Above – J.D. Anderson after chipping on to the 18th green at the Buena Vista University Golf Course at Lake Creek during the final round of the 2021 Lake Creek Amateur. Anderson, a two-time Iowa Player of the Year, returns to Storm Lake on Saturday and Sunday, part of a strong 90-player field to tee it up this weekend.

Holiday weekend tournament helps determine IGA Player of the Year

Ninety golfers tee it up this weekend as the Buena Vista University Golf Course at Lake Creek hosts the 2022 Lake Creek Amateur, an official points event for the Iowa Golf Association (IGA).

In November, the IGA named BVU Lake Creek its 18-Hole Golf Course of the Year, an honor that, in part, was due to the work local officials and volunteers had done in resurrecting the Lake Creek Amateur three years ago after a seven-year hiatus.

“We’re very excited to see this weekend’s competition play out as we have a tremendous field of competitors vying for the title,” says BVU Lake Creek Director of Golf Operations Joe Powell, who doubles as Head Coach for the men’s and women’s golf teams at BVU. “Players such as Nate McCoy, the reigning Iowa Player of the Year, will be here, as will past champion J.D. Anderson, another Iowa Player of the Year. A solid corps of the state’s best will be tested by our thick rough, the course’s forced carries, consistent BVU Lake Creek winds, and the intricacies of our signature greens, manicured and brought up to speed in a cool spring season by Superintendent Bob Leinbaugh and his staff.”

Nate McCoy is coming off a one-shot victory over Anderson last weekend in the 37th Iowa Mid-Am Championship hosted at Spencer Golf and Country Club. Anderson, the Iowa Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, claimed runner-up honors at the Lake Creek Amateur one year ago, falling just short in his bid to become a three-time winner of the event.

McCoy, who serves as Director of Handicapping and Course Rating with the Iowa Golf Association, is familiar with the BVU Lake Creek layout, having competed in previous competitions. His father, Mike McCoy, won the Lake Creek Amateur on four occasions.

Past champ Al Pottebaum also joins the field, a collection dotted with the likes of contenders Jon Olson, the 2014 IGA Iowa Player of the Year, as well as Freddy Bullock, Drew D’ercole, and Storm Laker Aaron Clausen, who returned to amateur competition in 2021 and won the BVU Lake Creek Club Championship in August.

“This is the third year since the return of the Lake Creek Amateur and we’re delighted to have it on the IGA points schedule,” says Chad Pitts, IGA CEO/Executive Director. “BVU Lake Creek is a great test of golf and an early-season event that gives the winner and those who play well some added momentum as our Amateur of the Year competition heads into the summer months. The tournament is also a great chance for folks around Storm Lake to show off a golf course that’s been an integral part of their community for 50 years.”

BVU Lake Creek celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding with a weekend of special events on June 17-18.

“We are so proud to be back in the conversation in helping to determine Iowa’s Amateur of the Year,” says BVU Lake Creek President Mike Wilson. “Working with wonderful partners like Buena Vista University and the Iowa Golf Association allows our staff, volunteers, and members the chance to welcome guests and visitors not only this weekend, but throughout the entire golf season.”

Visitors to the course just west of Storm Lake will see a clubhouse that’s undergone several renovations in the past several months, updates befitting the IGA’s 18-Hole Course of the Year honor. Competitors in the 2022 Lake Creek Amateur will experience those positive changes while doing their best to tame an 18-hole layout that has challenged and rewarded Iowa’s best golfers in this tournament since 1973.

Past Lake Creek Amateur champions, scores
2021 – Brenden Bassing, Sioux Falls (143…36 holes)
2020 – Jack Evans, Brainerd, Minn. (144…36 holes)
2013 – Matt Weeks, Spirit Lake (213)
2012 – Gene Elliott, West Des Moines (207)
2011 – Kirby Pettitt, Carroll (206)
2010 – Justin Schulte, West Des Moines (207)
2009 – J.D. Anderson, West Des Moines (209)
2008 – Jon Brown, Urbandale (205)
2007 – Kyle Ritchie, Corning (211)
2006 – J.D. Anderson, West Des Moines (204)
2005 – Mike McCoy, West Des Moines (209)
2004 – Scott Quandt, Mt. Carmel (204)
2003 – Ron Peterson, Urbandale (141)
2002 – Ron Peterson, Urbandale (210)
2001 – Kevin Johnson, Urbandale (215)
2000 – Steve Smith, Johnston (207)
1999 – Jim Curell, Boone (205)
1998 – Jason Knutzon, Ames (207)
1997 – Nate Dunn, Manchester (67)
1996 – Ben Pettitt, Carroll (206)
1995 – Mike McCoy, Des Moines (172)
1994 – Mike McCoy, Des Moines (206)
1993 – Jon Brown, Urbandale (209)
1992 – Mike McCoy, Des Moines (206)
1991 – Jay Horton, Ames (207)
1990 – Al Pottebaum, LeMars (208)
1989 – Mike Dunphy, Perry (207)
1988 – Todd Sapp, Lincoln (220)
1987 – Bill Manske, Algona (218)
1986 – Steve Winkel, Algona (215)
1985 – Ned Zachar, Ames (210)
1984 – Greg Tebbutt, Bettendorf (213)
1983 – Dean Kain, Algona (283)
1982 – Gary Claypool, Marion (278)
1981 – Jim Curell, Boone (242)
1980 – Dean Kain, Algona (288)
1979 – Jim Curell, Boone (287)
1978 – Bill Manske, Algona (277)
1977 – Chuck Null, Cedar Rapids
1976 – Julius Boros, Iowa City (139)
1975 – Lon Nielsen, Belle Plaine

1974 – Roger Null, Cedar Rapids
1973 – Larry Castagnoli, Fort Dodge

The reigning 2021 IGA Player of the Year, Nate McCoy (above left), of Ankeny, began his 2022 season with a three-point victory at The Classic, located at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown.

The Classic, an additional point event, uses Stableford scoring for the tournament. This unique style of scoring is calculated by points based on the number of strokes per hole in relation to par.

The Stableford format increases the players’ aggressiveness and motivates them to hunt for birdies. Eight points is awarded for an eagle, while a birdie is four points, two for a par and one for a bogey.

“Because of the (Stableford) format, one birdie can move you up quick because of the double points,” McCoy said. “As long as I could eliminate making bogeys and big numbers, I felt confident enough in my game to make birdies.”

McCoy carded a strong 41 in his opening round, but was three points shy of Owen Sawyer, of Cedar Falls. Sawyer recorded two birdies and an eagle in round one, giving him a slight edge over McCoy heading into the final round.

During his final round, McCoy recorded five birdies to surpass Sawyer. McCoy posted 44-points in his final round en route to his first white jacket.

“It’s always nice to start the year off with a win,” McCoy said “You always wonder how you will play coming out of winter. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. I haven’t played a lot of golf this spring in Iowa, so it’s nice to play well when it matters.”

Sawyer finished runner-up with an 82-point total. He finished two points ahead of Ankeny’s Connor Peck, who managed a third-place finish with an 80-point total.

Curtis Holck (right), of Ankeny, earned his second-straight victory this season with a seven-shot win in the Senior Division. Holck is off to a hot start this year with an early lead in the IGA Senior Player of the Year standings.

Holck carded rounds of 41 and 44 for an 85 Stableford point total. In round one, he recorded a pair of birdies and an eagle. Going into the final round, Holck was two points behind the first-round leader, Ron Peterson.

“I knew that I would probably have to score more points in round two than I did in round one in order to have a chance,” Holck said. “I felt pretty fortunate to only be down two points. I had 33 putts in round one, so I knew if I putted better, I should be able to score more points. I went back to Ankeny Golf and Country Club and met with my son, who is the assistant professional, and he saw a couple of things in my set up and we got that straightened out and Sunday was much better on the greens.”

Holck stormed back into first place after making five birdies in the final round. Overcoming the two-point deficit and winning the tournament by seven shots was a confidence booster for the rest of the season for Holck.

Rob Christensen (right), of Marshalltown, won the Super Senior Division in a dominating fashion. Christensen fired a 41-point total and led the field by 10 shots after the first round at his home course. With a 10-point cushion heading into the final round, Christensen cruised to his first victory of the season.

“I came close (to winning) several years in the Senior Division,” Christensen said. “This year I finally got the white coat. It’s great to win on my home course. I got the big lead by shooting under my age the first day. It’s always good to do that but especially in a tournament. Lucky for me nobody really went low (on Sunday).”

Open Division
1. Nate McCoy 41-44=85
2. Owen Sawyer 44-38=82
3. Connor Peck 39-41=80
4. J.D. Anderson 37-42=79
5. Kelly Brown 40-37=77

Senior Division
1. Curtis Holck 41-44=85
2. Ron Peterson 43-35=78
3. Jeff Collett 38-39=77
4. Tony Newkirk 30-41=71
T5. Troy Underhill 33-36=69
T5. Brian Peterson 32-37=69

Super Senior Division
1. Rob Christensen 41-31=71
2. Pete Kelly 31-32=63
3. Rick Gorbell 28-34=62
4. Mike Ninneman 28-29=57
5. Brian Fell 27-27=54

Click here for full results

Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson relaxes on the golf course with her daughters Ava and Maya. Arseneault stays in touch with the game by serving as an instructor and has helped coach seven central Iowa prep students to earn Division I golf scholarships.

Set goals, work hard to achieve them, and enjoy the ride

Fifteen years ago, Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson’s golf stock was soaring.

During a magical summer of 2006, the then 18-year-old made a strong run at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, reaching the quarterfinals by defeating future LPGA player Tiffany Joh and five-time Solheim Cup participant Carlota Ciganda in the process. Two weeks earlier, she participated in the 61st U.S. Women’s Open Championship won by Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, joining a select group of amateur players who qualified.

Also that summer, Arseneault captured her third consecutive Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Des Moines Golf and Country Club by firing a 54-total of 210.

That fall, she headed back to the University of Virginia for her sophomore season. The sky seemed to be the limit for this former prep phenom who had prepared for this moment by attending two of the world’s top golf boarding academies as a teenager and building a national reputation with strong performances in several American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments.

At the age of 15, she burst onto the junior golf radar by firing a 67 in the first round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Fort Worth, TX. In 2005, she was named to the 12-member United States squad for the PING Junior Solheim Cup led by Morgan Pressel and contested at Bridgewater Club in Indiana, where the US team defeated Europe 16-8. She was named a second-team Rolex Junior All-American that year.

After a highly-decorated junior golf career, Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson went on to star at the University of Virginia.

Now as a collegian, Arseneault’s golf achievements kept mounting. She won the prestigious Women’s Western Golf Association Amateur Championship, was the qualifying medalist at the North and South Amateur Championship and finished tied for 34th at the NCAA Women’s Championship, all in 2008. She was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer and honorable mention All-American.

Arseneault was on the doorstep of a budding professional golf career. But a back injury that first struck in 2007 and caused her to miss much of that season began to flare again and forced her to re-evaluate what had been a life-long ambition.

“From as far back as I can remember, my ambition was to play professional golf,” Arseneault said during a recent interview in her hometown of Grinnell.

“If I couldn’t make it on the LPGA Tour, then the next best was becoming a golf coach,” she said.

Upon graduation from the University of Virginia, Arseneault found herself at a crossroad. Her recurring back issues were becoming more frequent, and professional developmental playing opportunities for women were limited to the Futures Tour, where making ends meet without sponsorships or other financial backing would prove challenging.

She gave Plan B a try and became an assistant golf coach at the University of Oklahoma and Tulane University. After a few years, Arseneault grew weary of the travel and the compound effect of living and breathing golf for so long.

The Larry and Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson family pose for a photo outside their Grinnell home.

“Golf was my whole life for so many years,” she said. “I was spending at least six hours a day in my prime, playing, practicing, and working out to become to best player I possibly could be. I began to wonder what life would look like after golf.”

Enter Larry Jackson, a Dallas native and elite athlete in his own right. Jackson, a banking executive, scored 1,539 points during a four-year basketball career at Liberty University to rank among the school’s career scoring leaders. The couple would marry, raise a family, and relocate back to Grinnell. Today Arseneault enjoys her role as Mom to four daughters, Deja, who played Division I basketball at the University of Pennsylvania, Naomi, a third-year student and basketball player at Washington University in St. Louis, and Ava, 9 and Maya, 7 at home in Grinnell.

“I’m a mom first right now,” said Jennie, who works in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at Grinnell College.

In her role as Alumni and Donor Relations Coordinator, she builds engagement and partnership opportunities with alumni athletes and works with the Grinnell College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Her competitive fires burned early, being raised in a family deeply rooted in athletics. Her father, David, was named basketball coach at Grinnell College in 1989, relocating the family from New Hampshire. David Arseneault’s Pioneer teams would attract national attention with its high-octane offense, shattering numerous NCAA Division III scoring records. Her brother, David, Jr., is now the head coach at Grinnell, and once held the national record for assists in a game at 34.

Arseneault was introduced to the game at age five and learned to play by completing hundreds of rounds at the 9-hole Grinnell College Golf Course. By junior high, she was shooting even par, and it became apparent that something special in the making. After her first year of high school, the family made a big decision. She was off to the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, SC, a high-performance golf boarding school that combines golf training with college preparatory academics.

There, she met instructor Hugh Royer III, a well-seasoned golf professional who played ten seasons on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours and won four times on the Korn Ferry Tour. Arseneault credits Royer for advancing her game to national heights. After two years in South Carolina, she received a scholarship to the world-renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL for her prep senior season. Established in 1978, IMG is touted as the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility that boasts Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Cam Newton, and Jimmy Butler as alumni. In golf, sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda and Paula Creamer are program alumna.

Arseneault stays in touch with the game by serving as an instructor and has helped coach seven central Iowa prep students to earn Division I golf scholarships. She has also volunteered with the Grinnell College women’s golf team. The Jacksons are members of Wakonda Club in Des Moines, and she plays occasionally.

Jennie has the following advice to junior golfers.

“Set goals, work hard to achieve them, and enjoy the ride,” she advised “But keep the big picture in mind as to what life looks like after golf. What are your long-term goals and how can athletics help you get there?”

“Up and Down” the Iowa Golf Scene

A regular feature column written by IGA Foundation board member Mark Gambaiana, Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene is designed to take the reader beyond the headlines and scoreboards to share stories of those who help make Iowa golf so rich and rewarding. Profiles will spotlight those who advance the game through volunteerism, service, extraordinary achievement, competition, human interest and the many other dimensions of golf in Iowa.

Click the links below to read previous Up and Down features
– IGA Rules Official Sean Flanders
– R&A, USGA Champion Gene Elliott
– Nervig Reflects on Decades of Service to The Iowa Masters