Category: News

2018 Ann Griffel Scholarship Winners Announced

May 31, 20180 commentsNews, Scholarships

The Iowa Golf Association (IGA) is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of the Ann Griffel Scholarship Award (Griffel is pictured above in sport coat). Casey Noble, Alisha Ford, Molly Carey, Bailee Frayne and Robyn Stillmunkes will receive a one year scholarship of $2,000. These girls will join a group of 228 other students to have received this award since 1963.

Casey Noble is the daughter of Scott and Tammy Noble. She is a graduate of New London High School and plans on attending Mount Mercy University. She intends to study Accounting while in college.

“Thank you to the Ann Griffel committee for selecting me for this honor,” Noble said. “The game of golf has always been a big part of my life and to be able to play golf in college along with earning a golf scholarship is a dream come true. I hope to be a role model for young golfers in the future as it is also my dream to become a high school golf coach.”

 

 

 

Molly Carey is the daughter of Jeff and Kim Carey. She is a graduate of Van Meter High School and will attend Graceland University this fall. She plans on majoring in Mathematics.

“I couldn’t have been more excited when I received the text notifying me about being selected for this scholarship while I was playing golf with my family,” Carey said. “It is such an honor for me to receive a golf scholarship in general and even more incredible to get this one! Thank you so much, and I look forward to attending the banquet with my family.”

 

 

Bailee Frayne is the daughter of Bryan and Cheila Frayne. She is a graduate of Garner Hayfield Ventura High School and will be attending William Penn University to study Elementary Education this fall.

“It is such an honor to be chosen as one of the recipients of the Ann Griffel Scholarship,” Frayne said. “I admire the work Ann did in promoting the game of golf and her focus on women in golf especially. I hope to do my part in continuing to promote the sport and represent the Ann Griffel Scholarship the best way I know how. I am very grateful to have been selected.”

 

 

Robyn Stillmunkes is the daughter of Randy and Renee Stillmunkes. She is a graduate of Bellevue High School and will attend the University of Iowa to study Human Health and Physiology (Pre-Med) this fall.

“Being selected for this scholarship is a huge honor,” Stillmunkes said. “I have always loved golf but I never thought I would get a scholarship for doing something I love. I appreciate this opportunity and I am very excited to be attending the University of Iowa next year. I want to thank the Ann Griffel Scholarship Committee for helping me achieve my goals of pursuing higher education.”

 

Alisha Ford is the daughter of Anita and Tom Ford. She is a graduate of Grinnell High School. She will be attending Wartburg College in the fall. At the time of this release she was undecided on an area of study in college.

“It’s truly an honor to be selected as an Ann Griffel scholarship recipient,” Ford said. “I am thankful that I had the opportunity to play and achieve many great things playing the game of golf. Golf has influenced me as a person by giving me confidence in my abilities and teaching me to persevere during tough times. It taught me how to work hard for something that I want, which has built my character. I am so grateful for all of the people who encouraged me in my love for the game and believed that I could and will continue to achieve my goals. I can’t wait to be on the Wartburg College golf team next year and continue playing the game I love.”

The Ann Griffel Scholarship was established in 1963. It originated as just one $350 scholarship awarded by the Iowa Women’s Golf Association (IWGA) and has evolved into a $2,000 scholarship awarded to multiple high school senior girls who intend to further their education at an Iowa institution of higher learning, whether a college, university or trade school.

The Iowa Golf Association Foundation (IGAF) was established to preserve the game and develop more programs to promote the future of golf in Iowa. The IGAF awards the Ann Griffel scholarship each year. This scholarship was named after the long time IWGA President, Ann Griffel, who during her 23 year term started the Girls’ State Junior, Forever 39, State Wife-Husband and Senior Women’s Championships.

The Iowa Golf Association serves as the governing body of golf for the state of Iowa. Run by amateur golfers the IGA provides a variety of programs and services that benefit everyone who plays the game

Sani Scholar Broc Everett wins NCAA D1 National Championship

May 29, 20180 commentsNews

Broc Everett (right), of West Des Moines, never stopped working hard. His determination came to its peak on Monday as he captured the 2018 NCAA D1 National Championship at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, OK.

Playing for Augusta and ranked #153 according to Golfstat, Everett kept kept his head down and put together rounds of 70-70-70-71, which put him at 281 (-7) and tied with Auburn’s Brandon Mancheno. A birdie on the first playoff hole gave Everett the championship and sent shockwaves all the way back to central Iowa. The win marked Everett’s first win in college – it’s safe to say he saved his best for last.

Everett (pictured above – back right), a 2013 Herman Sani Scholarship winner, made a total of 14 birdies over four rounds, but more importantly made no worse than bogey at the challenging Karsten Creek.

Click here to view a full recap of scoring from the championship.

Fields makes comeback, wins 2018 Tri-State Masters

May 21, 20180 commentsNews
Courtesy of Barry Poe, Sioux City Journal

It took a monumental collapse for it to happen, but Adam Fields (right) achieved a rare and coveted feat Sunday at Green Valley Golf Club.

The 30-year-old Sioux City native and Pottawattamie County sheriff’s deputy came from behind to win the Tri-State Masters by one shot and complete a career grand slam of “major” golf titles.

Fields, who bested Corey Matthey by a stroke, added the Tri-State crown to his Men’s City (2009) ,three River-Cade Amateur (2013-14-15) and Interstate Amateur (2016) victories.

That alone is noteworthy enough, but Fields prevailed after starting the day eight shots behind Des Moines resident Sam Pieczyznki, who completely unraveled after two superb rounds.

Read more from Barry Poe, Sioux City Journal

Click here for a full recap of scoring

Family affair at 2018 Southeast Iowa Amateur

May 21, 20180 commentsNews

It was a family affair at this year’s Southeast Iowa Amateur. While Willis Gaer (right) ran away with the Open Division title by 10 shots, his dad, Dave charged to the win in the Senior Division after trailing by two going into the final round at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake.

Willis, who opened with a pair of 68s, finished with a tournament record 170 (-10) after the 45 hole event. He made 10 birdies and a pair of eagles to outdistance Patrick Hall and Pedro Velasco, who finished second and third respectively.

In the Senior Division, Dave Gaer posted a pair of 69s, including a sizzling 31 on the back nine in the second round to edge opening round leader Joe Bates by two strokes. The elder Gaer finished with a total of 9 birdies over 36 holes to take take the victory.

In the Super Senior Division, Jim Campbell posted rounds of 70-78, good for a four shot victory over Del Harken and Tim Taylor.

Click here for a recap of scoring

Cook, Brown take home titles at The Classic

April 30, 20180 commentsNews

Clive’s Scot Cook (Open Division) and Jon Brown (Senior Division) took home the titles from the inaugural ‘The Classic’ held at Elmwood Country Club, in Marshalltown. The Classic, is the first Iowa Golf Association point event played under a modified stableford format, in which players earn points per hole based on their score as follows:
Double Eagle: 12 points
Eagle: 8 points
Birdie: 4 points
Par: 2 points
Bogey: 1 point
Double Bogey or worse: 0 points

Cook (above left), posted rounds of 42 and 41 points respectively to outdistance a trio that included Dustin Atkinson, Ethan Mechling and Jeff Collett, who all finished seven points behind Cook. Over the two-day event, Cook made 10 birdies.

Jon Brown (78 points), playing in his first Senior Division event after turning 50 last fall, edged Ron Peterson by a single point to capture the title. Brown (above right) also collected 10 birdies on the weekend, including three in a row to finish his first round. Rob Christensen (see video Christensen’s birdie on #18), an Elmwood member, finished in third place, seven points back of Brown’s total.

 

Scott Cook receives the ceremonial white jacket as champion of The Classic.

Jon Brown slips into this white jacket after winning the Senior Division of The Classic.

Significant updates to IGA Player of the Year point systems

April 27, 20180 commentsChampionships, News

The IGA Rules and Competitions Committee spent a good deal of the offseason studying the IGA Player of the Year points systems.  Following that study, the following recommendations were approved by the Board of Directors in late March and will go into effect this season.

Added new point events

We recently announced the addition of three new Sanctioned Point Events – The Classic, a new stableford format event at Elmwood CC in Marshalltown, the Joe August Match Play, the long-standing Four-Ball Match Play format tournament held at Ames Golf & CC and the Mason City Amateur, a 36-hole stroke play tournament held over Labor Day weekend at the Mason City Country Club.

Now counting four

Players will now count up to four additional non-IGA or non-USGA events.  That means a player can now count their top four point totals from of Additional Sanctioned Point Events and non-USGA national events.

“Tiered” structure for Additional Sanctioned Point Events

Additional Sanctioned Point Events in Iowa (non-IGA conducted) will be assigned separate point scales based on how many people participate in each event.  Depending on the number of players, an event will be either “A”, “B”, “C” or “D” with 300, 250, 200 or 150 points being awarded to the winners, respectively.  The “A” level events will award points to the top 30, “B” level will award to the top 25, “C” level will award to the top 20 and “D” level will award to the top 15. This adds a bit more point value to those who finish higher in fields with more players.

Players who play “up” in competition

Players age 50 and over who play in an Open Division rather than a Senior Division will be eligible to earn points.  The amount of points they earn toward the Open Player of the Year race will transfer equally to the Senior Player of the Year race.

For example: A player age 52 plays in the Open Division of the Iowa Masters and finishes 4thoverall, earning 80 points toward the Open POTY race.  That player would also earn 80 points toward the Senior POTY race.  This same philosophy will apply to Super Senior Players who choose to play in an Open Division or Senior Division rather than Super Senior Division.

National non-USGA events

Performance in non-USGA national events will continue to be counted toward the Open POTY race and will be added to the Senior POTY race.  They will be counted toward a player’s four extra events they can accumulate (in addition to the Sanctioned Point Events).  A big change will be that the IGA will simply rely on the World Amateur Golf Ranking to determine which national events are worthy of points. WAGR was created by the USGA and R&A to rank the top amateurs around the world so we will use that as our basis. Their events are ranked from “Elite” to “F” level events.  We have created our own scale of points depending on those rankings.

Herman Sani and Iowa Mid-Amateur points elevated

The amount of points and number of players who will earn points have increased in both the Herman Sani Tournament and the Iowa Mid-Amateur.  In the Sani, the winner (low amateur) will now receive 300 points with the top 30 earning points.  In the Senior divisin of the Sani, it will be 250 for the winner and the top 25 will earn points.  At the Mid-Am, the champion will receive 250 points and the top 25 will earn points in both the Open and Senior Division.

Super Senior Points System

Following the first year of the Super-Senior Player of the Year, many additions and tweaks were made.  See this link for the entire system.  Some highlights include:

  • Addition of Super Senior Division to Iowa Mid-Amateur
  • Addition of Super Senior Division to Herman Sani Tournament
  • Addition of Super Senior bracket to the Senior Match Play
  • Increased point values of Super Senior Division at Iowa Senior Amateur and IGA Senior Match Play

View the complete rules and regulations for all the Player of the Year point systems here.

The Classic launches this weekend

April 27, 20180 commentsChampionships, News, Uncategorized

The Classic, the new modified stableford competition taking place at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown, gets underway this weekend.  67 golfers are scheduled to compete in the inaugural tournament.

This will be the first Iowa Golf Association point event played under the stableford format, in which players earn points per hole based on their score.  In this case, the administrators at Elmwood CC have modified the traditional stableford point system as follows:

  • Double Eagle: 12 points
  • Eagle: 8 points
  • Birdie: 4 points
  • Par: 2 points
  • Bogey: 1 point
  • Double Bogey or worse: 0 points

This modified scoring system will put a premium on making birdies and eagles and should make for some exciting “go for broke” golf.

Play will begin on Saturday with the first 18 holes and conclude on Sunday with the final round.  There is an Open and Senior Division. In addition to a trophy and gift certificate, the champion will receive the “White Jacket” with The Classic logo embroidered on the chest.

Follow all the action by clicking here.

Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship established

April 4, 20180 commentsNews

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced today the establishment of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, which will be held annually the week prior to the Masters and will culminate with the final round taking place at Augusta National (pictured above).

“Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts left behind a legacy of always trying to contribute meaningfully to the game of golf,” Ridley said. “The Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship embodies that principle, and we believe this event will have a significant and lasting impact on the future of the women’s game. Our hope and expectation is that this event will further energize those who already love the sport and inspire others through the dream of competing at Augusta National.”

The 54-hole, stroke play tournament will feature an international field of 72 players. Invitees will be determined by awarding winners of other recognized championships and using the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

In 2019, the first two rounds will take place at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. After a cut to the low 30 scores, the final competitive round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 6, when an amateur champion will be crowned for the first time ever at the home of the Masters.

Read the full release by clicking here

DMG, Amana Colonies GC, Glen Oaks CC to host IGA Member Play Days

March 16, 20180 commentsNews

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

Des Moines Golf & Country Club (pictured above), Amana Colonies Golf Club and Glen Oaks Country Club will host IGA Member Play Days in 2018. The IGA is pleased again this year to organize the opportunity for our members to play these courses which are either not normally available to the public, or available for a reduced rate. The fee varies for each day but each time is less than the normal guest fee. These play days are not formal competitions and are open exclusively to IGA Members.

The first IGA Member Play Day will be held on Monday, May 7th, at DMGCC ($135 per person).  Amana Colonies GC ($45 per person) will host the second IGA Member Play day on Monday, Aug. 27th and Glen Oaks CC ($105 per person) will host on Monday, Oct. 15. All play days include golf, cart, range and a box lunch.

As in the past, golfers are encouraged to bring their own foursome as pairing requests will be honored (as nearly as possible). We have reserved a block of morning tee times at these great facilities so all play will begin from the 1st tee. Just come, have fun and whatever “games” you want to play within your group or groups is totally up to you. Each event includes golf, range balls, & cart. Sign up early because once the tee time block is gone we will not allow any more entries.

As stated previously, the opportunity to play these prestigious clubs is an exclusive benefit only to IGA members. An IGA Member is anyone who has a membership number through their enrollment in the GHIN Handicap Service at an IGA Member club. If you are not already a member, simply sign up for the GHIN Handicap Service at an IGA Member Club or you can sign up online by clicking here. A complete list of member clubs is available under the “Member Clubs” tab at the top of the page.

Registration for the IGA Member Play Days is now open – Click here to register

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