Despite being the smallest school in Class 2A, Estherville captured the 1974 state golf championship contested at Gates Park in Waterloo. Team members gathered for a photo shortly after securing the title. (Photo courtesy of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier).

State Golf Champions Gather, Reminisce, 50 Years after Surprise Title

A half-century ago, David once again defeated Goliath, this time on the battlefield of Gates Park Golf Course in Waterloo at the Class 2A Iowa High School Boys state golf championships.

In 1974, a talented but unheralded Estherville Midgets golf team, the smallest school enrollment-wise in Class 2A, the largest of just a two-class system, took on the giants of metropolitan schools across the state of Iowa and brought home the school’s first-ever state championship in any sport.

Estherville’s boys golf team raced through the regular 1974 season undefeated in duals, captured the Lakes Conference tournament and won both Sectional and District titles en route to a state tournament berth. The Midgets shocked teams from metropolitan areas by capturing the state championship.

Estherville attracted so little pre-tournament attention that the town name was misspelled on the championship scoreboard. Led by state medalist Bob Short’s even-par round of 72, The Midgets fired a team score of 302 to defeat runner-up Waterloo Columbus, the tournament favorite, by three strokes and capture the elusive state title.

Dean Summa was close behind in the scoring with a 73, followed by brothers Keith Duitsman (77) and Kurt Duitsman (80). Kelly Bosworth also competed for Estherville at the state meet.

“As I was about to tee off on my final hole, Coach (George) Hess came up to me and said finish up with a par, let’s win the state championship and teach them that there is an ‘h’ in Estherville,” recalled Short.

The Midgets’ march to a state title went through Spencer, Storm Lake and the Lakes Conference, an undefeated dual season, then the Sectionals and District tournaments. Kelly Bosworth, known for a trademark short game, recalls that depth was a key factor.

“I don’t remember any of us really having a bad day,” he said. “We had a great combination of competitiveness and team spirit. We wanted to kick each other’s butts in a good way and you never knew who was going to be the medalist. We played together, had fun together and won together. But it was sure fun to beat Bob.”

Keith Duitsman remembers competing with his future high school teammates in junior tournaments and various outings at the Estherville Golf and Country Club and nearby Riverview Golf Course. He and his brother, Kurt, also competed in the State Pee Wee tournament in Grinnell. As a freshman, Keith served notice of things to come as he beat all the varsity players by five strokes in the opening meet. The runner-up medalist in the 1974 Sectional Tournament, Duitsman recalls the innocence of an era long since vanished. “In those days, we’d take two station wagons to the meets, Coach Hess would drive one and a senior would drive the other. We’d load up the clubs and shoes in the backseat that faced the other direction. I can’t imagine anyone letting that happen today.”

Fifty years later, the teammates reunited in Northwest Iowa for the first time since that magical spring of 1974. Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene joined the gathering to compile reflections of that great achievement and learn the different paths that life has taken the champions over the past five decades.

Members of the Estherville Midgets state golf championship held a recent reunion on the 50th anniversary of their title. Team members, left to right are Kelly Bosworth, Dean Summa, Keith Duitsman and Kurt Duitsman. Bob Short was unable to attend.

Grey hair, physical ailments, grandkids and life experiences have replaced the plaid pants and bell bottoms, white belts, muscle cars and carefree attitudes of the early 1970’s. What remains constant is their love for the game, their competitive instinct and satisfaction about their place in history at Estherville High School.

“The game of golf has taught me so much about the game of life,” said Bob Short, who emerged from a three-hole playoff with Kendall Anderson of Atlantic and Tim O’Connor of Sioux City Heelan to earn state medalist honors. “Golf has taught me patience, respect, humility and introduced me to people who became lifelong friends. One day you can shoot the best round of your life and the next day you can’t find the first tee.”

After high school, Short enrolled at Northern Iowa and played golf for one season before transferring to the University of Arkansas. He finished fourth in qualifying for the team but had to sit for a season due to transfer rules. He took a year off and moved to Austin, TX., where he took lessons from legendary instructor Harvey Penick. It was then Short saw first-hand how difficult it would be to play the game for a living.

“I’d shoot one or two under for a tournament and be ten shots back,” he said. “I decided to concentrate on school and a career.”

He honed his interpersonal skills and became successful in sales for the Gillette Razor company.

Bob Short led the Midgets to the school’s first-ever state championship by firing an even par 72 and winning medalist honors at the 1974 state championships.

Dean Summa recalls growing up together and competing against his future teammates in junior tournaments. Some of the foes from nearby communities included Milford’s Curt Schnell, who went on to win the Iowa Open three times and Graettinger’s Chuck Moran, a long-time PGA golf professional. Summa attended Northeast Missouri State for two seasons (now Truman State) and also moved on to Arkansas to finish his education. After a brief stint as an assistant golf professional in Florida, he retired from a career in the food brokerage business.

“Golf has been one of the most beneficial business tools I’ve experienced,” Summa noted. “You get to know a person’s character very quickly – is it going to be a great time socially, competitive or a long day on the course?”

Kurt Duitsman, the youngest player on the squad as a sophomore, parlayed his golf experience into a successful business career. He earned a golf scholarship to Iowa Lakes Community College and played two seasons for the Lakers and even compiled a book about golf as a youngster. Duitsman entered the flooring business, spent 25 years in the Quad Cities before moving to Houston and starting his own company, Floors for Living, which rapidly grew to 23 retail locations before selling the business to 31st Street Capital.

“Growing up, I was a very competitive kid, wanting to be the best at golf, ping pong, bowling, games in the backyard, you name it,” Kurt said said. “I later learned you can’t excel at everything, and to be successful you have to prioritize and focus on things that really matter.”

Kelly Bosworth’s golf ambitions were peaking after graduating from high school in 1974. Competing in one of Iowa’s famous one-day, 27-hole tournaments, he fired a nine-under par 99 at Okoboji View but found himself tied with Ivan Miller of Eldora and Curt Schnell of Milford, where Miller, the well-renowned “King of the Minnows” finally prevailed in a playoff. A serious motorcycle accident later that summer ended his hopes of pursuing golf in college. He earned an undergraduate degree from Augustana University, a dentistry degree from the University of Iowa and has operated a dental practice in the Twin Cities for the past 42 years.

Keith Duitsman, who operated a plumbing, heating and air conditioning business in Estherville for 47 years, summed up the golden anniversary reunion of the school’s first state championship team.

“It was so great to see the guys again, being together for the first time in 50 years,” Keith said. “We had fun remembering those days on the golf team, and of course winning the state championship. I also really enjoyed sharing about life experiences, our careers, kids and grandkids, and the significant role that golf eventually played in our lives.”

“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
– Arseneault Finds Fulfillment in Life’s Next Chapter After Competitive Golf
– Ivan Miller remembers the days of the Minnows
– Kinney adjusts to life on tour
– Standard Golf’s roots run deep
– Pettersen sets sights high
– McCoy, Norton Put Iowa Stamp on Florida Senior Golf
– Moreland Reflects on his Extraordinary Club Pro, Playing Career
– From Sibley to the LPGA Tour – Barb Thomas Whitehead Fulfills Her Dream
– At 88 Years Young, Cleo Brown Remains a Fixture at the Principal Charity Classic, IGA Events
– Love of the Game, Service to Others Propel Charlie Taylor to IGA’s 2023 George Turner Award
– The Calling Card for Ottumwa’s Matthew Walker in Quest to Reach Golf’s Highest Level
– Following the Rules Leads Katelynn Hogenson Down a Path Through Magnolia Lane