The Waveland Golf Association (pictured above with Ian Pak and family) had an idea – a really good idea. They wanted to help someone who needed it. Unfortunately with the postponement and ultimately cancellation of the 2020 Principal Charity Classic, the WGA had to take a detour with their plans.

“This winter we got to thinking – this will be our 20th year we have volunteered at the Principal Charity Classic,” WGA board member Greg Bentley said. “Last year (at the PCC) they gave away a bike to a youngster in need at the volunteer party and we thought it would be cool if ‘we’ did that. We collect funds as part of our dues and also allow people to donate additional money. The Board voted to give away the bike at the 2020 PCC volunteer party this year and hopefully this will inspire other organizations to do something similar.”

Bentley and the WGA enlisted the help of Variety – the Children’s Charity here in Des Moines to help find a child who would benefit from the bike.

“We got in touch with Variety and they were more than happy to help us,” Bentley said. “We had seen Variety donating a bike in the past at the PCC, so we reached out to them to help us with our project. We didn’t want to try to do this on our own – they are better at this type of thing than we are. They were able to find Ian Pak for us and then everything fell apart. The tournament got postponed and then eventually cancelled. Once it was cancelled, we decided it wasn’t fair to Ian that he can’t have the bike, but there is no tournament for him to receive it at. So we decided to give him the bike at Waveland.”

Ian Pak (pictured right with Rocky Sposato, General Manager / COO – A.H. Blank & Waveland Golf Course), of Waukee, is a 5-year old boy with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, which affects his mobility. When walking, Ian requires either a hand to assist him or uses his reverse wheeled walker or bilateral quad canes to get around home and school. Ian has recently started taking 3-5 independent steps forward since using the specialized bike in physical therapy. The bike that was given to him will allow Ian to ride with the greatest degree of safety and independence. It will allow him to interact with family and friends in a recreational environment while improving his overall fitness and strength in a safe manner.

The timing of the giveaway couldn’t have been better according to Bentley.

“This was a great time to do it – and well worth it,” Bentley said. His mom (Jessica) was telling us that his school was going to let kids like Ian bring their bike to school for the physical education class. Until recently, Ian didn’t have a bike, so he would not have been able to participate. Knowing he now has his bike and can participate really made us feel good.”

Bentley also encouraged other golf associations to get involved with a project of their own similar to the WGA’s bike give away. He stressed that the best start is contact Variety – the Children’s Charity.

“Contact them if you are interested,” he said. “It wasn’t difficult at all – they have all the resources you need.”

UPDATE — BOTH EVENTS CANCELED 

The IGA has announced a pair of 54-hole events this fall. While not exclusive to college golfers, we hope these will provide an additional playing opportunity for those that have lost their fall season due to the COVID pandemic. Both events will be held on (Sunday-Monday) October 18-19 at Coldwater Golf Links, Ames, and Crow Valley Golf Club, Davenport and both will be run similarly to college tournaments with 36-holes on the first day and 18-holes on the second day.

These two events are aimed at varsity Men’s and Women’s college golfers from the 2019-20 school year, those who are scheduled to be on a varsity roster in the 2020-21 school year, college age individual amateur golfers, and a limited number of non-college age amateurs. Prospective Student Athletes (PSA’s) are NOT eligible to compete in this event.

A total of 78 players will be allowed at each location. Assuming a field of 78, 52 spots will be open to male competitors and 26 spots will be open to female competitors. If one gender does not reach the maximum number of players, the field could be filled with the other gender to reach the maximum size of 78.

Entry fee for both events will be $150 per player (fees include golf, practice range balls and lunch for players on Sunday). Participants will be responsible for their own entry fee and any expenses they incur during the event. Collegiate varsity participants will not be allowed to represent their school in any way during the event, per NCAA guidelines.

For more information and to register today:

Coldwater Golf Links – https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2643009

Crow Valley Golf Club – https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2651997

Photo courtesy of The R&A / Getty Images

Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member Zach Johnson was recently named the recipient of the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company. Johnson will be honored on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-7:30 p.m. ET at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta.

The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 21 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999.

Click here to read more from the PGA TOUR

The induction ceremony for the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2020 has been postponed until spring of 2021 due to concerns about the coronavirus with travel and congregating in large groups. Details for the event are still being worked out, but it is the hope of the IGA that a ‘double-ceremony’ can be held honoring the Class of 2020 and 2021 next spring.

Beth Bader, John Benda and Judd Gibb were elected to the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and will be recognized with a plaque in the IGA’s office and their accomplishment highlighted on the website similar to previous inductees.

We will post details regarding the induction in 2021 as soon as those details are finalized. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you at the event in the spring.

Webster City’s Larry Ross (pictured right) meant a lot to his hometown. Ross, who passed away earlier this week on Tuesday, will be remembered for someone who put others before himself, including donating his time with golfers looking to improve their game in and around Webster City.

Ross played, and did quite well, in numerous IGA championships throughout the years. Always in a good mood, fellow competitors were always delighted when they found out they were grouped with Larry.  He brought a terrific attitude to the game.

Ross not only played in numerous IGA events year after year, but was also instrumental in the long-running success and state titles for the high school golf program, according to Webster City High School golf coach Eric Dawson.

Click here to read more about Ross from WHOTV 13