Boys & Girls Golf Committee Meeting Minutes 1/13/16

Boys & Girls Golf Committee Meeting Minutes 1/13/16

CIAC BOYS AND GIRLS GOLF COMMITTEE MINUTES

January 13, 2016

Present:  C. Claffey, R. Condon, R. DeAngelis, J. Dellapiano, C. Gettings, J. Jenkins, T. Malin, M. Moraghan, T. O’Donnell, J. Williams, J. Winer, B. Zadronzy, J. Casagrande, P. Hoey, S. Wysowski

Introductions – Committee members were asked to introduce themselves as several new members have been added to the committee.

Review and Approval of the CIAC Golf Committee Meeting Minutes – September 22, 2015 – After review and discussion the Committee voted to approve the minutes as presented.  Motion to approve – B. Zadrozny / second J. Williams / approved

Sites for the 2016 Championships – The sites and rotations of courses for the 2016 championship were reviewed with the Committee.  CIAC has a contract through the 2017 championships with four courses for the boys and a year-to-year contract for the girls.  The Committee voted at their last meeting in September to start a rotation for the girls tournament.  They request three to four courses be sought on a rotational basis.  The courses and divisions for the 2016 champions are as follows:

Division I                     Tallwoods, Hebron
Division II                   Timberlin, Berlin
Division III                  Crestbrook, Watertown
Division IV                  Fairview Farms, Harwinton
Girls                             Tashua Knowlls, Trumbull *
*The committee approved the use of Tashua Knolls for 2016 and will seek a third course for girls.
2016 – Tashua Knolls
2017 – TBD
2018 – Orange Hills

Carrie Gettings noted that Orange Hills needs to be notified as soon as possible.  Further discussion ensued on replacing Crestbrook as a site since it lacks a clubhouse area and is not conducive to a shotgun start.

Change of Date for the New England Championships and What Needs to be Done to Improve Participation in the Event – The Committee was informed the New England Championship at Brentwood Country Club in Keene, NH will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2016.  The usual date of the Monday following Father’s Day has been booked by an outside group.  The course will be available for a practice round on Tuesday, June 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on a first come, first serve basis for the usual fee of $25.  The tournament will commence at 8:00 a.m., June 22 using tees one and ten.

Discussion turned to how to improve participation and commitment on the part of Connecticut qualifiers.  Several golfers who said they were attending were no shows and no one was informed.  If the Connecticut coordinator for the New Englands had been informed he would have gone to the next qualifier(s) to fill the field.  The Committee discussed possible steps to take to address this situation.

  • Make the coach(es) and player(s) responsible to notify the coordinator within 48 hours of qualifying if they are or are not going to attend.  Athletic Directors should also be notified if one or more of their golfers have qualified and the procedures to follow for calling.
  • Check to see if the New England Championship would qualify for points for future events.  This would encourage the best golfers to participate.
  • Be sure all sites are distributing the New England entry forms to all qualifiers and alternates.
  • Stress the fact that it is a common courtesy to notify the coordinator if they are going to play and to do so in a timely manner.

Review and Updating of the 2016 Tournament Packet – The Committee reviewed an updated version of the 2016 tournament packet and made several suggestions for improvement in wording and new rule changes.  Language regarding coaching on the course was clarified and the use of cell phones for measuring distance was discussed.  Cell phones are used in CSGA events for measurement only and the question arose if we should also allow their use.  The Committee was reluctant to do so at this time.  Chuck Claffey will check on the rule and advise.  The number of teams assigned to each division will be as even as possible with the S division having a few more teams.

Discussion continued as to why in the girls championship only 15 teams and individuals qualify when in the boys in all divisions 20 teams plus individuals qualify.  The thinking in the past was based on the quality of play and the length of the event for the girls.  The quality of play for the girls has improved dramatically over the years and the Committee believes it is time to increase the number of teams that qualify.  The Committee voted to increase the number of teams that qualify in the girls tournament from 15 to 18 for 2016.  If all goes well, consideration will be given to increasing the number to 20 for the 2017 championships.  All suggested corrections, updates and additions will be made to the document by staff and the packet will be posted online by the end of February.

Discussion on Moving Boys Golf to the Fall – Review of Draft Calendar – The Committee began an in-depth discussion on the results of the survey and what would need to happen or be considered before a decision to move a proposal to the CIAC Board of Control.  Although the results of the survey show there is support to move boys golf to the fall no one has seen a full proposal that includes all the specifics and what modifications of CIAC bylaws would be necessary.

The survey shows that of the 119 athletic directors who completed the survey, 70 were in favor of the move.  Ray DeAngelis, the CAAD representative on the Committee, expressed a concern of the CAAD executive committee that at this point no one has seen a full proposal and therefore, CAAD could not take an official position.

The comments on the survey also show that there is both support for the move and concerns with the move.  As a result, the Committee has decided on the following:

  • Continue to take the next step and develop a complete proposal that can be vetted by CAAD, CHSCA, Season Limitations and eventually sent out to athletic directors, coaches, principals with a final survey.  If there is still support for a move after these steps the Committee will make a decision to move the proposal to the CIAC Board of Control.
  • CSGA will survey the courses on any increased costs to schools associated with the proposed move and the availability of the courses in the fall up to three days per week.
  • Consideration will be given to at least a two-year phase-in and possibly three on the proposal.
  • Consideration to allowing all golfers to compete in unlimited outside events.
  • Fall golfers be allowed to qualify and play in the Spring New England championships

CIAC staff will develop a full proposal and present it to the Committee for review as well as the groups mentioned earlier.  The Committee agreed to meet one more time prior to the start of the spring season to review the proposal and feedback on the proposal.  The meeting was set for February 24 at 3:00 p.m.

If the Committee decides to move a proposal forward to the CIAC Board for the Fall of 2017 the proposal would need to be acted upon by the Board in the Spring of 2017 or in the Fall for a 2018 start.

Date and Time of Next Meeting – Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.

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