If I Was… The Commissioner Of The MSHSL

Ok…I admit it. I don’t even know if there is a commissioner of the MSHSL, but this is my column, so I am going to assume, for argument’s sake, there is. The historically disastrous weather this April wreaked havoc over all Spring High School sports and it is time for a major change.

Softball, Baseball, Track and Field, Boys Tennis, Lacrosse and Golf have all called major audibles over tryouts, practice times and game schedules. Gym space is overrun and there are not nearly enough domes in the metro to accommodate everyone.

While I understand the limitations of moving all of these sports to the fall (or to the summer like some sports in Iowa), I do believe both boys and girls golf should move permanently to the fall semester.

Having grown up in Chicago, where High School golf is a fall sport for both boys and girls, it has never made any sense to me why Minnesota High School golfers have to play in months when the only thing that identifies the season as Spring is the calendar.

Think about it… the courses… if they are even open, offer turf that has only recently become visible after months of being buried under feet of snow and ice. The grass has not grown. The fairways are soaked and the sand in the bunkers is hard as a rock. Hardly ideal playing conditions and hardly the setting players need to show their very best.

Conversely, playing conditions from late August through the first week in October are as good as it gets in this state. The grass has had an entire season to grow. Most turf diseases that can occasionally pop up in summer are usually on their way out in late August. The temperatures are normally still warm but with less humidity putting less stress on both golfer and golf course and honestly, there is more inventory that courses are willing to part with.

When spring finally does arrive in Minnesota, courses are in desperate need to fill tee times with the pent-up demands of recreational golfers. Normally, golfers flock in droves as soon as they can tee it up. After being stuck inside for seven months, any course condition will do. Financially, courses need to take advantage of this demand to produce enough early revenue to make the season a success, but they must instead either donate their inventory or offer it up at greatly discounted rates so the MSHSL can hold competitions.

The Fall, on the other hand, offers less demand from recreational golfers (Vikings’ season has begun after all) and many Minnesotans would rather get that last weekend at the cabin than spend four hours playing golf. Courses have generally had enough of the season to earn the revenue needed to make the season successful.

I do not want to make this sound like it is all about the money, but realistically, that is a factor that must be taken into consideration.

I have asked several High School coaches why the season is in the spring and, other that Title IX, none of the arguments make any sense to me. The one I hear most often is that it would not give Minnesota students the best chance to be recruited by college coaches.

If it is Title IX… OK… I get that but to the other argument, I politely say, BUNK!

I have talked to multiple college coaches from all three levels of the NCAA. College coaches are busy coaching their own teams in the spring. The NCAA conducts a split season for golf so, honestly, the only time during the school calendar the college coaches are really free to recruit is over the holidays. Of course, they will come out to see potential players at the State Tournaments, but they would make that trip in the fall as well. In reality, college coaches do most of their scouting during the summer months when the AJGA, national amateur and Jr. PGA schedule is in full swing.

And if your player really wants to be recruited, would it not be best to place them in an environment where they can show their true abilities? Go back to my course condition argument. I would hate to see any young golfer lose an opportunity to play college golf because the one time a coach could see him or her play, it was 45 degrees and windy on a course that was so wet it could make even a great shot go sideways.

Another reason I have heard is that there is not enough daylight to hold 18-hole matches as the season rolls into autumn. That’s another thing I don’t understand. In many states, High School matches (conference at least) are 9 hole matches not 18. Eighteen-hole matches require students to miss far too much classroom time at any time of the year in my opinion… but that’s another column.

This is not the first time this topic has come up. The MSHL has been approached multiple times over the last several years to review the possibility of moving the season to the Fall. Each time, the suggestion has been met with a resounding no.

I just don’t understand the hardline stance.

Better playing conditions, more inventory, less potential schedule interruptions and an overall better experience are all legitimate reasons to move the season. Still the answer is no.

No… I just don’t get it.