Golf: Ames to host spring state meets through 2024

Ames will be the new home of Iowa high school boys’ spring golf championships.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has partnered with three courses and the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau to hold the State Golf Tournaments in Classes 3A, 2A, and 1A in one community for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Ames Golf & Country Club, Coldwater Golf Links, and Veenker Memorial Golf Course will rotate the tournaments across their high-quality facilities, with the Iowa PGA continuing to staff each site alongside the IHSAA.

“We look forward to providing a great state golf experience for the teams and individuals who qualify this spring,” said IHSAA assistant director and golf administrator Chad Elsberry.

The IHSAA’s State Golf Tournaments have typically been hosted at courses with multi-year arrangements, but 2022 will mark the first time an entire state golf series is hosted by one community. All three courses will provide uniform fees for state tournament play, range fees, and practice rounds for participating teams.

“We are proud to showcase our three 18-hole courses and welcome the opportunity to make Ames a golf hub for these championships,” Ames CVB president Kevin Bourke said. “I know that the players, coaches, and fans will experience a warm welcome at the courses and throughout Ames.”

Ames most recently hosted the IHSAA State Golf Tournament in 2014 for Class 2A and has consistently held the IHSAA and IGHSAU Co-Ed State Meets. The central Iowa community also holds fellow Unified Activities partner events with the Iowa High School All-State Music Festival and the Iowa High School State Speech Contest, along with youth sports opportunities through the Iowa Games and Iowa Special Olympics.

Qualifying meets for this spring’s IHSAA postseason are set for May 11 (sectionals) and May 16 (districts).