In 1939, John Jacobs began his illustrious amateur career by winning the Iowa Amateur just out of high school at the age of 18.  This would be the first of an amazing six Iowa Amateur titles.  Jacobs won the next two Iowa Amateurs in 1940 and 1941 before World War II interrupted his run.

After the war Jacobs enrolled at the University of Iowa and won medalist honors in the Big Ten Championship in 1946, the only Hawkeye to do so until Brad Klaprott in 1992.

That summer Jacobs added his fourth Iowa Amateur title and won again in 1948 and 1950.  Besides his success in the State Amateur, Jacobs won four Northwest Amateur titles, and two Waterloo Open titles.

Jacobs returned to competition in the late 1970’s  as a Senior Amateur and won three Iowa Senior Amateur Championships and was named IGA Senior Player of the Year in 1985 and 1987. (Note: The IGA did not start the Senior POTY award until 1985.)

Big Ten Individual Champion   1946

Iowa Major Titles:

Iowa Amateur Champion   1939, ’40, ’41, ’46, ‘48, ‘50

Northwest Amateur Champion   1948, 49, 50 & 51

Waterloo Open Champion   1951 & 1953

Senior Amateur Career:

Iowa Senior Amateur Champion   1979, 81 & 83

IGA Senior Player of the Year   1985 & 1987