The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union have collaborated to reduce spring schedule congestion by moving boys’ golf and girls’ tennis to the fall sport seasons starting in the 2025-26 school year.
The changes address decades-long concerns from member schools over scheduling and were approved by both the IHSAA’s board and IGHSAU’s board following discussions at a joint meeting in early July.
“Our member schools have been asking for ways to relieve the crowded spring sports seasons for years” IGHSAU executive director Erin Gerlich said. “The new changes provide relief in an already busy spring, and an opportunity for the IGHSAU and IHSAA to enhance the state tournament experiences for tennis and golf.
“A lot of work has gone into this process and we appreciate all of the input we have received regarding these changes.”
Iowa’s current spring schedule includes eight sports – golf, soccer, tennis, track and field for both boys and girls – and overlaps seasonally with baseball and softball.
The adjustment was discussed across 2023-24 district meetings, the IHSADA state conference, advisory committees, and the 2023 IHSAA membership survey.
“Reducing the congestion in the spring schedule has been a topic of conversation among ADs, our staffs, representative councils, boards, and the joint IHSAA & IGHSAU committee for several years,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said.
“Moving our Class 3A, 2A, and 1A golf competitions to the fall to align with Class 4A is a step toward easing that congestion.”
Among nine other peer state associations in the Midwest, seven separate golf seasons by gender and all nine separate tennis seasons. The increased availability of facilities, coaching, and school resources, plus the reduction of scheduling conflicts are the top cited reasons for those successful season separations.
“Other Midwest states have found success with this model and I am confident our schools will adjust to the new format,” said Keating, who served as president of the NFHS in 2023-24. “While we recognize some of the initial challenges, the advantages of reducing scheduling congestion in the spring, reducing lost class time, and giving the option of having the same coach for spring and fall combine to lead us in this direction.
“For boys’ golf, fall should provide good course and playing conditions, and the high school season will immediately follow summer, when most golfers have enjoyed the opportunity to work on their game.”
In 2025, boys’ golf (3A, 2A, 1A) and girls’ tennis (2A, 1A) will compete in both the 2024-25 spring season and the 2025-26 fall season. Class 4A boys’ golf has competed exclusively in the fall since 1993 and features the earliest competition start date of any fall sport.
Updated dates for the 2025-26 calendar will be provided as they become available.