2021 IGA Yearbook

COMMUNICATIONS I t may sound like you've seen this movie before – but it was another busy year in 2021 for the Iowa Golf Association and its communication with member clubs and individual supporters of the game in Iowa. While things started to move toward 'normal' again this year, the IGA remained connected with local leaders to stay ahead of any updates regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and shared that information as quickly as possible with its members. With over 700,000 page views to the IGA website, those looking for news and updates regarding golf around Iowa knew where to go. The website also saw over 40,000 more unique (new) visitors to the website compared to 2020 - a trend we hope continues as more and more golfers turn to us for information online. Be sure to check it out if you haven't visited yet! In 2021 the IGA added Instagram to its list of social media channels in an effort to reach even more golfers from around the state - and honestly around the world - looking for news from Iowa. With Facebook and Twitter now over 3,000 followers, the IGA is poised to continue to get information about the game out to many in real time throughout the year! If you aren't a follower of any of those social media channels – it's not too late to join the party. The newly revamped GHIN mobile app saw great traffic in 2021, with over 715,000 visits. Those visits resulted in over 420,000 scores posted using the mobile app alone. To give that number some perspective, in 2018 there were just over 123,000 scores posted via the app. That's a 241% increase in four short years! To break it down even further, over 70,000 scores were posted this way in May, June, and July, respectively, with August coming in just shy of that number. I'm sure you made the same connection I did, more rounds played equals more scores posted using a mobile device. For this reason, enhancements to the GHIN app will continue to be a priority of the USGA with many of them scheduled for the 2022 season. With that being said, your email associated with your IGA Membership (and GHIN handicap - a perk of being an IGA member) must be correct as the IGA uses online tools to share and distribute information via email frequently throughout the entire year. Another responsibility of the IGA Commmunications Commitee is to recommend Annual Award recipients to the Board of Directors. In November the board approved the following honorees: 9-Hole Superintendent: Jeff Rokusek, Sheldon Golf & Country Club 18-Hole Superintendent: Matt Reifert, Whispering Creek Golf Club 9-Hole Course of the Year: Dyersville Golf & Country Club 18-Hole Course of the Year: Buena Vista University Golf Course at Lake Creek PGA Pro of the Year: Mark Egly, Des Moines Driving Range Club Manager of the Year: Lance Marting, Dubuque Golf & Country Club TOM NEWBANKS, COMMITTEE CHAIR