Bill Zinn’s association with the Northwest Amateur began as a caddie in the early 1960’s when the tournament was contested at the 9-hole south course. Zinn (left) is pictured with 2020 Northwest Amateur champion Jon Olson.

For 103 years, the Northwest Iowa Amateur has been among the most popular and prestigious golf tournaments on the Iowa Golf Association calendar. And for more than 50 years of that span, Spencer’s Bill Zinn, recipient of the 2024 George Turner Distinguished Service Award, has been an integral component of ensuring a smooth and memorable experience for the multitude of participants.

Originating in 1921, the Northwest Iowa Amateur is Iowa’s only 72-hole amateur event and currently draws 384 competitors annually with a unique mixture of the top amateur players in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, collegiate players as well as a large collection of casual weekend warriors.

Past champions include the greats of yesteryear such as Ed Updegraaf, John Jacobs, Jack Rule, Steve Spray, Bob Leahy, Tom Chapman, Jr., and George Turner himself, a former Spencer resident. Modern day champions include Denny Bull, Jon Brown, JD Anderson, the late Jim Currell, Sean McCarty, Mike Bender, Jason Knutzon and Ron Peterson.

Over the years, a family reunion atmosphere has been the hallmark of the Northwest Amateur. Many players have developed friendships and look forward to seeing one another at the tournament; former high school or college teammates reunite; and others use the first weekend of August to play golf in a highly competitive event while enjoying the Iowa Great Lakes. 

“The Northwest Amateur has a long and rich tradition, and Bill Zinn embodies that tradition,” Ron Peterson said. “It is a favorite among the players, and Bill’s dedication and contribution to the tournament is greatly appreciated. Thank you Bill, and congratulations on this well-deserved award.”

Bill Zinn’s association with the Northwest Amateur began as a caddie in the early 1960’s when the tournament was contested at the 9-hole south course.

“There were five to ten of us young kids who worked as caddies,” he recalled. “We’d look for and fight over the Polk County cars because those players paid ten bucks while everyone else seemed to be at five.”

Zinn’s formal association with the tournament began in 1974, working for long-time tournament directors Bob Woods and Bob Rose as the starter and announcer. In that role. He forged friendships with hundreds of golfers while also ensuring that starting times were kept on track and the three sets of 128-player shifts ran without hitches. In former years, pairings, starting times and scoreboards were all done by hand, and tee times were announced on the local radio station KICD. The advent of computers automated many of those processes, but the family atmosphere remained constant. When Bob Rose retired as tournament director, Zinn stepped into that role and served for nearly ten years until his retirement in 2023.