Burkart Scholarship
Congratulations to Patrick Hagenbucher
2010 Charlie Burkart Scholarship Recipient
Patrick is enrolled in the PGA/Professional Golf Management Program at the
University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
The Iowa Section of the PGA annually awards a college scholarship in memory of Charlie Burkart, PGA member for 48 years and head professional at the Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids for 47 years. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist students with their education. Each recipient receives $4,000 over a four-year period, $1,000 per year for full-time attendance.
Any graduating high school senior who is a resident of the state of Iowa and western Illinois (a part of the Iowa Section PGA) is eligible to apply. The Iowa Section PGA includes an area of western Illinois from a point north of Quincy, east to near Springfield and directly north. It includes the major cities of Monmouth, Macomb, Galesburg, Moline, Rock Island, Kewanee and Galena. It does not include the cities of Freeport, Springfield or Quincy.
Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of their interest and activity in golf and the potential for future contributions to the game, then on their academic ability and financial need.
2010 Charlie Burkart Application
THE CHARLIE BURKART STORY
This below story is included in the Elmcrest Country Club Yearbook as a significant part of its history, as a fond remembrance for those who knew Charlie Burkart and to pass along the story of a much loved man to those who came along later.
Charles Burkart was born on April 8, 1907. Involved in golf at an early age, he became the pro at a course in Iowa City. In early 1930, Charlie borrowed the money to buy the first driving range in Marion. A gentleman by the name of Nick Carter built a daily fee golf course in the community of Kenmore in 1934 and hired Charlie as Head Professional. In July of 1947, several prominent businessmen leased the golf course from Mr. Carter, thus forming Elmcrest Golf & Country Club. By this time the community of Kenmore was known as the Northeast side of Cedar Rapids.
Charlie was there from the very beginning and for 42 years of service to the community and the membership of Elmcrest, retiring in 1975. He married Ethel McDonald on October 31, 1935. The Burkart’s’s had three children, Ted, Al and Lynn. Ethel died in 1981 and Charlie died of cancer at age 74 on December 12, 1983 at Mercy Hospital.
Charlie was an excellent player, known for his flawless swing and record-breaking rounds of golf. One of his greatest contributions to the game was his love of children and his efforts to involve them by organizing youth clinics and programs. Back in the good old days, Charlie spend many of his hours working patiently with Junior golfers, diligently teaching them the code of ethic of golf and the skills to play the game. His belief in sharing and passing down the traditional grand old game served to make him one of the great promoters of golf in this entire area.
Charlie was a life member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and Past President of the Iowa Section of the PGA. He truly believed and exemplified the Code of Ethics of the PGA, which states that the name “Professional Golfer” must be a synonym with pledge of honor, service and fair dealing, professional integrity, fidelity to the game, responsibility to employers and employees and others. Charlie lived by these rules.
Today, the memory of Charles Burkart lives on. The Charlie Burkart Scholarship Fund, sponsored by the Iowa Section PGA, was formed in 1984 by his daughter, the late Lynn Hendryx and former Elmcrest professional Larry Hartzell. The Scholarship awards a $1000 four year college scholarship each year to an Iowa PGA Section high school senior. The criteria for recipients include interest and potential for future contributions to the game of golf.
