March 30, 2020

Dear IGA Members and Iowa golfers,

We hope this email finds you and your families safe and healthy. Like all of you, we are looking forward to things getting back to normal. Hopefully, that is sooner rather than later but the truth is, no one can really say for sure.

Many of you participate in IGA Championships and might be wondering whether we plan to cancel or postpone any events. On Friday, our Board of Directors met and discussed this, in consultation with recommendations from our Rules & Competitions Committees.

It was determined not to postpone any of our championships at this time. We do have a plan in place, should we need it, to postpone events until June 1st. We will make a decision whether to go forward with that plan – or any variations thereof – around mid-April. Our first championship is the Iowa Mid-Amateur slated for May 8-9 at Sunnyside CC in Waterloo. (link to entire schedule) Should that happen, we will notify our membership via email, website notices and social media posts. We have established potential new dates with our host clubs for all events in May (Mid-Amateur, Women’s Mid-Am Series, Four-Ball, Senior Match Play), meaning none would be canceled.

As time passes if it looks like we won’t be able to hold any championships until later than June 1, we would have to make decisions on what events to cancel and which ones to postpone. At that point, there would not be enough space on the calendar to hold everything in that tight of a window. Obviously, the further that “go-date’ gets pushed back, the more events will be subject to cancellation. We hope it doesn’t come to that but we will have plans in place nevertheless.

If an event is postponed and a current entrant cannot play on the new dates, we will refund that entry fee in full. If an event is canceled, all entrants will be refunded their entry fees in full.

If you have any questions please reach us at [email protected] or call our office at 515.207.1062. We are (mostly) working from our homes at this time, but there is one person in to cover the office during our normal hours.

Finally, we encourage all of you to follow the best practices recommended by the WHO and CDC in all your daily activities, whether that includes playing golf or not. Courses have implemented strict restrictions on social distancing and you should strictly adhere to those. Stay at least 6 feet away from your playing partners at all times, including the tee boxes and greens. Try to walk rather than ride, but if that isn’t possible, do not share a cart (unless it is with someone from your own household). Remember, it’s just as much about how other people might feel as it is about your own comfort level.

Please be assured that when IGA Championships do take place, we will adhere to the letter and spirit of all guidelines outlined by the experts. We will be committed to ensuring the safety of our players and volunteers at all times.

Take care, everyone.

-IGA Staff and Board of Directors