want to work on, but I’m ready to start competing again.”
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The Johnson County May Junior Tournament Series will be held each Saturday of the month (May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30) at The Legends Golf Club. Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with the entry deadline for each week’s tournament set for 6 p.m. on that Thursday.
High school divisions will be limited to the first 24 boys and 16 girls each week. The middle school will have championship and par-3 divisions, with a maximum of 12 boys and 12 girls in each.
Entry fees will be $10 per week for players who are members at The Legends. For non-members, the cost is $25 for high school players, $20 for middle school.
To sign up, email Ted Bishop ([email protected]) or Crystal Morse ([email protected]) or call the course at 317-736-8186.
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