2019 Yearbook.indd

6 | FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I t seems like every year has its share of ups and downs. 2019 was no different. We had some great golf played in our competitions, some tremendous success with programs and services, witnessed exciting new projects come to fruition yet also had struggles and sadness with the loss of valued members of our community. I’ll start with the loss of two icons in Iowa golf. Lifetime IGA Board member and Iowa Golf Hall of Famer George Turner passed away in July. George was a staple of the IGA. Some of my fondest memories of George are when he would pop in the office - almost always unannounced - and sit and tell stories about golf in Iowa from years gone by. I thought his stories were so entertaining that we sat down and filmed a few of them back in 2012. You can still view those by searching for “Iowa Amateur golf history” on YouTube. There are a few things that George did not like about today’s world, most notably the demise of the newspaper and increased reliance on email and texting, but he continued to be a thoughtful and valuable resource for all of our boardmembers during our meetings. He had a unique insight into the game and its history. And while his golf knowledge will be missed, personally, I’ll mostly miss his “pop-ins” to our office and his wonderful stories. Another big loss to the Iowa golf community was when Jill Blackwood passed away in February. Jill had been battling cancer. She was involved in every aspect of the Iowa Women’s Golf Association for years leading up to the merger with the IGA in 2014. After that merger, she helped steer our women’s committees until her health declined. All of that volunteer work - and some terrific playing credentials - led to her induction into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2019. One of the greatest pleasures of the year was being able to share with Jill in January that she had been elected. It was really a special moment and one that I know meant a lot to her and her family. It was a privilege of mine to participate in a special Iowa Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony for her at The Club at Renaissance in Fort Myers, Florida, which is where her and husband Tom make their winter home. We had approximately 200 people attend. It was very touching and heartwarming. It’s at times and events like this where you are reminded about what this game means to many people and how it has shaped their lives. Jill was nothing short of a titan in women’s golf in Iowa and she will be sorely missed. One of the many golf-related things that Jill had a keen interest in was the rules of the game. She followed them to a “T” and was very interested in all the new changes that were coming in 2019. And that proved to be the story of the first quarter of the year. It was the biggest update to the rules in over 60 years so there was bound to be opinions. There was commentary from PGA Tour players and golfers around the world as they were getting acclimated. As is the case with social media, most of that commentary was negative. However, that died down CHAD PITTS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IGA & IGAF