2020 IGA Yearbook

9-Hole Course Hillcrest Country Club Adel, IA With the COVID-19 pan- demic creating a spike in de- mand for play at golf courses across the state, Hillcrest Country Club in Adel pro- vided a safe outlet for recre- ation when members needed it most. The club was able to hold their full calendar of events in 2020, enabled by the leadership of new clubhouse manager Adam Luehmann, who administered all men’s and women’s events and implemented the appropriate protocols to ensure member safety. No tee times are necessary at the club, which has con- tinued to draw more young families each year and has developed a healthy waiting list. The members are proud to call Hillcrest Country Club home, demonstrated by the numerous members who volunteered to assist in cleaning up the golf course after the derecho storm – re- turning it to playable condi- tion in less than two days. The golf course received a significant amount of dam- age during the derecho storm that swept across the state in early August. In a matter of weeks, through the efforts of course superintendent Jim Sedrel and the grounds crew, with the assistance of several volunteers, the club was in peak condition to host the 71st Herman Sani Tourna- ment in mid-August. Hyperion is highly regarded for their first-class putting surfaces, which are revered for posing a challenge to even the state’s best golfers. The classic course features many dramatic changes in elevation from tee to green, as well as narrow fairways that require players to con- trol their ball striking on the 6,455-yard layout. The club has recently renovated their bunkers which have pro- vided for a strong aesthetic and great playability for their membership. An attorney, Jim spends much of his time at the state capital as a lobbyist. His institutional knowledge has been crucial over the years surrounding leg- islative efforts and golf, such as tax issues and environmental restrictions. He has also been our main point of contact in development of an “Iowa Golf Day” at the statehouse. In 2020, Jim was invaluable as our main resource for clarifica- tions on proclamations issued by the Governor surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not a stretch to say that from late March to late May, the IGA, onbehalf of the IowaGolf Council, was on the phone with Jim 3 to 4 times a week gaining some clarification on how golf courses were allowed to operate. We also know that he played a part in keeping our sport up and operating when many other businesses were forced to shut down. It is also worth noting that Jim has performed this work on behalf of the IGA and golf pro-bono, and even makes substantial contributions to the IGA Foundation in addition to his volunteer work. Jon Brown is a student of the history of golf in Iowa. He joined our Board of Direc- tors in 2018 and currently serves as the chairman of the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which he does a beautiful job in administer- ing. In 2020, Jon took on a very arduous task - tabulating a list of every person who has ever won an IGA Sanc- tioned Point Event. You can see Jon’s work on our website (hover over “Tournaments” and click on “All-Time Wins List”). Through Jon’s efforts we now know that, as of 2020, 377 different people have won an IGA point event over the years, with Mike McCoy having the most at 35. Making this task even more difficult was that the point status of specific tour- naments would change fre- quently. This task wasn’t done just to produce something “cool” to look at on our website (it is really cool!), but also to produce a tool for the Hall of Fame Committee as they identify potential nominees. 18-Hole Course Hyperion Field Club Johnston, IA George Turner Distinguished Service Jim Carney Des Moines, IA Volunteer Jon Brown Adel, IA ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS