2018 Yearbook

15 The Iowa Golf Association had a busy, yet productive year in 2018, while still provid- ing a variety of information to golfers around the state. From tournament results, to USGA updates on the upcoming rule changes in 2019, the IGA continued to be a valued source for information for the game of golf locally and nationally. This year marked the second year since the IGA redesigned its website and saw over 70,000 more individuals visiting the web page, while viewing over 200,000 more pages in 2018 as many of those visitors were also checking in on IGA tournament re- sults (including live scoring at many of the IGA events this year). Thanks to the IGA Staff, statistics for tracking visitors to those tournament result pages was accounted for more accurately compared to the previous year. The IGA’s social media footprint, with followers from across the country, continues to grow with over 1,800 likes on Facebook (up from 1,600 a year ago) and just over 2,200 followers on Twitter (up from just over 2,100 a year ago) in 2018. If you have not done so already, be sure to follow the IGA on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on announcements, news and other information about the game of golf in the state and beyond. The GHIN mobile app continues to see more and more visitors every year as golfers post scores, check stats and calculate their partner’s index. Even though the weather in 2018 in Iowa was less than ideal, IGA members still posted almost 125,000 rounds in 2018 just to the app on their phones alone! A major responsibility of the Communications Committee is the IGA Annual Awards. Our commit- tee makes recommendations on winners in the six different categories to the IGA Board of Directors, which were approved in November. Those included the following: •9-Hole Superintendent: Chris Steffen, Tipton Golf & Country Club •18-Hole Superintendent: Dean Sparks, Davenport Country Club •9-Hole Course of the Year: Tara Hills Country Club (Van Horne) •18-Hole Course of the Year: Beaver Hills Country Club (Cedar Falls) •PGA Pro of the Year: John Shawver, Grinnell College Golf Course •Club Manager of the Year: Russ Appel, Briggs Woods Golf Course (Webster City) You can read much more about these winners on pages 16-18 in this yearbook. The individuals and courses were honored at our banquet held in mid-December. Be on the lookout for more communications throughout 2019 from the IGA. Communications Report Tom Newbanks Indian Creek CC IGA Director of Communications Clint Brown interviews ISU standout Frank Lindwall after he qualified for the U.S. Amateur at Beaver Hills Country Club