The 10th Annual Discraft Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by GRIPeq will proceed forward with the state of Illinois entering Phase 4 of their reopening guidelines effective 6/26/20. Phase 4 of the IL guidelines were released earlier this week and allow outdoor events to take place with several requirements that need to be followed. “A few months ago I wasn’t even confident that the event would happen. I was almost resigned to having to cancel the event,” said Nate Heinold, Ledgestone TD. As new guidance emerged, it became clear that non-team outdoor sporting events were going to be easier to pull off than other sporting events. “When the PGA Tour made the announcement that they would return in the middle of June, and then spectators would return five weeks later I thought it was crazy. Now that it’s happened, as well as the return of sanctioned disc golf and other sports, we have been able to watch and learn and see the best practices,” finished Heinold. The tournament has received the go ahead from local authorities to host the event and the event’s COVID-19 response plan has been approved by all relevant parties. An announcement about spectators will be released tomorrow. Several changes are taking place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players will be emailed the public facing COVID-19 response plan in the next several weeks. Some aspects of our response will not be publicly announced but will simply be implemented at the event. Here are some highlights of the plan:
- At this point in time, the event will utilize tee times for all rounds.
- The tournament will implement electronic scoring with limited to no usage of paper scorecards.
- All players will be required to sign a COVID-19 waiver before competing in the event.
- All players will be required to practice a horizontal 2 meter rule vis a vis other people at all times on tournament grounds. Please stay 6’ apart from other people!
- Players will not be allowed to show up to tournament central or the teeing area until 15 minutes prior to their tee time.
- Players who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 3 weeks of the event will be asked not to attend. An exception will be made if a player has tested negative twice in a 48 hour period, with those tests being 24 hours apart.
- AM check-in has been moved to Five Points in Washington. This is a larger space that will allow us to better practice social distancing. AM check-in will take place on Thursday (all day), and players will have a specific time window to check-in. Check-in will be required on Thursday. There will be a time window at the end of the day for players to check-in if they could not make their original check-in window. Please plan on checking in on Thursday.
- Extra porta potties will be placed on the courses and will be sanitized.
- Water coolers will be placed on the course but players will be asked to bring as much water with them to their round. Players will be instructed not to open the coolers. A staff member will monitor the coolers and will place bottled water outside of the coolers every half hour.
- All teeing areas will include a painted 6’ circle. Only one person will be allowed in this circle at any one point in time. Basket areas will have the same circle with the same rules.
- A face covering will be required at AM check-in and the flymarts.
- The flymarts will be amended to all day events on Friday and Saturday with strict social distancing guidelines in place. A maximum of 40 people will be allowed in the flymart at any one point in time. The flymarts will take place from 8AM to 6PM on Friday and Saturday at the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel in Morton. We will have vendors setup indoors and outdoors. Ending the flymarts at 6PM will help us avoid large gatherings.
- Several other adjustments have been made to the events schedule:
- Play with the Champs exhibition has been cancelled.
- Flex C Tiers, Glo disc Golf and the clinics will remain on the schedule. Glo disc golf will be limited to 48 players and clinics will be limited to 30 people with strict social distancing measures in place.
- The St Jude Dunk tank has been cancelled.
- The band performance and the magic show have been cancelled. Look for these events to return in 2021.
- We will be providing a player’s sack lunch/meal on Friday at the Park Inn/Ashland House (location of the Flymart). We will be providing pizza on Saturday at the Park Inn/Ashland House. We will be serving this food with strict preventive measures in place and the food will not be served buffet style. We will have staff on hand serving the food.
- Poker night has been changed to an online event with a special group app platform. More details to come! The in-person event with the pros on Saturday night has been cancelled.
- Events such as the clinics or meet n greets could be amended further depending on the conditions at the time of the event.
The actual event COVID-19 plan is 8 pages long and has been reviewed by members of the PDGA Medical Committee, local officials and tournament staff. The plan has been described as exhaustive and comprehensive by several Mayors and Park Directors. “While some people may be frustrated with some of the restrictions we are announcing today, this was the only way we could host the event while meeting local and state guidelines. The last thing we want is an outbreak at the event, and this plan seeks to mitigate the risk as much as possible,” stated Heinold. More details will be released in the coming weeks, and players can expect several emails leading up to the event with additional information and reminders about the rules and restrictions as it relates to the event. The 10th annual Discraft Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by GRIPeq takes place August 13th to the 16th.
