2017 Yearbook (2)

8-9 / 138

2017 was a terrific year
for golf in Iowa and the
Iowa Golf Association.
There were certainly
many highlights, but,
as the years pass, I
think it will mostly be
remembered as “the
year Des Moines Golf
hosted the .
It was a sight to behold, as spectators came
from all around the world to attend. The course
was fantastic, the competition was intense, the
volunteers were amazing and the event seemingly
broke records at every turn.
To name just a few, it had the most unique tv
viewers (7.3 million) for a Solheim Cup, most
attendance (124,426 fans), most volunteers
(2,000), and the Sunday coverage was the most
watched women’s golf broadcast in over eight
years! And probably most impressive of all is
that Des Moines Golf & Country Club will be
awarding half of the proceeds from the event to
local charities that support women.
For the IGA, it was a joy to be a small part of that
event. We helped out as rules officials for the
Junior Solheim Cup matches as well as providing
volunteers to help marshal the pivotal par-3 17th
hole. We are very thankful to the LPGA Tour
and Des Moines Golf and Country Club for
including us, and for putting on such a wonderful
show.
SOFTWARE UPGRADES
We launched a brand-new website shortly after
the first of the year. It was very well received by
the general public. There were two main goals of
the new site: make it responsive on all kinds of
devices (phones, tablets, etc.) and make it easier
for anyone on the staff to publish content. I
believe we accomplished both. I am very
proud to say we did it all “in-house”, which is
especially rewarding and cost-saving.
We provided new tournament management
software to our member clubs this year. The
launch of “USGA Tournament Management”,
or “USGA TM”, is a collaboration of the USGA
and Golf Genius software. This program is the
replacement for “TPP”. As you would expect,
there was a learning curve for all who moved
to the new platform, but the software proved
to be much more powerful and robust than it’s
predecessor. It’s definitely an enhanced benefit
to our member clubs and we are thrilled about
that.
GOLF’S ECONOMIC IMPACT
In late January the results on golf ’s Economic
Impact in the state of Iowa were released.
This study was a partnership of the IGA, Iowa
PGA and Iowa Golf Course Superintendent’s
Association. It found that golf in Iowa has
an economic impact of $817.5 million (based
on 2015 figures). The game employs 11,435
individuals amounting to $280.2 million in
compensation and accounted for $72 million
in state and local taxes. You can view the
complete study at our website.
In addition to the study, the IGA, Iowa PGA
and Iowa GCSA, held the first-ever All Iowa
Golf Day at the State Capitol on April 13th.
Representatives were able to speak with state
leaders on the importance of the game to Iowa’s
economy, as well as ways to help promote golf
more both in the state and around the Midwest.
It also featured a short meeting wiith Governor
Branstad, who signed a proclamation declaring
April 13, 2017 as “All Iowa Golf Day”.
HONORING OUR BEST
The administration of championships is one of
the most visible things we do and we crowned
many deserving champions and qualifiers
throughout the season. Tournament days are
long and sometimes difficult, but overall still a
lot of fun to see everyone play and compete.
We inducted another terrific class into the
June at Hyperion
Field Club. John Ausen, Rick Brown, Emil
Roewert, Jerry Smith and Brad Schuchat have
accomplished and contributed a lot to this great
game. I encourage you to read more about them
elsewhere in this yearbook.
We ended the year on a nice note, honoring
both our nd our Annual
Course of the Year, Manager
of the Year, etc.) on the same night for the first
time. It was a terrific evening that brought many
from around the state together to reminisce
and celebrate a great year. We look to continue
the practice of honoring those individuals and
courses together in the future.
MOVING FORWARD
2018 will continue to be a year of update and
change. The USGA has spent the past five
years or so studying appropriate ways to make
their relationship with State and Regional
Golf Associations, such as the IGA, more
interconnected and aligned. The result is
that they are partnering with one association
in a given geographic district to help fulfill
the mission of the USGA and it’s programs.
They are calling each of these partners an
“Allied Golf Association”, or “AGA”. The Iowa
Golf Association has signed an agreement
to become a USGA AGA partner. Our
jurisdiction will be the entire state of Iowa and
Rock Island County in Illinois (county that
surrounds the Quad Cities area).
The basics of the agreement are that the IGA
will be the “boots on the ground” for USGA
programs and services in our jurisdiction (we
will still administer all of our traditional IGA
programs and services). In many ways, it is
what we have always been doing, but with
enhancements and added responsibilities.
These programs include USGA Championship
Qualifiers, Rules of Golf and Amateur Status
governance, Handicap System oversight,
Course Rating System administration and
continuing to promote various programs
like “Play 9”, “Tee it Forward” and “While
We’re Young”. We are very excited about the
strengthened partnership we will have with the
USGA.
Finally, 2018 will bring an addition to our
terrific staff as Nate McCoy, our 2017 P.J.
Boatwright Intern, will join us full-time as
Manager of Championships and Course
Rating. We are excited to have Nate on board
and look forward to the work and value he will
bring to our association.
We are anxious to see what 2018 will bring for
us. We know that whatever it is, we will work
hard and have fun bringing you the game of
golf as you know and love it. Now let us see
spring come early!
A Message FromThe Executive Director
Executive Director
Chad Pitts
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