Time sure flies – and success continues to grow.

As you may or may not know, in 2018 Iowa became the 21st state to offer Youth on Course. Youth on Course (YOC) started in 2006 by the Northern California Golf Association. At its most basic level, it is a program that subsidizes rounds of golf for juniors at participating courses. It has become very popular and, in 2014, the NCGA began expanding the program to other states and regions, spreading essentially from west to east. Recently it was announced that YOC will soon be available in all 50 states.

Many IGA Member Clubs that offer the program, from across the state, have seen tremendous success since it’s launch in 2018, including Hunters Ridge Golf Course (Marion), Jester Park (Granger) and AH Blank, Waveland Golf Course and Bright-Grandview Golf Course (Des Moines). Any junior boy or girl age 6 to 18 can join Youth on Course for a $15 yearly fee. A YOC membership allows them access to any participating Youth on Course facility (there are over 1,200 nationally) to play a round of golf for $5 or less.

“Youth on course has lowered the cost barrier for families who are interested in getting kids involved in golf,” Rocky Sposato, General Manager / COO of Terrace Hills Golf Course, Waveland Golf Course, AH Blank Golf Course and Bright-Grandview Golf Course said. “It (YOC) has made a huge impact on the future of the golf industry by making golf affordable and accessible for our future golfers.”

Youth on Course in Iowa continued to grow in 2020 as membership grew 73%, while rounds played increased by 60% across all participating facilities.

“We have a good number of kids that utilized the program and have really done the advertising and marketing for us,” Nate Severin, Club Manager and PGA Professional at Hunters Ridge said in regards to the spike of YOC rounds at his course. “I think the best way to have success with this program is making sure the kids and parents have a firm grasp of the rules of when they can/can’t play. Every professional/club manager likes to see kids getting into the game of golf. It’s nice to see parents getting behind them and introducing the sport of golf. It also gives the parents a nice discount on letting the kids tag along for a quick nine, or make it a full 18 on a nice evening.”

Jeff Chiodo, PGA Professional at Jester Park GC, also commented that developing relationships with members of YOC is important in the success of the program.

“It’s been important to us (at Jester Park) to develop those relationships and make sure they feel wanted at the course,” Chiodo said. “We like to ask them how they played after the round and about their experience. We have the Par 3 course here as well, which helps. We are able to direct kids as best we can either to the Par 3 course or the main course based on playing ability, pace of play, but also making sure they feel comfortable when they are here.”

Chiodo also mentioned he uses a variety of avenues to promote the program including through social media, email marketing, junior camps held at Jester Park GC and through his involvement with PGA Junior League.

Currently, Iowa has 30 courses throughout the state that participate in Youth on Course but would like to add more.

“We are hopeful that more courses will sign up as a participating facility,” said IGA CEO/Executive Director Chad Pitts. “The program is great because you can set certain times when YOC rounds can be played so you can drive traffic to your non-peak hours. Plus, it has been shown that roughly 50% of all YOC rounds are played with an adult who pays a full fee, so it truly does become a win-win for the course”.

If you are interested in signing up as a participating facility, please fill out this link or contact the IGA office and we can get you all the details.

For more information about Youth on Course in Iowa visit https://iowagolf.org/youth-on-course/.

Britta Snyder (pictured right), of Ames, recently competed and finished T10th place at the Women’s Orlando International Amateur (Jan 3-5). Snyder posted rounds of 72-74-71 – 217 (+1) at Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge – Panther Lake.

The Women’s Orlando International Amateur championship is an annual golf tournament gathering high-level amateur golfers – most of whom are current collegiate players – from the United States of America and abroad. The tournament was played in Orlando, Florida, and included a large field of female golfers who competed over a 54-hole stroke play championship, playing 18 holes per day.

Snyder is currently a freshman on the Baylor University women’s golf team.

Click here to view results

The Iowa Golf Association is excited to announce Ben Larson (right) as the IGA’s Director of Competitions. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, Larson will take the lead on the administration of IGA Championships, USGA Qualifiers, and taking the lead on support for the rules of golf and the USGA Tournament Management software (Golf Genius).

He has spent the past 7 years as the Director of Competitions for the South Dakota Golf Association, where he administered their men’s and women’s state championships, as well as USGA qualifiers. He was the main support person for USGA TM-Golf Genius for the SDGA member clubs and he has attained an expert rating from the USGA based on his rules of golf exam scores. He has been invited to serve as a rules official at USGA championships in the past.

Ben grew up in Webster City, Iowa, and commented that he looks forward to getting closer to his family.

“I am really excited, being from Iowa, to come back and work with a great team that is in place already at the IGA,” Larson said. “I look forward to helping continue the progress the IGA is making in the game of golf. It will be good to get back home near family and friends.”

Prior to joining the SDGA, Ben spent 6 1/2 years as a rules official/tournament director for the NGA Professional Golf Tour (formerly known as The Hooters Tour). He is a member of the PGA of America, gaining his Class A status in 2005.

“My major emphasis (in South Dakota) was on tournament golf, which I enjoy and look forward to continuing to do in Iowa,” Larson said. “I also enjoy the rules side of golf, which may not be exciting to everyone, but it is something I like.”

The addition of Larson was brought about with the retirement of IGA stalwart Bill Dickens. Dickens was the Executive Director of the IGA from 2001 -2015 and Senior Director of Administration from 2016-2020.

As part of this transition process with Bill’s retirement and the hiring of Larson as the Director of Competitions, we are shifting roles around amongst the current staff. Chad Pitts, Katelynn Hogenson, and Nate McCoy will all have title changes, along with new or additional responsibilities. Clint Brown’s title will remain the same, but he will take on a slightly different role as well.

Pitts’ title changes slightly to CEO/Executive Director of the IGA and the IGA Foundation. He will continue to oversee the entire staff and will take over many of the Foundation duties handled by Dickens the past few years.

Hogenson is being promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the IGA. As COO, Katelynn will be taking over much of the day-to-day bookkeeping, as well as providing additional oversight and guidance to other staff. Hogenson will shift her responsibilities for oversight of GHIN to McCoy.

McCoy is the new Director of Handicapping and Course Rating. He remains in charge of the course rating program for the IGA but will add responsibility for GHIN support to our member clubs and courses. He will have less focus on events, although you will still see him at plenty of tournaments.

Brown remains the Director of Communications and Marketing and he will still be in charge of all IGA communications, including the website, social media, and advertising & sponsorship sales. However, he will assist Pitts with IGA Foundation related activities when needed.

In general, it is a big carousel of duties being shifted around. However, even though we have specific job descriptions we are a small team, so everyone will still have a hand in nearly all we do. Most notably, you will continue to see most of the staff at all major IGA championships.

We are excited about the addition of Ben to the staff. You will see he brings loads of positive energy and experience.

The Iowa Golf Association has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Annual Awards Banquet, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, December 12th at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines.

Due to the rising COVID-19 case numbers in Iowa we feel it is in the best interest of all to postpone until spring.  The most recent proclamation from Governor Kim Reynolds has solidified that decision.  We have secured a new date of Friday, March 26th, 2021 with Glen Oaks Country Club to host.

We discussed many different options to safely hold this event, including severely limiting the number of attendees, removing the social hour and even going to an all-virtual ceremony.  We feel strongly that hosting this event with family and friends of those being honored is important and we want to make every attempt to make that possible in a safe manner.  Perhaps by postponing a few months, we can do that.

Please mark your calendars for Friday, March 26, 2021.  A schedule will be finalized after the first of the year. At that point we will open registration to the event for the general public. Be sure to watch for updates as they become available.

Today (Nov. 15) marks the start of the IGA inactive season. From November 15th – March 31st scores made on golf courses in the IGA region are not acceptable for score posting purposes.

Why have an inactive season you might ask?

Reason – Course Ratings are done using mid-season conditions so things like grass height, green speed, roll, etc. are all evaluated based on how they would play in June thru August when most rounds are posted. So even though you might be able to fit that mid-February round in (let’s cross our fingers for a mild winter!), I think it’s safe to say the challenges of the course conditions and obstacles are drastically different from those in the heat of the summer.

Planning a winter golf trip? You can visit the USGA’s national active/inactive schedule here to see if you’re playing in a region that requires you to post.

Really wanting to geek out? Take this 5-question quiz to test your active season knowledge.

On Friday, October 30, the IGA Board of Directors named recipients of the 2020 Annual Awards in six categories. We are pleased to announce this year’s honorees.

9-Hole Superintendent – Jeremy Amosson, Veterans Memorial Golf Club
Jeremy Amosson, of Veterans Memorial Golf Club, has been named the 2020 IGA 9-Hole Superintendent of the Year.

In 2010, Veterans Memorial Golf Club’s Board of Directors hired Amosson to serve as the Superintendent of Grounds. He brought with him a wealth of experience from working on golf courses in Illinois and Wisconsin. Over the past decade Amosson has improved the irrigation and drainage systems, led tee box and bunker restorations, and developed a forward-thinking tree management plan for the club to deal with the Emerald Ash Borer.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 posed new challenges to Amosson and his crew as the club saw more play than ever before, more than double the amount of play in 2019. Amosson sought innovative solutions to maintaining great playing conditions including topdressing the tees to keep them healthy and firming up the greens to handle the extra foot traffic during the hot summer months.

To top it all off, he maintains great working relationships with the rest of the club staff to ensure club operations run smoothly.

18-Hole Superintendent – Caleb Swanson, Briarwood Golf Club
Caleb Swanson, of Briarwood Golf Club, is the 2020 IGA 18-Hole Superintendent of the
Year.

Swanson joined the Briarwood Golf Club staff five years ago. Since coming onboard,
Swanson has been instrumental in leading efforts to restore the condition of the golf course. He has led efforts to improve the outdated irrigation and drainage systems, reconstruct sand traps to allow for better drainage, and overall improvement of golf course maintenance practices.

Earlier this year, Briarwood endured significant damage from the derecho storm that took down more than 140 trees in early August. Swanson didn’t blink. He quickly rallied his grounds crew and recruited teams of volunteers, leading an organized clean-up effort to return the golf course to playable condition. After only a week the course was reopened for member play.

His efforts and character have been recognized by the rest of the management team at Briarwood Golf Club.

“He is a hard worker, honest, and most importantly a quality individual. He is the best at what he does,” said Briarwood Golf Club Manager and Director of Golf John Dinniebier.

9-Hole Course of the Year – Hillcrest Country Club
The IGA 9-Hole Course of the Year in 2020 is Hillcrest Country Club in Adel.

With the COVID-19 pandemic creating a spike in demand for play at golf courses across the state, Hillcrest Country Club in Adel provided a safe outlet for recreation 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 safety protocols to ensure member safety. Leuhmann established effective plans for helping provide high quality service to their members while promoting the safety of both members and employees.

No tee times are necessary at the club, which has continued 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 – returning it to playable condition in less than two days.

18-Hole Course of the Year – Hyperion Field Club
Hyperion Field Club, in Johnston, has been selected as the 2020 IGA 18-Hole Course of the Year.

The golf course received a significant amount of damage 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 Tournament in mid-August.

Hyperion is highly regarded for their first-class putting surfaces, which are revered for posing a challenging 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 control their ball striking on the 6,455-yard layout. The club has recently renovated their bunkers which have provided for a strong aesthetic and great playability for their membership.

PGA Pro of the Year – Adam Coates, Spencer Golf & Country Club
Adam Coates, of Spencer Golf & Country Club in northwest Iowa, is the 2020 IGA PGA Professional of the Year.

Since starting at the club in 2011, Coates has been a difference maker. From leading the charge to renovate the golf shop and men’s and women’s bathrooms, hosting the Northwest Amateur Golf Tournament, driving membership growth, promoting junior golf programs, and a whole lot more.

This year was no different, with Coates provided several top-notch events at the club to serve their members. One fun event that he started this year was a glow ball tournament. The tournament was a big success and the club is looking to hosting more of these events next year. The Thursday night league launched by Coates has now grown to over 100 golfers, complimented by tremendous growth in participation of all skill levels in their women’s golf programming.

Coates has been accredited with tremendous growth of the junior game during his time at Spencer Golf & Country Club. This year he implemented the 9/36 Challenge program for juniors at the club. This program features programming from ages 4 thru high school.

Additionally, he designed a ‘kids only’ locker room that allows juniors a place to store their clubs and have a place to call their own. He has even created a new set of tee markers to provide for a family friendly course setup.

One member summarized the impact Coates has made on Spencer Golf & Country Club by stating that he is ‘the heartbeat of the club.’

Club Manager of the Year – Sheryl Dusenberry, Atlantic Golf & Country Club
Sheryl Dusenberry, of Atlantic Golf & Country Club in Atlantic, is the 2020 IGA Club Manager of the Year.

Dusenberry has been praised by the members and AGCC for her attention to detail, selfless service, and her people skills. This past spring, she stepped up to find innovative ways to safely serve their members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dusenberry coordinated with the kitchen staff to provide takeout dining services to members, many times delivering the meals herself. Additionally, she coordinated with all other club personnel to implement safety protocols and make sure all club functions were in accordance with public health proclamations to ensure the safety of their members and guests.

Annually, AGCC hosts the Tournament of Champions, an event where golfers flock to Atlantic from across the state. IGA veteran Ron Peterson spoke highly of the way Dusenberry represents the club while hosting the event.

“You can tell she takes great pride in presenting and representing the Atlantic Golf & Country Club in the best way possible,” Peterson said. “She works tirelessly before and after the event to ensure the participants have the best experience possible.”

One member noted that Dusenberry exemplifies the attributes of an excellent manager.

“If a golf course were to hire a new manager, I would recommend they spend a week or two with Sheryl to see how a course should be run,” said member Allan Hjelle.

NOTE – The IGA Annual Awards Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, December 12th at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines. We will communicate a schedule of events as soon as we finalize all of the remaining details. Safety and well-being of those attending is one of our top priorities in response to COVID-19 while we continue to work out the logistics of the banquet. We are still working on details for start times as well as additional guests that will be allowed to attend.

Ankeny’s Connor Peck set the standard during his 2020 campaign, surpassing a number of IGA veterans on his way to earning the 2020 IGA Men’s Player of the Year title.

Peck’s first outing of the summer came at the 32nd IGA Match Play Championship, where he defeated Andrew Huseman 5 & 4 to win the title. The momentum continued, with Peck earning additional victories at the 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship, the Briarwood Amateur, and The Classic 2020. He also placed in the top five of the 118th Iowa Amateur Championship and the 35th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship.

Andrew Huseman, of Ankeny, compiled three victories over the summer to earn a second-place finish in the standings. Huseman’s victories came at the 24th Iowa Four-Ball Championship (with Connor Peck), the Fort Dodge Amateur and the Iowa Open (Amateur Division). Additionally, Huseman placed runner-up in the 32nd IGA Match Play Championship and the 35th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship. IGA Hall of Famer Jon Brown came in third place, followed by Ankeny’s Jon Olson (4th) and J.D. Anderson (5th).

Click here to view a full recap of Men’s 2020 Player of the Year standings.

Joe Palmer, of West Des Moines, picked up a trio of victories en route to earning his third IGA Senior Player of the Year title.

Palmer’s first victory of the summer came at the 18th IGA Senior Match Play Championship, where he bested Tom Schill, of Gowrie, 3 & 2. He went on to win titles at the 83rd Iowa Masters and the 71st Herman Sani Tournament, in addition to top five finishes in the 42nd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship, Carroll Amateur, and the Briarwood Amateur.

Finishing runner-up in the standings was Norwalk’s Terry Cook, who put together a steady 2020 campaign. Cook earned a victory the Fort Dodge Amateur and placed in the top 5 in the 42nd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship, 71st Herman Sani Tournament, Carroll Amateur, Northwest Amateur, and the Briarwood Amateur. Bret Taylor, of Booneville, finished less than one point behind Cook to come in third. Des Moines’ Tony Newkirk and Dave Gaer ended the season in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Click here to view a full recap of Senior Men’s 2020 Player of the Year standings.

Cedar Falls’ Rick Gorbell put together a strong 2020 campaign to earn his first IGA Men’s Super Senior Player of the Year title.

Gorbell captured his first victory of the summer in the 18th IGA Senior Match Play Championship, where he defeated defending champion Steve Kahler in 19 holes. He continued his success at the Waterloo Open, where he earned his third consecutive title. Additionally, Gorbell captured Super Senior titles at the 2020 Southeast Amateur and Carroll Amateur, and earned runner-up finishes in the Northwest Amateur, 83rd Iowa Masters, and the Briarwood Amateur.

Pat Ryan, of Marshalltown, finished the year in second place and had a terrific season in his own right. Ryan collected four victories altogether, including top finishes in the 35th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship, 42nd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship, 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship, and the 83rd Iowa Masters Tournament. Des Moines’ James Blackburn came in third place, with David Studer, of West Des Moines, and Wes Hogeland, of Pierson, completing the top five.

Click here to view a full recap of 2020 Player of the Year standings.