2020 IGA Yearbook

ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS 9-Hole Superintendent Jeremy Amosson Veterans Memorial GC Clear Lake, IA In 2010, Veterans Memorial Golf Club’s Board of Direc- tors hired Amosson to serve as the Superintendent of Grounds. He brought with him a wealth of experience from working on golf cours- es in Illinois and Wisconsin. Over the past decade Amos- son has improved the irriga- tion and drainage systems, led tee box and bunker res- torations, and developed a forward-thinking tree man- agement plan for the club to deal with the Emerald Ash Borer. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 posed new challenges to Amosson and his crew as the club saw more play than ever before, more than double the amount of play in 2019. Amosson sought inno- vative solutions to maintain- ing great playing conditions including topdressing the tees to keep them healthy and firming up the greens to handle the extra foot traf- fic during the hot summer months. Swanson joined the Briarwood Golf Club staff five years ago. Since coming onboard, Swanson has been instrumental in leading efforts to restore the condition of the golf course. He has led efforts to improve the outdated irrigation and drainage systems, reconstruct bunkers to allow for better drainage, and overall improvement of golf course maintenance practices. Earlier this year, Briarwood endured significant damage from the derecho storm that took down more than 140 trees in early August. Swan- son didn’t blink. He quickly rallied his grounds crew and recruited teams of volun- teers, leading an organized clean-up effort to return the golf course to playable con- dition. After only a week the course was reopened for member play. His efforts and character have been recognized by the rest of the management team at Briarwood Golf Club. Dusenberry has been praised by the members and AGCC for her attention to detail, selfless service, and her people skills. This past spring, she stepped up to find innovative ways to safe- ly serve their members dur- ing the COVID-19 pandem- ic. Dusenberry coordinated with the kitchen staff to pro- vide takeout dining services to members, many times delivering the meals herself. Additionally, she coordinat- ed with all other club per- sonnel to implement safety protocols and make sure all club functions were in ac- cordance with public health proclamations to ensure the safety of their members and guests. Annually, AGCC hosts the Tournament of Champions, an event where golfers flock to Atlantic from across the state. IGA veteran Ron Pe- terson spoke highly of the way Dusenberry represents the club while hosting the event. Since starting at the club in 2011, Coates has been a dif- ference maker. From lead- ing the charge to renovate the golf shop and men’s and women’s bathrooms, hosting the Northwest Amateur Golf Tournament, driving mem- bership growth, promoting junior golf programs, and a whole lot more. This year was no different, with Coates providing sev- eral top-notch events at the club to serve their members. One fun event that he started was a glow ball tournament. The tournament was a big success and the club is look- ing to host more of these events next year. The Thurs- day night league launched by Coates has now grown to over 100 golfers, com- plimented by tremendous growth in participation of all skill levels in their women’s golf programming. Lastly, Coates has been accredited with tremendous growth of the junior game during his time at Spencer Golf & Country Club. 18-Hole Superintendent Caleb Swanson Briarwood Golf Club Ankeny, IA Manager Sheryl Dusenberry Atlantic Golf & CC Atlantic, IA PGA Professional Adam Coates Spencer Golf & CC Spencer, IA