2017 Yearbook (2)

When it comes to Solheim Cup,

no one does it better than Des Moines

Suku Radia, Iowa View contributor

When it comes to hosting a major golf event, nobody does it better than the people of Iowa. The

success of the 2017 Solheim Cup held at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club last month is proof

perfect.

As almost everyone in Iowa knows, the Solheim Cup is held biennially and is the world’s premier

team tournament for women’s golfers. The event begins with a junior competition for amateurs

between the ages of 13 and 18, followed by three days of intense play by the best professional

women’s golfers in Europe and the United States.

So how well did the tournament do this year? The 2017 Solheim Cup enjoyed the largest crowds

in the event’s 27-year history with attendees numbering nearly 140,000, and the tournament’s

previous revenue record was shattered. Fans purchased tickets in all 50 states and in 25 foreign

countries, and the competition garnered the largest TV audience ever reported for a women’s golf

event.

Further, the LPGA recognized us as one of its most generous, most socially

responsible hosts. Half of the Des Moines Golf and Country Club’s net

proceeds will go to charities benefiting women and children in central Iowa.

The LPGA staffers who participated in the event were delighted with our

efforts. I’ll give Shirley Sprock, a founder of the LPGA who is now 90 years of

age, the organization’s last word: “This tournament was the best women’s golf

event in our history.” Surely she is qualified to make that call.

I have received more than 150 communications thanking me for bringing

the Solheim Cup to Iowa, and, as chair of the organizing committee and

then tournament chair, I am proud to be the conduit of such messages. The

lion’s share of the credit for the event’s success, however, goes to everyone

who gave so much during our four years of preparation and throughout the

tournament week.

In addition to the 2,000 volunteers whose contributions are too numerous

to list, special thanks also go to the fans, whose enthusiasm made all of the

preparation worthwhile; the skilled professionals of the Des Moines Golf

and Country Club who created the perfect venue; and leaders of West Des

Moines, Des Moines and surrounding suburbs, and the Iowa Highway Patrol

for managing so many visitors efficiently and with grace.

Players and fans alike owe a debt to the Solheim family, makers of Ping

golf clubs, whose continued support brings prestige and security to this

outstanding event. All of us in Iowa are sorry for the loss of Louise Solheim,

who founded the Solheim Cup with her husband Karsten and who allowed

me to convince her the 2017 tournament should come to our state.

Thank you member clubs for volunteering,

You represented Iowa well!

•

Des Moines Golf & CC

• Elmwood CC

• Indian Creek

• Hyperion Field Club

• Wakonda Club

• Waveland GC

• Burlington GC

• Echo Valley CC

• Cedar Rapids

• Glen Oaks CC

• Ames Golf & CC

• Grinnell College GC

• Indianola CC