Editorial, by Bill Hobson
My long-running quest to restore sanity and fairness to the MHSAA Boys High School Golf season has prompted a great deal of discussion among players, parents, coaches, and course operators. The overwhelming consensus is abundantly clear – it’s time to change the Boys’ season back to the fall – and share it with the Girl’s season.
Why?
Weather – the current Boys’ season launches in mid-March, forcing young (often beginning) golfers to spend 3 weeks putting in school classrooms and chipping in hallways before they ever get to hit a shot outdoors. Schools in the northern parts of Michigan had numerous matches cancelled due to blizzard conditions that compressed the regular season into only a handful of matches crammed into the end of the school calendar.
Course Availability – There are dozens of courses around the state that have been kind enough to host Boys Golf in the spring, even though the season takes place at a most inconvenient time for them. Spring melting saturates courses, leagues are just starting, and superintendents are working around the clock to prepare courses for opening. In the midst of that, here comes a conference match, daily practice requests, range needs, etc. The school where I served as Assistant Coach hosted our first conference match of the season before we had even hit a shot on our home course. From the course availability standpoint, Boys Golf is a nightmare from every angle.
Academics – lest we forget, Boys Golf teams are comprised of students. As things currently stand, golf is atop the leaderboard when it comes to the amount of classroom time players are required to miss. Due to the limitations of course availability, matches have to be played early in the day so the afternoon leagues can proceed. To facilitate that limitation, the boys are out of school at noon and miss the rest of the day. This happens repeatedly during the most vital part of the academic calendar – the spring marking period with final exams, placement tests, and numerous activities for Seniors.
Moved back to the fall, early release time for boys from school would rarely be needed – and nearly half the season could be completed in August before school starts. Anyone claiming to care about the academic performance of boys competing in golf knows that the current schedule compromises these students when they most need to focus on school.
Participation Decline – No other sport has seen as rapid a decline in participation as Boys Golf. These young men are the future of the game and yet we require them to fall in love with it while practicing in hallways and then bundling up in seven layers to head outside to compete in snow flurries and sub-40 degree afternoons. Is it any wonder we’re seeing fewer and fewer boys come out to golf? This trend portends very negatively for the future of the game both at the high school level and beyond.
The solution is simple. Both Boys and Girls Golf season can – and should – be held concurrently in the fall. Matches could be held through August and September without interference from course leagues. Extended daylight means classroom time would be valued instead of skipped. The entire schedule could be completed before the end of September – including State Finals.
It’s time for a change to the legal mechanics that currently limit the changing of any MHSAA season. It’s time for sanity and fairness to be restored.
