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.

Open to the public

The IGA would like to announce to the public that the 2024 Annual Awards and Player of the Year Banquet is scheduled for Friday, December 6, at Terrace Hills Golf Course, in Altoona (8700 NE 46th, Ave.).

The schedule of events for the evening will be:

• 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. – Arrival and Check-in
• 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. – Social hour and food
• 6:45 – 7:00 p.m. – Awards program begins
• 9:00 p.m. – Award program ends

The cost for the evening’s event will be $40 and can be paid for via credit card over the phone or online by clicking here. You may reach out to the IGA Office at (515) 207-1062 to pay over the phone.

Note – Groups can purchase up to eight tickets at a time online. 

Deadline to register for the event is Tuesday, November 26

Read more about each IGA Annual Award winner by clicking here.

Read more about each Player of the Year by following the links below.
–Men’s Player of the Year (Open, Senior, Super Senior)
–Women’s Player of the Year (Open, Senior)
–Junior Player of the Year (Boys, Girls)

The Hoffman family celebrates the 2021 Iowa Class 4A state championship won by the West Des Moines Valley team in record-setting fashion. The Tigers set a state record of 604 and won by 62 strokes. Pictured left to right are Brett, Lisa, Paige and Hailey Hoffman.

High-Level Competition, Boatwright Internship Preps Hoffman for Career in Golf

Decades from now, when Paige Hoffman looks back on what most certainly will be an impactful career in golf administration, she will have no trouble identifying what got her start in the business.

An Iowa High School state golf champion at age 16 and an Iowa Women’s Amateur Champion at age 17, the highly decorated Hoffman is underway with her senior season at Northwest Missouri State University, an NCAA Division II school in Maryville, MO. 

Continuing a pattern of excellence at each level of competition, Hoffman has put her stamp on the Bearcat women’s golf record book. She captured the 2023 Mid-American Athletic Association (MIAA) conference tournament, qualified for the NCAA Division II national championship that year and most recently set a school record this fall by firing a 36-hole total of 138. In fact, Hoffman owns eight of the top ten lowest 36-hole scores in school history.

Now a senior at Northwest Missouri State University, Hoffman captured the 2023 MIAA Conference Tournament medalist crown and participated in the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Her playing accomplishments aside, an internship with the Iowa Golf Association during the 2023 and 2024 seasons modified her career path. Hoffman participated in the P.J. Boatwright Internship program sponsored by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Established in 1991, the Boatwright Internship is designed to provide experience to individuals who are interested in pursuing golf administration as a career while assisting state and amateur golf associations with the promotion of amateur golf. P.J. Boatwright was a long-time executive director of the USGA and came to be acknowledged as the world’s foremost expert on the rules of golf. 

During her IGA experience, Hoffman received well rounded exposure to handicapping and course rating functions, marketing, communications, rules, working with the Sani and Griffel Scholarships, member services, scoring, and tournament preparation, administration and follow up. Since 2002, more than 50 young people have served the IGA through Boatwright Internships, including all current full-time IGA staff.

“My Boatwright Internship with the Iowa Golf Association was a fantastic experience,” Hoffman told Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene during a recent interview. “It really put my life and career plans on a different trajectory. I always enjoyed golf before, but this has sparked a new level of passion I’d not had before. So much of that is due to the leadership and guidance of the IGA staff, they are an incredibly fun group of people who are eager to teach you. It was impossible not to have a good day working at the IGA.”

The pace during the summer is frantic as this past season the IGA staff worked through 33 championships and qualifiers in a span of just 62 days. 

“As a player, you don’t really have any idea about all the logistics necessary to conduct a smooth-running tournament,” Hoffman remarked. “You have to prepare, problem solve, multi-task and be ready for sudden change. There may be ten things going on at once.” 

Providing students with a well-rounded experience has been a point of emphasis for the Boatwright Internship program, says Chad Pitts, Executive Director of the IGA, who himself went through the program more than 20 years ago. 

“We’ve had more than 50 Boatwright Interns at the IGA since 2002 and collectively they’ve added excellent value over the years,” PItts said. “Interns get a first-hand look at what is needed to run an effective golf tournament and golf association.”

A data science major, Hoffman will graduate from Northwest Missouri in the spring of 2025 and has her sights set on a golf administration career with the USGA or allied golf associations. 

Motivated with the promise of M&M’s, Paige Hoffman molded her golf swing at a young age by joining her father Brett to the Longview Golf Center.

The daughter of Brett and Lisa Hoffman of West Des Moines, Paige’s introduction to the game started at age five. 

“Dad would go to the old Longview Golf Dome in Urbandale during the winter to work on his swing, and I’d tag along because of the promise of M&M’s,” she noted. 

Hoffman started competing in Iowa PGA junior events at the age of ten. A multi-sport athlete in middle school, golf became the focus when she received an invitation to compete in the prestigious Junior Girls Four-State event in Wichita, KS., and later qualified for a national Optimist junior tournament at PGA National in Florida. Hoffman was a prep standout for Coach Kelli Moore at West Des Moines Valley, leading the Tigers to state championships in 2019 and 2021 and runner-up finish in 2018. 

Individually, Hoffman captured state medalist honors during her 2019 sophomore campaign, firing a sizzling five-under par 137 at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames, nipping Bettendorf’s Shannyn Vogler by a single shot. Hoffman fired a 36-hole total of 143 as a senior, good for fourth in the medalist standings as the Tigers set a state team record of 604 and won by a whopping 62 strokes.

Another crown jewel achievement of Hoffman’s young golf career followed a few months after her state high school title at the 95th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship in 2019. The unassuming Hoffman, a newly minted 17-year-old, fired rounds of 71-71-68 at Otter Creek in Ankeny, and her three-under par 210 captured the title by four shots. She was among the youngest players to ever win the Iowa Women’s Amateur. 

A desire to play Division I golf resulted in a one-year stopover at the University of South Dakota, but Hoffman’s collegiate career mushroomed after a transfer to Northwest Missouri. 

In 2023, Hoffman captured medalist honors at the MIAA Conference Tournament, shot a 54-hole total of 216 to tie for third at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, and shot a three-round total of 232 at the Division II national tournament in Eureka, MO. She was named to the all-conference and all-region teams. Hoffman set a school record 36-hole total of 138 (70-68) this fall at the Grace Shin Regional Preview in Edmond, OK, winning medalist honors after a five-hole playoff. The Bearcats set a team record of 587 strokes in the event. A week earlier, Hoffman shot a 143 at the Mustang Invite hosted by Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, MN.

As her collegiate career draws to a close next spring, Hoffman has more goals to achieve. She would like to help her team qualify for regionals for the first time in program history before moving on with a career in golf administration. 

“Through tournament and internship experiences, Iowa women’s golf has taught me how to be a stronger competitor, better communicator and a more well-rounded person,” she said.

She offers the following advice to junior players.

“Practice consistently, analyze your game to work on the areas that need improvement and always, always work on your short game,” she said. “Treasure the memories, enjoy the game and keep it fun.”

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

Mike McCoy (right) and Gene Elliott (left) have been longtime forces in the amateur game both as teammates and foes. The pair has battled it out for years in Iowa Golf Association events and also on the national stage.

The prestigious and unique 3rd Annual East West Matches are scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2024, at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas.

Live Scoring

Since 2020, the East West Matches at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas, have attracted some of the best amateur golfers in the United States to play in the Ryder Cup-style team event. The unique format allows top senior, mid-amateur and college golfers to play together and represent their geographic locales while building relationships and lasting bonds.

The 3rd Annual East West Matches are scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2024, at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas. Each team consists of 18 players: six seniors, at least 10 mid-amateurs and up to two amateurs who have not yet reached the age of 25. The event is played every two years. Iowa amateurs Dennis Bull, Gene Elliott and Mike McCoy will play for the West team.

“We are committed to fielding the best West team we can for the upcoming prestigious East West matches,” said West Captain Brady Exber. “And we know there are some very, very good players in Iowa and we are thrilled to have Mid-Amateur Dennis Bull, and senior amateurs Mike McCoy and Gene Elliott. They will be a big part of our West team.”

Exber will look to McCoy and Elliott for their leadership in addition to their talent.

“I feel the same about both Gene and Mike,” Exber said. “They are the Mount Rushmore of amateur golf and the top of the mountain. They are, and have been, a great example of what amateur golf is all about, and I really wanted them on the West team for their leadership on and off the course. They were great players as younger amateurs and now they are great senior players. I am thrilled to have them on the West team.”

Bull (right) and his experience will also be a key part of the West’s attempt to win the event after a loss in 2022.

“We are so happy to have Denny on the team,” Exber said. “He is a returning player who had a winning record the last time we played. In addition, he will be a valuable influence in the team room. He’s a guy who everybody likes.”

LIV Golf League player and former Univ. Tennessee star Caleb Surratt played in the 2022 East West Matches and verifies the quality and prestige they have.

“Getting to play with different players in a different age group is a neat part about the East West Matches,” Surratt said. “It was cool to see how everybody plays the game and it makes it a little more fun than just watching guys hit it 350 yards and straight all day. I think the format goes back to a little bit of what golf is all about. It includes everybody and brings back a lot of the tradition of the sport.”

The East West Matches feature teams from the East and West regions of the United States.

Nathan Smith will captain the East while Exber will captain the West.Smith will also be the 2025 United States Walker Cup captain. Exber is a member of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame, the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and the National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame.

The teams are selected via qualifying events and also captain’s picks. For complete information about the process, visit www.eastwestmatches.com. You can view the events that will earn points for Mid-Ams and Senior Ams in addition to viewing the updated standings.

The unique makeup of the East West Matches is what initially attracted Maridoe Golf Club Owner Albert Huddleston to the event.

“I view Maridoe as a sandbox of fellowship, and we are always thrilled to open it up to the East West Matches because they epitomize exactly what golf should be all about,” Huddleston said. “I don’t know of any other opportunity where you have this amalgam of silos of golfers that actually have any connectivity. College players never play with the seniors or the mid amateurs in a competitive team environment. What the Matches also do is encourage those golfers that are younger that if they don’t play professional golf, there is a robust amateur circuit with a lot of talent with events like this to keep their competitive drive alive.”

Scott Harvey is one of the event’s original visionaries, and understands how the support of Huddleston and Maridoe Golf Club allows the East West Matches to be successful.

“The East West Matches are indebted to Mr. Huddleston, who is one of the nation’s most prominent supporters of amateur golf and continues to do more and more each year,” Harvey said. “Maridoe Golf Club is a world-class test of golf, and the staff assures that the players, captains, and volunteers are treated with the best service, hospitality, and food. The best players are very interested in qualifying for the East West Matches, and we are sure we will have another competition that features the highest-level of golf.”

About the East West Matches

The East West Matches started in 2020 and are played every two years. The three-day amateur golf competition features a Ryder Cup-style team format for American amateur, mid-amateur and senior competitors. The competition is currently tied 1-1.

The vision of the competition is “promoting the amateur game by bringing the best amateurs in the United States together for highly competitive matches and camaraderie in its purest form.”

The Mississippi River is the dividing line between East and West teams, each of which is made up of 18 players: six seniors, at least 10 mid-amateurs, and up to two amateurs who have not yet reached the age of 25.

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, is the bi-annual host. In the three days of competitions, there are nine 18-hole four-ball matches on Day 1, nine 18-hole foursome matches in the morning of Day 2 and nine 18-hole foursomes in the afternoon of Day 2 with 18 singles matches on Day 3.

www.eastwestmatches.com

Ankeny’s very own Nate McCoy has not only left his name on several trophies, but also in the record books as being named IGA Men’s Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.

McCoy racked up three wins, three top five finishes, a top 10 finish in 2024.

McCoy started the season finishing runner-up at the 39th IGA Mid-Amateur Championship, at Bos Landen GC, Pella, carding a three day score of 212 (-4).

Along the way McCoy also finished in the Round of 16 at the 36th IGA Match Play Championship, at Talons Golf, Ankeny. 

Two of his wins came from Additional Point Events on the IGA schedule.

McCoy took home the victory at the Fort Dodge Amateur shooting an impressive 63 (-8). Along with the Briarwood Amateur carding 138 (-6).

McCoy placed 2nd at the Lake Creek Amateur shooting 142 (-2), and T3 at The Classic, at Elmwood Coutnry Club, with 78 Stableford points. In the 87th Iowa Masters McCoy finished 7th carding 213 (-3).

His peak summer highlight was taking home the victory at the 122nd Iowa Amateur, contested at Finkbine GC, Iowa City. A win that would qualify him for the 2024 U.S. Amateur. McCoy carded two eagles on the back nine of the final round to shoot 204 (-12) for the three days.

This was the first year the winner from the Iowa Amateur would receive an exemption into the U.S. Amateur contested at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn. Nate posted qualifying rounds of 142 (E) total. 

He would then be forced to a 14 man playoff for 11 spots to make it to match play. McCoy capitalized with a par on the opening hole to advance. He would eventually lose in the Round of 64 to Paul Chang 5&4.

McCoy has reached yet another milestone for his Iowa golf career. He continues to demonstrate what it takes to be one of the best competitors in the Iowa golf circuit.

Jon Brown, of Adel, a two time IGA Men’s Player of the Year, is now an IGA Senior Men’s Player of the year. He had yet another outstanding season, capping off the year with three wins, four top fives, Round of 16 at the IGA Senior Match Play and qualified for a pair of USGA events.

Brown further solidified the standings late August when he made a run in the 69th U.S. Senior Amateur, contested at The Honors Course, in Ooltewah, Tenn. Seeded 9th after qualifying, Brown made it through two rounds of match play. In the Round of 16 Brown lost his first four holes, but fought till the end before falling in the match 3&2.

Brown also qualified for the 9th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball held at Philadelphia Cricket Club, Flourtown, Pa. Brown and partner Jon Olson shot a 135 (-7). This put Brown and Olson in an eleven team playoff for six spots, the two ended up falling just short on the second playoff hole. 

Brown’s summer in 2024 started off hot at the 28th IGA Four-Ball Championship, contested at Elmwood CC, Marshalltown with partner Gene Elliott. The pair shot a two day score of 133 (-6) and finished T4. 

From there he went on a tear taking back-to-back wins at the 39th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship at Bos Landen, Pella, carding a three round total of 215 (-1), followed by the 46th Iowa Senior Amateur Championship, held at Bent Tree Golf Club shooting 217 (+1).

Brown, a four time Iowa Masters Open Division champion, took home the 87th Iowa Masters this time in the Senior Division. Brown recorded a three day total of 209 (-7).

The impressive golf did not stop there, in the 75th Herman Sani Tournament, at Echo Valley Country Club, Norwalk he earned a runner-up finish carding a 217 (+1). Brown also played in the Northwest Amateur, at Spencer G&CC, Spencer where he placed third with a 141 (-3) in the Senior Division, along with 17th place carding a 284 (-4) in the Championship Flight.

His season came to a close at the IGA Senior Four-Ball Match, held at Elmwood CC. Partnered with Gene Elliot the pair managed to finish T3 carding a two day total of 137 (-3).

Jon Brown has always been a solid player throughout Iowa tournaments, after the 2024 season this just proved he still has what it takes to be at the top of the leaderboard.

Des Moines’ Dave Gaer who finished runner-up in 2023, is the 2024 IGA Super Senior Men’s Player of the year. Gaer did not stop at go and collect, he instead kept his foot on the gas all season long.

Gaer had four wins, a trio of runner-up finishes and was a semifinalist at the IGA Senior Match Play in 2024.

Gaer started out the summer firing on all cylinders finishing runner-up at the 39th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship at Bos Landen GC, Pella 228 (+12). Later he would travel to Council Bluffs for the 46th Iowa Senior Amateur Championship at Bent Tree GC, to pick up his first win shooting 222 (+6).

Soon after that Gaer would collect his next two wins at the Fort Dodge Amateur, which a score of 71 (E).

A month later he would travel to Ames for the 87th Masters, at Veenker Memorial GC. Gaer won by an stagoring 13 shots 222 (+6) over last year’s Super Senior Player of the Year Bob Brooks.

Gaer fell short of capping off back-to-back victories at the Northwest Iowa Amateur, finishing 5th carding 148 (+4).

He would keep all this momentum headed into the final three events. 

Gaer would take home the victory at the 75th Herman Sani contested at Echo Valley CC, shooting 215 (-1). He then placed runner-up at the Classic at Elmwood CC, with 60 stableford points. Gaer closed out the season to a thrilling 20 hole match coming up just short and losing to Tom Norton in the semi-finals of the 22nd Senior Match Play.

Gaer absolutely put the hammer down during the 2024 season and it is well-deserving for his first IGA Super Senior Player of the Year honor.