Iowa Golf Association

Chad Pitts | Executive Director | Iowa Golf Association

Moving in the Right Direction

With the 2021 golf season well underway, it seems as though golf has kept moving in the right direction. Coming off the heels of last year’s unexpected boom due to the coronavirus pandemic, courses are as busy as ever and people seem to be excited to get out and play.

We are seeing it in our entry numbers as we have had waitlists in our Iowa Mid-Amateur, IGA Match Play, IGA Women’s Match Play, and Iowa Amateur. Having a waitlist at the Iowa Mid-Amateur and Women’s Match Play is a first for us.

It is exciting to see, but it will probably require us to do a bit of rethinking on how we operate a few of our more popular events. Perhaps we will re-institute qualifying for the Iowa Amateur, for instance (the last time we had qualifying scheduled was in 2011). Thankfully, those types of decisions are not left up to me, or even our staff, entirely. We have a committee of amateur players that help drive those determinations, which ultimately, our Board of Directors would approve. It’s a good problem to have.

Anecdotally, I’m hearing from golf course operators around the state that their club events are as popular as ever. I think the opportunity the game of golf had last year when it was, in some respects, “the only game in town” drove so many golfers to come out of hibernation that it sparked an interest in getting back into competitive golf. That is great for the IGA, but also great for golf courses around the state. keep kids coming back in the future, but as they tell their friends about it that could drive future entries. We will see how it goes, but we hope that everyone finds it as an attempt to try something new and nothing more than that.

Now the key is making sure that we hold on to that enthusiasm. We need to continue to try things to keep younger people engaged with the game and making things fun for not just beginners, but everyone. Ultimately, that’s the key. I don’t know much, but I do know that if something isn’t fun, people are not going to keep choosing to do it or spend their discretionary income on it.

We are planning to add “walk-up music” to our Junior Championships this year. This is music we play (chosen by each player) prior to them teeing off on the first hole. That may seem out of left field, but keep in mind that the Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf & Country Club had a DJ on the first tee pumping out tunes before each match teed off. Also, the PGA Tour Zurich Classic (New Orleans) plays walk-up music for each team. Obviously, the music is muted when it is time to tee off, but it could add to the “fun” of our event. Not only could it With that being said, I hope that all of you continue to think of new and exciting ideas to grow the game and keep it fun. If you have any great ideas that you want to share, we would love to hear from you. In the meantime, best of luck with the rest of the season and never hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We love to help whenever possible.

Thanks to our 2021 Season Long Sponsors

The Iowa PGA is pleased to have the following corporate partners involved with the 2021 Section, Junior Tour and Foundation events and activities. For more information on becoming involved as a corporate partner, please contact Exective Director Greg Mason, PGA at gmason@pgahq.com or call the office 319648-0026.

Section | Corporate Partners

Junior Tour/Foundation | Corporate Partners