2022 State Golf Tournament

The second day of competition for 9 hole and Unified golf is cancelled. Excessive water on the course has made it unplayable. Awards will take place at 9am in the pavilion area at the golf course.

What is State Golf?

State Golf is one of 13 state sports competitions. It is the final competition for those participating in Golf. Traditional, Unified, Individual Skills and Young Athlete Golf Competition will be offered to more than 200 athletes this weekend and bring the joy of sport to Decatur.

Competition Information

The State Golf Tournament represents the final tournament for our golfers as they show off their love of the game and demonstrate the skills they have developed. Athletes may compete in Individual Skills Competition, Three-Hole Competition, Six-Hole Competition or Nine-Hole Competition. Athletes may choose one event. Athletes/partners competing in Unified golf may only compete in Unified competition.

Competitors are expected to walk during the competition. Request for use of a power cart must be made to the Director of State Championships, Brianna Beers at the time of the entry deadline. Requests will be handled on an individual basis and proof of medical need will be required from a doctor. Unapproved cart usage will result in disqualification.

Individual Skills athletes will be showing off their golf skills in short & long putt, chip shot, pitch shot, bunker shot as well as iron & wood shot. They will be competing against others within divisions for the best scores.

• Individual Skills, three-hole and six-hole will take place on Saturday only. Athletes will compete in final divisions during Saturday competition and will receive awards upon completion of their event September 10.  
• Three-hole will be playing from silver tee markers.
• Six-hole golfers will be playing from gold tee markers.
• Traditional and Unified Nine-Hole will take place Saturday and Sunday.  All nine-hole athletes will compete in preliminary divisions for Saturday competition. Athletes / partners will be re-divisioned into their final divisions for Sunday competition. Please check the website on Saturday evening for those divisions. Athletes/partners competing in Nine-Hole Competition will receive awards upon completion of the division on September 11.
• Traditional and Unified Nine-Hole golfers, will be playing from the gold tee markers. 

Caddies:

Special Olympics Illinois will not provide caddies for the competition.  Athletes are free to bring their own caddie.  Caddies must register online by Sep. 8, 2022 by clicking on the caddy volunteer button further down on this page.

Facility Information

Location

SITE: Hickory Point Golf Course, Decatur, IL

• Golf – Hickory Point Golf Course
• Young Athletes – Hickory Point Golf Course

Event Details

Registration for golf will begin at 7:30 am on Saturday, September 10 at Hickory Point Golf Course.

All times listed below are tentative and subject to change once event specific schedules are determined. Times only reflect actual competition times and do not include time frames for coach meetings, weigh-in times, etc. For a final schedule please check the Supporting Documents section close to competition day.

• Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Sunday, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Golf Live Scoring

1. Please enter iWanamaker.com into your google search and open
2. Register if you don’t already have an account:
   1. Create user name using your email
   1. Password must contain 1 capital letter, 1 number and a character
3. To sign in:
   1. Click “Sign In” in upper right
   1. Enter user name and password
   1. Enter the 4 digit code sent to you via email
4. To Find Event and Athlete:
   1. Click “Search” in upper right
   1. Type “SOILL” into the search box and press “Search”
   1. Click “View More Results” on bottom right of screen
   1. 4 events should pop up
   1. Click on event you would like to follow
5. Watch Scores:
   1. Leaderboard listing all athletes in that event will pop up
   1. You will need to click refresh button (small circle with arrow above scores) to make sure you have the most up to date scores

Young Athletes

Young Athletes aged 6 and 7 will be invited to participate and showcase their talent in Decatur! Young Athletes will have the opportunity to participate in Golf Individual Skills.

Volunteer Information

General Volunteer Opportunities

Special Olympics Illinois needs your help as a volunteer at our State Golf Tournament in Decatur on Saturday, September 10 and Sunday, September 11.

If you are interested in volunteering, please click on the button below.

Caddie Volunteer Opportunities

Saturday, September 10 and Sunday September 11.

Caddies assist one golfer in their selection of clubs and may give athlete verbal suggestions.  Caddies are expected to walk with golfer for the entire nine holes. Caddies must know the athlete and be familiar with their golfing style. Golf clubs must stay on carts. Click the button below to register as a caddy.

Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony is always one of the highlights of any Special Olympics Games. A short Opening Ceremony will be offered in the morning prior to the nine-hole shotgun start departure on Saturday, September 10 at Hickory Point; which will include the athlete oath, lighting of the torch, and the singing of the National Anthem.

Souvenirs

State Golf Tournament specific items and items you want customized are available by preorder only. The pre-order deadline is September 5. A limited supply of general Special Olympics Illinois merchandise will be sold on-site, Saturday morning only. 

Use this link to connect to State Golf Tournament merchandise options:  https://orders.minervapromotions.com/soill_state_golf_tournament/shop/home

Families

Stop by the Families registration area at the golf venue to receive you event packet and a raffle ticket for the FREE Raffle. Hours are as follows:

• Saturday: 7:30 am – 1:00 pm     

Saturday Dinner

Dinner will be offered to athletes and coaches in the form of a voucher to McAlister’s Deli. See handbook for more information.

McAlister’s Deli is located at 850 US-51, Forsyth, IL 62535

Text Alerts and event Status Updates

In case of inclement weather, schedule changes or cancellations check the website here for updates. You can also subscribe to our text alert system by texting “Golf” to 1.844.393.0980.

Supporting Documents

• 2022 State Golf Coaches Proof
• 2022 State Golf Coach Proof with Divisions
• 2022 State Golf Event Handbook
• 2022 State Golf Event Handbook Memo
• 2022 State Golf Schedule Memo
• 2022 State Golf Saturday Schedule
• 2022 State Golf Sunday Schedule
• 2022 State Golf Family Information

For assistance in securing a hotel room for this event please visit: www.decaturcvb.com

To see a complete list of all State Championship Competitions, click here.

To find out more information about the Knights of Columbus, who support Special Olympics Illinois throughout the year, click here.

Results

2022 State Golf Results

Who We Are

Special Olympics is a global organization that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sport, every day around the world.  Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 13,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities.  Special Olympics transforms the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to realize their full potential in sports and in life.  Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness, motor skills, self-confidence, social skills and encourage family and community support.

COVID Procedures

Unless a venue has specific COVID protocols in place, Special Olympics Illinois is following Illinois Department of Public Health and CDC COVID protocols and guidelines.  Please refer to event specific information or website page (if applicable) to determine if the venue has any specific COVID protocols. 

Special Olympics Illinois is committed to providing the best athlete, volunteer, coach and supporter environment possible.  While we are excited to resume in-person events, the health and well-being of our constituents remains our top priority.  All of our in person events follow the COVID-19 recommended IDPH and CDC guidelines. 

Please review the COVID High-Risk fact sheet for more information:

https://www.soill.org/wp-content/uploads/2-High-Risk-Fact-Sheet-7.9.20.pdf