2018 Yearbook

11 grateful to have so many host superintendents do everything they could to provide an ideal playing surface. Des Moines Golf & Country Club was our host site for the Iowa Senior Amateur. With DMGCC com- ing off hosting the most successful Solheim Cup in LPGA history, we knew that the event would come close to filling up. We did not expect it to fill up 3 months ahead of the entry deadline and see over 25 people on the waiting list! And we even in- creased the allotted field size from 144 to 156. And while we were stricken with difficult weather the first day of the championship (because, of course we were! See paragraph above), we were still able to move all 156 players around the South course for all three rounds of play and crown a very deserving champion. Next, I began to think about how many people help us out throughout the year. I want to give them thanks for their efforts in 2018. First and foremost, I want to mention all of our volunteers that donate their time to help us out. We are led by a great group of men and women that make up our Board of Directors. We have many more serving on various committees that help guide the policies and procedures we follow. There is a core group of dedicated tournament officials, most all of which are now rules certified, that help at our championships and qualifiers. We have over 50 men and women that volunteer to perform Course and Slope Ratings at golf courses all around the state each year. We say this a lot, but we simply could not be the organization we need to be with- out their time and effort. We owe each and every one of them a big “thank you” for their help. Two individuals left the IGA Board of Directors in late, 2018. Gene Elliott completed his 5th 3-year term, which is the maximum service allowed per our bylaws. Gene will continue to serve on various IGA committees, but we are forever grateful for his time and efforts on our board. Ron Koontz, who occupied one of the two SW district seats, com- pleted a permanent move to Arizona. Ron served on the board for four years. He also served on the Rules & Competitions Committee for a number of years and is an accomplished rules official. Both Gene and Ron have been tremendous assets to the board. With Gene and Ron’s departures comes change. Two new members of the board were elected in late October. Jon Brown of Adel took over Gene’s “At- Large” seat while Cary Cochran of Neola now occu- pies the SW district seat. Many of you know Jon as he was elected into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2013 and continues to play wonderfully on the IGA circuit. You might know Cary more for his accom- plishments on the basketball court during his time at Tri-Center High School (he finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Iowa HS history) or at the University of Nebraska. But Cary also has a passion for golf, even working as a professional for a short stint. We are thrilled to have the enthusi- asm of both individuals join our leadership. In closing, writing this report helps us realize what went right and what went wrong in 2018, as it provides me with motivation to reflect. This will help me and the entire staff and board continue to improve and make the IGA a better organization. We look forward to improving in 2019. I hope everyone has a wonderful offseason and thanks for everything you did for the IGA in 2018. Volunteers, like Jill Blackwood seen here starting at the Iowa Women’s Amateur, are tremedous assets to the IGA each year