Michigan Golf Journal August 2018

'ƵĞƐƚ ĚŝƚŽƌŝĂů My long-running quest to restore sanity and fairness to the MHSAA Boys High School 'ŽůĨ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ŚĂƐ ƉƌŽŵƉƚĞĚ Ă great deal of discussion among ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ͕ ƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ͕ ĐŽĂĐŚĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ŽƉĞƌĂƚŽƌƐ͘ dŚĞ overwhelming consensus is ĂďƵŶĚĂŶƚůLJ ĐůĞĂƌ ʹ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ĐŚĂŶŐĞ ƚŚĞ ŽLJƐ͛ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ďĂĐŬ to the fall – and share it with ƚŚĞ 'ŝƌů͛Ɛ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ͘ tŚLJ͍ tĞĂƚŚĞƌ ʹ ƚŚĞ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ŽLJƐ͛ season launches in mid-March, ĨŽƌĐŝŶŐ LJŽƵŶŐ ;ŽŌĞŶ ďĞŐŝŶŶŝŶŐͿ ŐŽůĨĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƐƉĞŶĚ ϯ ǁĞĞŬƐ ƉƵƫŶŐ ŝŶ ƐĐŚŽŽů ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ŝŶ ŚĂůůǁĂLJƐ before they ever get to hit a shot outdoors. Schools in the ŶŽƌƚŚĞƌŶ ƉĂƌƚƐ ŽĨ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ ŚĂĚ numerous matches cancelled ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ďůŝnjnjĂƌĚ ĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĐŽŵƉƌĞƐƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ into only a handful of matches crammed into the end of the school calendar. ŽƵƌƐĞ ǀĂŝůĂďŝůŝƚLJ ʹ There are dozens of courses around the state that have been kind enough to host Boys Golf in ƚŚĞ ƐƉƌŝŶŐ͕ ĞǀĞŶ ƚŚŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ƚĂŬĞƐ ƉůĂĐĞ Ăƚ Ă ŵŽƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŶǀĞŶŝĞŶƚ ƟŵĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞŵ͘ ^ƉƌŝŶŐ ŵĞůƟŶŐ ƐĂƚƵƌĂƚĞƐ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͕ ůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ĂƌĞ ũƵƐƚ ƐƚĂƌƟŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉĞƌŝŶƚĞŶĚĞŶƚƐ are working around the ĐůŽĐŬ ƚŽ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ĨŽƌ ŽƉĞŶŝŶŐ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ŵŝĚƐƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĂƚ͕ here comes a conference ŵĂƚĐŚ͕ ĚĂŝůLJ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚƐ͕ range needs, etc. The school ǁŚĞƌĞ / ƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂƐ ƐƐŝƐƚĂŶƚ ŽĂĐŚ ŚŽƐƚĞĚ ŽƵƌ ĮƌƐƚ conference match of the season before we had even hit a shot on our home course. &ƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďŝůŝƚLJ ƐƚĂŶĚƉŽŝŶƚ͕ ŽLJƐ 'ŽůĨ ŝƐ Ă ŶŝŐŚƚŵĂƌĞ ĨƌŽŵ ĞǀĞƌLJ ĂŶŐůĞ͘ ĐĂĚĞŵŝĐƐ ʹ lest we forget, ŽLJƐ 'ŽůĨ ƚĞĂŵƐ ĂƌĞ ĐŽŵƉƌŝƐĞĚ of students. As things currently ƐƚĂŶĚ͕ ŐŽůĨ ŝƐ ĂƚŽƉ ƚŚĞ leaderboard when it comes to ƚŚĞ ĂŵŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵ ƟŵĞ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ ĂƌĞ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ƚŽ ŵŝƐƐ͘ ƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ůŝŵŝƚĂƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ availability, matches have to be ƉůĂLJĞĚ ĞĂƌůLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĚĂLJ ƐŽ ƚŚĞ ĂŌĞƌŶŽŽŶ ůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ĐĂŶ ƉƌŽĐĞĞĚ͘ dŽ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚĂƚĞ ƚŚĂƚ ůŝŵŝƚĂƟŽŶ͕ the boys are out of school at noon and miss the rest of the ĚĂLJ͘ dŚŝƐ ŚĂƉƉĞŶƐ ƌĞƉĞĂƚĞĚůLJ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ǀŝƚĂů ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ the academic calendar – the ƐƉƌŝŶŐ ŵĂƌŬŝŶŐ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĮŶĂů ĞdžĂŵƐ͕ ƉůĂĐĞŵĞŶƚ ƚĞƐƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ŶƵŵĞƌŽƵƐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ĨŽƌ Seniors. Moved back to the fall, early ƌĞůĞĂƐĞ ƟŵĞ ĨŽƌ ďŽLJƐ ĨƌŽŵ school would rarely be needed – and nearly half the season DKs Kz^ ,/', ^ ,KK> 'K>& dK & >>͍ Editorial, by Bill Hobson