2018 Yearbook

91 HISTORY OF GOLF IN IOWA BOOK BOOK PROJECT HISTORY OF GOLF IN IOWA One of the foundational pillars of the IGAF is to preserve and protect the history of the game. One way we are working to do that is through our partnership with Hall of Fame golf writer Rick Brown. Rick spent the entire year researching and writing a book on the history of golf in Iowa. As you can imagine, this would be a monumental task as the history of golf in Iowa stretches well over a century. The stories Rick tells will make you proud of the state we call home. Much of what you will read has been long forgotten in the annals of history, only to be brought to life with the storytelling of Rick. Rick covers everything from our major champions to our local legends; Championship venues to sand greens; Iowa has a little bit of everything. The book is on track to be published this summer and available on our website as well as at many member clubs around the state. Here is an excerpt of the books introduction... There was Jack Fleck of Davenport, a club pro who left his shops at Duck Creek and Credit Island, traveled to the Olympic Club outside San Francisco and beat the great Ben Hogan in a playoff to win the 1955 U.S. Open. Judy Kimball of Sioux City won the 1962 LPGA Championship at Stardust Country Club in Las Vegas, Nev., just four years after winning an Iowa Ama- teur. And Barb Thomas Whitehead also won on the LPGA Tour after dominating the Iowa scene. “I just think it was the competition I was afforded through the Iowa Women’s Golf Association,” Whitehead said. “We had a lot of good players in Iowa. It wasn’t a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination.” Mike McCoy of Des Moines has won more than anyone else inside the state’s borders includ- ing five Iowa Amateurs. He’s also won the U.S. Mid-Amateur, twice been low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open and represented his country at the Walker Cup. “We’re very lucky,” McCoy said. “We’ve got a very good golf association, and a lot of great players have come through here. It’s been terrific.” -Rick Brown Jack Fleck defeats Ben Hogan, 1955 U.S. Open