By Susan Thompson

Invitations have been sent to about 150 golfers to participate in the Brokers International Ltd. Iowa Open, which will be held Aug. 19-22 at Lake Panorama National (LPN). The 144-player field is open to professionals and amateurs who live in Iowa, as well as golfers with Iowa ties.

A contract was signed last July between the Iowa Section PGA and Brokers International Ltd. that brings the annual golf tournament to the LPN for five years.

The Panora insurance marketing company committed $25,000 annually to the event, making it the major sponsor. That all will go to prize money. Entry fees also are used for prize money and operating costs.

In a letter distributed with the invitation, Troy Christensen, executive director of the Iowa Section PGA, said the $25,000 annual commitment by Brokers is the largest single sponsor contribution in the history of the Iowa Open. “We are anxiously awaiting our return to Lake Panorama National, which was the site of Iowa’s premiere event from 1985 to 1998,” Christensen wrote.

Christensen’s letter was just part of the unique invitation sent to eligible participants. It was packaged inside a box that also included a message from Roger McCarty, founder and CEO of Brokers International, Ltd., a commemorative golf ball, and tournament registration and housing forms. The outside of the box features a photo of Kelly, Roger and Bill McCarty on LPN’s #15 green.

John Dinnebier, LPN general manager and director of golf, serves on the Iowa Section PGA board of directors. He said the increase in prize money should entice more players to participate in the tournament in 2010. “We are excited this tournament is returning to Lake Panorama National, and grateful to Brokers International for helping us bring it back to Panora,” Dinnebier said.

LeRoy Oxley of Panora will serve as tournament director. He has been a member of the Iowa Golf Association (IGA) board of directors for seven years, and finished a two-year term as IGA president last November.

Teams are being recruited for the pro-am event, which will be held Thursday, Aug. 19. A maximum of 32 teams can be accommodated, with 28 of those slots already taken. A “draw party” for pro-am participants will be held at Lake Panorama’s Boulder Beach Wednesday evening, as names of pros are drawn to match with the amateur teams.

The entry fee for a four-person team is $1,000. For that, each team gets four $125 gift certificates to redeem at a FootJoy sales tent, an Iowa pro on their team, eight tickets to the draw party, breakfast and lunch the day of the pro-am, and the chance to play for the top prize of $1,000. The first-place pro will receive $1,500.

Larry and Mary Hills are coordinating the pro-am tournament. For more information, contact them at 641-755-4016.

To supplement the financial commitment by Brokers International Ltd., hole sponsors are being sought. The cost to sponsor a hole is $200. For that, sponsors receive a color sign on the hole of choice, will be listed on the pairing sheets and banner on the Iowa Open Web site, and receive two invitations to the pro-am draw party. To become a sponsor, contact Larry and Mary Hills.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament will begin Aug. 20 at 8 a.m. Everyone who enters the tournament will play both Friday and Saturday, with tee times assigned and the players in groups of three. Sunday’s final round will be limited to a set number of players with the lowest combined score for the first two days.

In his letter to potential players, Christensen said one of the new and long-awaited enhancements for this annual event is the addition of a senior division for players 50 years of age and older on or before Aug. 20, 2010.

“Seniors will be competing for $5,000 added sponsorship along with senior division entry fees,” he said. “They also will be competing from a shorter set of tees, which will lead to a larger senior division field and more enjoyable rounds.”

It’s expected up to 90 volunteers will be needed to help with a variety of jobs related to the tournament. Roxie Ruth and Kathy De Lucca are coordinating volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Ruth at 515-987-3635, De Lucca at 641-755-3116, or Oxley at 641-755-2577.

Kent and Shirley Stephenson are coordinating housing in private homes for players and their families who request this when they register. It’s estimated housing will be needed for about 50 people. Those willing to host players and families should contact the Stephenson’s at 641-755-3787.

The Iowa PGA would like to congratulate Tod Puetz on the great honor of being awarded the 2009 Account Representative of the Year for TaylorMade.  Tod represents the Iowa and Nebraska PGA Sections and also has the state of South Dakota.  He has been with TaylorMade for 4 years now and was given this top honor over the 66 other TaylorMade Account Representatives with the company.

The Iowa PGA is very fortunate to have Tod as an Iowa Representative.  He and TaylorMade are top supporters of programs and events in the section.  The most recent sponsorship includes the 2010 Iowa PGA Las Vegas Pro Am where the low three teams all received a new TaylorMade Driver.  Other events sponsored by TaylorMade-adidas include the 36-Hole Classic and the National PGA Assistant of the Year Award.

In the 4 years Tod has been with TaylorMade he has made a significant impression and has earned several other awards and honors.  In his first years with TaylorMade he was awarded The Rising Star Award which recognized him for his great success as newcomer in the company. He was also awarded the 1st Annual Metal Wood Award in 2009 which honors the account representative who sells the most metal woods to their customers than any other representative in the company.  Tod is also a part of the TaylorMade Salesman’s Club.  This group of account representatives is honored by their ability to achieve all measureable targets and goals set by the company.

Tod is married to his wife Sara and they live in the Des Moines area.  They will celebrate 2 years later this fall.  They recently welcomed their first child a girl Lyla last October.  Tod was born and grew up in Le Mars Iowa and is a pretty good golfer as well.  He was a part of the Le Mars Gehlen Catholic High School golf team that attended the IHSAA State Championships from 1996-1999, winning the championship in 1998.  He also attended Kirkwood Community College and was a part of the team that placed 11th at the National Championship in 2001 and 4th in 2000.  Besides spending time with his family and working hard at his job, Tod also likes other outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing.

Tod’s success can be attributed to hard work and dedication with a special appreciation for his accounts and the PGA Professional.  Tod wanted to thank the Iowa PGA Professional for their support over these last 4 years.  He appreciates your business and understands how important each relationship has been in helping him to be successful at his job.

Gary Adams founded Taylor Made Golf in 1979 after realizing that the new two-piece golf balls flew farther and straighter when hit by metal-headed clubs than by those made of wood. Adams hired two employees for his plant in McHenry, Illinois, and they filled $47,000 worth of orders in their first year.  In 1981, Ron Streck won the Houston Open using the first Taylor Made driver. Nicknamed the “Pittsburgh Persimmon” for its steel construction.  Since then, Taylor Made has become the #1 driver in Golf both on all Tours and in the marketplace.  Tod may be reached by email tod.puetz@tmag.com or by phone 712-540-5993.

RIVERSIDE, Iowa – Champions Tour professional Lonnie Nielsen, who will be inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame this month, has renewed his leadership in supporting the GIVE (Golf for Injured Veterans) Foundation through the “Birdies for Heroes Challenge.” Nielsen, 56, a native of Belle Plaine, Iowa, a 1976 graduate of the University of Iowa, marks his second consecutive season on Tour by donating $50 for each birdie and $500 for each eagle he records to the GIVE Foundation. Last season, Nielsen was the Tour’s oldest winner of the season when he triumphed at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y.

Begun in 2007, the GIVE Foundation has achieved national recognition by The PGA of America and the Veterans Administration for its blend of PGA Professionals-led golf curriculum and accompanying life lesson support to enhance the mental, social, physical and emotional well-being of veterans. Nielsen said he will again call upon his fellow Champions Tour professionals, Iowa PGA Section professionals competing in 2010 local and area events, and the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour members to join him in the season-long fundraising campaign.

Nielsen also joined the GIVE Advisory Board, which also features former Masters Champion Bob Goalby and his nephew, Champions Tour star Jay Haas. Last season, Nielsen, former PGA and U.S. Open Champion Larry Nelson, former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate and Goalby donated to the Birdies for Heroes Challenge. “Throughout my life, I have looked up to the men and women of our military for the sacrifices they have made to our country,” said Nielsen, who competed from 1978-83 on the PGA TOUR, then spent nearly two decades as a highly-successful PGA club professional in East Aurora, N.Y.  “It is with a great deal of pride that I step out again on the course this year and work to support the GIVE Foundation. I have heard many success stories from GIVE, and I think it’s wonderful that golf can be the source of happiness for so many.”   Nielsen, whose PGA club professional career included him winning 32 events in the Western New York PGA Section, has spent the off-season recovering from knee surgery.

“I’m anxious to get back on the course and make some birdies,” says Nielsen. “I’m looking for more recruits, and I know that we will continue to build support for the veterans of our country.” The GIVE program is a partnership between the Iowa PGA Section, the Iowa VA Medical Center of Iowa City and the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort. The program was founded by Lou King of Cedar Rapids, a Navy veteran and former PGA of America Executive Director, and has had more than 300 Iowa veterans participate, a group whose service spans from World War II through Iraq and Afghanistan.

King said that Nielsen and other Champions Tour donors have made it possible for help the program fund golf equipment and transportation expenses that allow instructors and veterans to meet at the host site for series of classes throughout the year. The GIVE program announced earlier this year that it plans to expand to other sites in Iowa as part of its new GIVE Golf Tour presented by VGM Club.  “We are honored and most proud to have one of Iowa’s best – Lonnie Nielsen – step forward again to lead the Birdies for Heroes Challenge,” said King. “Golf is a sport that continues to give back to others, and Lonnie epitomizes the best of his profession and the state of Iowa.  Our goal remains to bring the GIVE program to more and more veterans throughout the state. Thanks to Birdies for Heroes, we have the path to rehabilitation for our veterans being laid by some of the finest players in the game.”

About The GIVE Foundation
Begun in 2007, the GIVE Foundation blends cost-free PGA Professional-led golf curriculum and accompanying life lesson support to enhance the mental, social, physical and emotional well-being of veterans. The GIVE program, conducted from spring through the fall, is a partnership between the Iowa PGA Section, the Iowa VA Medical Center and Riverside Casino & Golf Resort. For more information about the GIVE Foundation and the GIVE Golf Tour, please visit www.giveforveterans.com, or contact the Iowa PGA Section headquarters at 319-648-0026 or e-mail: iowa@pgahq.com. The GIVE Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-for-profit organization, with all donations tax-deductible.