2022 Yearbook

119 know it’s there. We’ve never had a true home to display and educate golfers from our state about the amazing accomplishments of all our great players. I remember Bill Dickens chatting with Chad and me nearly a decade ago and saying how amazing it would be if we had a “golf house” to properly display and honor Iowa’s golf history. Two years ago, Echo Valley owner Michael Coppola provided a gift that made that dream feel attainable. A beautiful piece of land that sits adjacent to the 9th hole on the Creek Course at Echo Valley Country Club. Since then, a small team has been working diligently to make Golf House Iowa a reality. Earlier this year, we made a public announcement with the goal to break ground in Spring 2023. I’m excited to report that we’re making significant progress toward that goal, but we need your help. If you’re wondering what Golf House Iowa is and why it’s so important to the game in our state, allow me a few lines to paint that picture. Golf House Iowa will provide the following… • A permanent home for the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame and Museum • Office Space for the Iowa Golf Association, the Iowa Golf Course Superintendent’s Association, and the First Tee - Central Iowa • An interactive space for youth, including First Tee participants, to learn about the core fundamentals our great game teaches • A space for our IGA staff to teach the rules of the game in a setting that creates hands-on learning and real-life scenarios • A formal facility for the Superintendent’s Association to begin expanding its STEM programs that focus on agronomy The following pages will show you more about the wonderful programs the IGAF facilitates each year, but Golf House Iowa provides a permanent structure to allow us to grow and deepen those programs. If you’ve already contributed to Golf House Iowa, thank you! If you haven’t, we need your help to get Golf House Iowa across the finish line…and we’re close! To learn more, simply click here or contact the IGA staff or me directly. Thank you for your support towards making golf even stronger in Iowa!