The format for this tournament is a modified quota system where golfers play to reach or exceed their daily quota which in turn provides an overall quota for each team. The tournament winner is determined by the team that accumulates the most points above their total quota. If no team exceeds their quota, then the winners will be the team that is closest to achieving their overall quota.

Teams competed for an overall team purse and a new TaylorMade driver, which was awarded to each participant on the low three teams.

Round two of the event was canceled due to cold weather and high winds.

The Iowa PGA would like to thank Tod Puetz and Mike Long from TaylorMade-adidas for their continued support of the Iowa PGA Las Vegas Pro-Am.

Champions from left:  Shane Bellefy, John Bowen, Adam Luehmann, Tod Puetz, Darin Ferguson

Final Results

Team Pictures

 

Miscellaneous Pictures

 

The format for this tournament is a modified quota system where golfers play to reach or exceed their daily quota which in turn provides an overall quota for each team. The tournament winner is determined by the team that accumulates the most points above their total quota. If no team exceeds their quota, then the winners will be the team that is closest to achieving their overall quota.

Teams are competing for an overall team purse and a new TaylorMade driver will be awarded to each participant on the low three teams.

Daily scores and pictures will be posted at iowapga.com so be sure to check back each day for updates.

The Iowa PGA would like to thank Tod Puetz and Mike Long from TaylorMade-adidas for their continued support of the Iowa PGA Las Vegas Pro-Am.

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.

What or who has had the greatest impact on your career?
My father Ed Howe, Ross deBuhr and JD Turner, all PGA Professionals

Besides golf, what else do you enjoy?
Spending time with my family, skiing, guitar and exercise

If you could play any golf course in the world, which one would it be and who would complete your foursome?
St. Andrews with my father, Ben Hogan and Nick Faldo

If you could give lessons to anyone in the world who would it be and what advice would you give?
Any junior golfer who is sincerely interested.

What is your favorite golf instruction tip?
Get the student’s pre-swing fundamentals in order – grip, alignment posture – and then get their swing closer to plane.

Bryan Haas, Director of Golf at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, IA, explains the importance of golf bag composition and the positive outcomes that it can produce for your golf game.

Online registration is now available for the 2010 Iowa PGA Callaway Golf Spring Events that will be held on Monday, March 29 at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort.  CLICK HERE now to register.  There is no fee to attend.  Education will be provided in the morning with a lunch following courtesy of Mike Goettsch and Callaway Golf.  Business meeting will start at approximately 1 p.m.  Please see schedule listed below.

Additional details regarding education will be provided in the coming weeks.  Iowa PGA Members will receive hour for hour mandatory education MSR and 2 mandatory meeting MSR per hour when attending.  Please remember all PGA Members must earn 12 MSR for education and 12 MSR for meetings in the current cycle that ends June 15, 2011.  There are only 3 meetings left in this current cycle.  Make sure you check out your MSR earned and know where you stand before the cycle is over. Please feel free to call the office with any questions 319-648-0026

7:30 a.m. Rolls & Beverages

8:30 a.m.  Education (3 MSR)

12:00 p.m. Lunch courtesy of Mike Goettsch and Callaway Golf (You must register CLICK HERE)

1:00 p.m.  Business Meeting (4-6 MSR depending on length of meeting)

A great offer just in time for Valentine’s Day.  Purchase any ticket package for The Principal Charity Classic by Sunday, February 14th and get $5, $10, or $20 off! Listed below is the special pricing for this offer.  Make sure to enter Promotion Code:  cupid

Champions Club Pass $130 (regular price $150)
Ten Pack $90 (regular price $100)
Good-Any-One-Day $10 (regular price $15)

CLICK HERE NOW TO PURCHASE!

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Also remember all friends of the Principal Charity Classic will enjoy $6 tickets for the Bucs vs. Omaha Lancers game this Thursday, February 11.  Tickets must be purchased by calling the Buccaneers box office at 515-278-2827 x 2106 or by emailing brant@bucshockey.com.  Make sure to use the promotional code CHARITY CLASSIC when ordering.  All ticket orders will require a credit card at the time of purchase and all tickets will be available for pickup the night of the game.  Online orders are not available for this offer.

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All Proceeds Benefit these “FORE Our Kids” Charities

Other inductees for the Class of 2010 include current PGA Champions Tour star Lonnie Nielsen of Belle Plaine and renowned PGA Tour instructor Mike Bender, a Waterloo native and golf turf industry leader Steve Tyler of Waverly.  In the historical category former Des Moines area club professional Jack Hall and 1020’s era Des Moines amateur Bob McKee will be inducted.  To view the complete Press Release CLICK HERE.

Jerry Johnson named
Regional PING Club Fitter of the Year

On January28, Phoenix Arizona:  PING announced today that Jerry Johnson at Elmwood Country Club has been honored as a 2009 PING Regional Club Fitter of the Year.

The company, which pioneered custom fitting nearly 40 years ago, recognized Johnson for his continuing commitment to custom fitting and its value to golfers of all abilities.

“Jerry shares our belief that if golfers take the time to get custom fit, they’ll see improved performance on the golf course. His attention to detail and passion for service ensure golfers benefit from the most thorough custom fitting in the industry,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “He demonstrates his expertise on a daily basis to ensure golfers receive the full value offered by PING’s custom fitting program. Jerry’s  commitment to our program makes him very deserving of this honor.”

Nominating Jerry Johnson at Elmwood Country Club for the honor was Michelle Estill, PING Field Representative for the region.

Ping designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, putters, and golf bags.  The family-owned company was founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries.  His frustration with his putting inspired him to design his own putter, which created a “pinging” sound when striking a golf ball.  This sound was the source of the name now synonymous with innovation, quality and service throughout the world of golf.  Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs.  His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf club industry.  Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer.  Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim’s youngest son, John A. Solheim.  PING game-improvement products can be found in more than 70 countries.  For more information, visit pinggolf.com.

PING is a registered trademark of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation.

Name: Aaron Krueger, PGA
College/University: University of Iowa
Year Turned Pro: 2003
Facility and Job Title: Pinnacle Country Club – Milan, Illinois, Head Golf Professional

What was your motivation to become a PGA Professional?
I wanted to do something that I love everyday. As a PGA Professional I am able to interact with great people, operate a business, teach and play a wonderful game.

What is your specialty in the golf business?
Customer service, running golf tournaments and owning the operation.

What are some of your professional accomplishments?
2007 Iowa PGA Assistant of the Year, 2008 Iowa PGA Section/PNC Champion

What was your greatest moment in golf?
Playing in the 2009 John Deer Classic in front of my family, friends and Membership.

What or who has had the greatest impact on your career?
The PGA Members that I have worked with and for: Steve Reilly, Pete Beringer, Jonathan Sutera and Todd Smith.

Besides golf, what else do you enjoy?
Spending time with my wife Tonya and daughter Lydia as well as watching Iowa Hawkeye sports.

If you could play any golf course in the world, which one would it be and who would complete your foursome?
I would play Augusta National with my dad Gene, my grandpa Bill and fellow PGA Member Jonathan Sutera.

If you could give lessons to anyone in the world who would it be and what advice would you give?
No matter who the player, I would tell them to enjoy this game and to play it for the rest of their life.

What is your favorite golf instruction tip?
The swing doesn’t stop at impact … swing through the ball, don’t hit at it.