The Chicago District Golf Association has undergone a variety of changes and shifts in its now 110 years of existence. From smartphone app design, to casually-competitive playing opportunities in the form of CDGA Social Competitions, the landscape of the Association looks a bit different than it did a century-plus ago. Among the few constants is the administration of high-level amateur competitions, and that history will continue this month with the commencement of the 111th season of CDGA Championships.
The calendar begins with the 9th CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship returning to undulating Elgin Country Club, May 20-22. The event will serve as the first of now 10 championships the Association will conduct in 2024, following the offseason transition announcement of two historic women’s events from the Illinois Women’s Golf Association (IWGA) to the CDGA. The 91st Illinois State Women’s Amateur Championship will be contested June 10-12 at The Grove Country Club (above) in Long Grove, while the 55th Illinois State Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is slated for Sept. 16-18 at Decatur’s South Side Country Club.
“We look forward to carrying on the rich tradition of the two State women’s events conducted admirably by the Illinois Women’s Golf Association for decades,” CDGA Executive Director Robert Markionni said in a December 2023 press release.
Mainstays on the annual CDGA docket include the 104th edition of the CDGA Amateur Championship, slated for the famed Beverly Country Club in Chicago (below), June 24-27. Then in July, the state’s top amateurs will converge on Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois in Urbana for the 93rd Illinois State Amateur Championship, July 16-18.
The 2024 CDGA Championship schedule will feature a total of 58 events - 10 multi-day Illinois State/CDGA Championships, 28 Illinois State/CDGA qualifiers, 19 USGA qualifiers and the 62nd Radix Cup Matches.