51st Illinois State Senior Women's Amateur Championship
September 15-17, 2020
Soangetaha Country Club, Galesburg, IL
Championship Information
51st Illinois State Senior Women’s Amateur Championship
Dates: September 15 – 17, 2020
Location: Soangetaha Country Club, Galesburg, IL
Entry Deadline: Entries will be accepted from the applicants with the lowest handicap indexes until August 15, 2020. If the field is not full by the entry deadline, late entry requests may be accepted pending approval of the Championship Chair. The August 15 handicap index will be used to determine the final field and will be used for the championship handicaps. Only players with official handicap indexes will be considered for entry. Players should confirm receipt of entry by checking the "Entries Received" item under the "Player Information Menu".
In the event of a full field, a waiting list will be established. Players who are affected will be contacted by the IWGA and the waiting list will be posted under the "Player Info" menu on this website. All players who are placed on the waiting list and are not offered a spot in the championship or who choose to not accept an offered spot will have their full entry fee refunded.
Registration: ** IMPORTANT ** All players must either register in person or by calling the Senior Am registration line at (815) 200-9820 on Monday September 14 between 11:00AM and 3:00PM
Format: 54 holes stroke play with players flighted by age groups to be determined after close of registration. The Champion will be the low
gross winner across the field. Ties for overall Champion will be determined by sudden-death playoff. All other ties will be determined
by scorecard playoff per USGA recommendations.
Eligibility: Entry is open to women amateur golfers who have reached their 50th birthday by the first day of play and have an established USGA 18-hole handicap of 30 or less. The contestant must maintain a residence in Illinois.
Entry Fee: The entry fee is $240 $315 and includes three championship rounds with cart, one practice round, banquet dinner at Soangetaha Country Club, club storage, prizes, and range balls on championship days before play. Monday, Sept. 14 is the dedicated practice round day. Practice round carts are optional at a player cost of $25. The following additional practice rounds dates may be available. Contact the Pro Shop at (309) 342-5410 to check availability.
Guests are welcome for the banquet dinner at a cost of $35. Refunds for cancellations prior to August 31 will have a $15 administrative fee deducted. No refunds will be given after August 31.
Refunds: Any player may withdraw for any reason prior to the beginning of play and will receive a full refund. The IWGA requests that any player feeling ill to please withdraw prior to arriving on property.
Soangetaha Country Club was established in 1895 by a group of Knox College professors and alumni. The course was designed by renowned architecht Tom Bendalow who was called the "Johnny Appleseed" of golf courses during the early 1900's as he established golf courses across much of the country. His most famous design is Medinah Country Club.
Soangetaha CC has been a great supporter of the IWGA, having previously hosted 4 State Women's Amateur Championships and 2 Senior Women's Amateurs. Most recently was the 2014 Illinois State Senior Women's Amateur who was won by Sue Miller of Woordridge.
COVID-19 UPDATE
As you all know, we have been living with the ramifications of COVID-19 for several months now and that it will be with us through September.
The IWGA takes great pride in conducting the three Illinois State Women’s & Girls’ Championships. Of the three, the Senior Championship is perhaps the one we look forward to the most. It is the one championship that strives to both crown the Senior State Champion, but also to provide a friendly competitive atmosphere for Senior Women across the state to compete against women of similar age. It is our most popular event and many great and lasting friendships have been made among the competitors.
The IWGA recognizes that a large percentage of our players (and our board) are by definition in an “at risk group” if for no other reason than their age. Whether “normal” golf is allowed in Illinois by September 15th, many of us may not feel safe in that environment. Thanks to Soangetaha CC and their local committee, we believe we have a format that will provide a safe and comfortable environment for all our players. So, here’s the plan:
- Golf will be played under the following guidelines
- One person to a cart. Your cart will be assigned to you for the week and will be sanitized before your initial use and your cart and clubs will only be handled by masked and gloved personnel. Club storage is included in your entry fee and your clubs will be stored securely each night. Unfortunately, this will add an additional $75 to the entry fee.
- The flagstick will remain in the hole for all play to eliminate handling.
- The cup will be shallow to prevent the ball from falling into bottom of the hole.
- Rakes will not be available at bunkers. A rake will be assigned to each group and the group should determine a designated raker for the entire group so that only one person is handling the rake.
- Scorecards will be verbally confirmed between the player and her marker and no signatures will be required.
- The scoreboard will be on-line only to prevent congregating.
- Non-golf activities
- The IWGA and Soagetaha are working on fun, functional and safe alternatives to our normal banquet and dining festivities that will provide a comfortable and safe atmosphere for all participants.
- Additional safe events (like putting contests) may be added as we approach the championship.
Due to the limit of one player per cart, there will be a mandatory additional charge of $75 per player, but we feel strongly that this is the way to go since groups are re-paired each day. We have changed the on-line registration to reflect the increase from $240 to $315. For those who have already registered, we will be contacting you about methods of paying the additional $75.
Both host hotels have confirmed that they are sanitizing rooms and complying with all Illinois State and CDC recommendations. Concerned players are advised to contact their desired hotel directly to determine if they are satisfied with the precautions being taken.
We hope that this format will provide many of our players a comfort level that they will consider attending the championship.
While we do our best, we do not have the ability to screen or test players other than to request that anyone feeling ill to please withdraw prior to arriving on site. Players attend at their own risk.
The entry deadline is August 15th. However, unlike normal years and superseding the wording in our entry materials, a full refund will be issued to any player who decides to withdraw prior to the start of play. No questions asked.