2016 Courier Golf Guide

Why not golf?

DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com

C

EDAR FALLS — Sometimes, the simplest answer says the most.

John Bermel really can’t put into words his love for the game of golf.

Neither can his twin daughters Hannah and Hailey or his youngest son, Ben.

Jake Bermel, John’s oldest son and a senior on the University of Northern Iowa golf team, summed it up in three words.

“Why not golf?” he offers.

Indeed.

There have been and still are other sports in the Bermel family blood, but it always comes back to golf.

John is the golf professional at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls, the head coach at UNI and a competitive pro.

His oldest daughter, Abby, was a high school

Passion for game runs deep for Bermel family standout, played for the Panthers and has since married a golf pro. Jake, too, excelled at the junior and high school levels before choosing to play for his father at UNI. The twins are juniors at Cedar Falls High making their own name on the summer youth circuit and on the high school links. Ben is among the state’s best players in his age group and ready to make his mark on the prep scene next fall.

Tracy Bermel, the matriarch of the Bermel clan, Please see BERMELS, Page 2

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Bermels From 1

can hold her own on the course, too. And John’s younger brother, Jamie, is a successful college golf coach currently at Kansas University.

Why not golf?

John Bermel grew up in the small town of Keota. A friend of the family invited him to give golf a try when he was 11.

“I just fell in love with it then,” he recalls.

“My dad had a milk route. We delivered milk door to door and I’d get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and I’d go like crazy so I could quick play golf before I’d go to baseball practice.”

At Keota High, the boys played all the sports just so the school had enough numbers to field teams. Bermel excelled at basketball, averaging more than 20 points per game and earning all-conference honors.

He made a late decision to attend Central College in Pella where he figured he would try his hand at both basketball and golf.

“I thought I was going to be the next big basketball star,” he notes with a laugh. “I only lasted one year. I sat on the bench and wasn’t playing.”

So he focused on golf where he became a three-time All-American and part of an unparalleled run of success the Dutch enjoyed, including four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA Division III nationals. He was later inducted into Central’s Hall of Fame.

Then he faced reality again. A PGA Tour career wasn’t likely to be part of his future.

He needed a steady job. He went to work in the banking business with the intention of becoming a savings and loan officer. He and Tracy married.

Then opportunity knocked. Andy Devine, now the golf professional at Irv Warren Golf Course in Waterloo, needed an assistant pro at Mason City Country Club.

2016 GOLF GUIDE

“There’s really no other sport like this. I can play with my parents and my siblings my entire life. ” Jake Bermel “Andy offered me $800 a month and so my first question was, can we afford to do this?” Bermel relates. “Tracy was all for it.”

Mason City eventually led to an assistant position at Des Moines Golf and Country Club and then to Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo where Bermel completed his certification to become a head pro. In 1990, he was named the head pro at Beaver Hills Country Club in Cedar Falls. About five years later, he took over at Pheasant Ridge and a couple of years after that became UNI’s head coach.

He’s the Teaching Instructor of Executive Golf Limited. He was Golf Digest’s 2009 “Best Teacher” of golf in Iowa and the 2012 Iowa PGA Professional of the Year.

On the links, Bermel also excelled with five Iowa Section PGA victories and five runner-up finishes. He competed in 16 National Club Professional tournaments, four Nike/ Hogan Tour events, 10 PGA Tour events, including the 1994 and ‘96 PGA Championships, and the 2012 U.S. Senior Open. In 2014, he was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame.

Why not golf?

“I’ve never really forced any of the kids to play,” he explains. “I always thought they’ll play if they want to play. A lot of their success ... sometimes it’s like, well, they should be good because they’re the pro’s daughter or the pro’s son. I will help them out any way I can, but believe me,

they do have a true passion for the game.

They come out and play on their own, and they practice a lot on their own.

“I think it started because I worked so much when they were younger and they wanted to come out (to the course) and see me. Then they started swinging and it just kind of grew and grew. And I think part of it is they saw how much I really enjoyed it and how much I still enjoy it.”

Hailey Bermel gets asked occasionally if she and her closest siblings felt any pressure to carry on the family tradition.

“I’m always like, no, it was just the choice we made,” he says. “I think it was just the idea that we could do something together as a family and my dad has always been encouraging about it. It’s fun.

“Growing up watching him and going to his tournaments, it was like wow, that’s cool.

Then watching both of my older siblings in high school and college ... I kind of want to do that.”

None of the Bermel children have strayed far from the game.

“Abby started first and she married a golf pro,” John notes. “Jake’s in his senior year at UNI. The girls (Hannah and Hailey) want to win a state championship. And there isn’t anybody who has more passion for the game than Ben does.

“I don’t know why they got the bug so bad, but they really want to get better. Just watching them get better is fun for me. I wasn’t a Division I player, so to watch two of my kids play Division I and it looks like the other ones could have that chance, it’s special.”

So are the times when the family can get together on the course.

“If there’s a fault to it, the kids are so competitive they really want to beat each other,” says Bermel. “Nobody lets anybody have anything. Everybody’s out there to win. It is fun.”

John, of course, is out to win, too.

“Dad’s not ready to give up yet,” he states.

5 thAnnual - Love INC at the Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course

18

“Go ask them and they know exactly when they beat me or when they out-drive me or that sort of thing. They all want to beat me, and that’s the way I want it. Believe me, I don’t let any of them beat me. If they’re gonna beat me, they’re gonna have to earn it.”

When the Bermel family hits the course together, they typically pair up.

Hailey readily admits the goal is always to beat her father.

“Of course,” she says. He’s getting older now. He’s good and he practices a lot and he loves it. That will always be a goal but ... he’s good.”

Jake describes those family outings as intense.

“We don’t like to lose,” he notes. “It can get pretty hostile.”

Why not golf?

“There’s really no other sport like this,” says Jake. “I can play with my parents and my siblings my entire life. Obviously, it teaches you a lot of different things with the integrity of the game and stuff like that. It’s good for us because we’re really competitive, but obviously we want each other to do well, too.”

Hannah Bermel saw how much her father and older siblings enjoyed the game, so it was a natural for her to jump in.

“I always wanted to do what they did, just do it better,” she says.

“Whenever Hailey and I beat them, it’s a big deal because Jake has been practicing and playing for so long now and obviously my dad’s a professional.

“When you beat somebody in this family, you know you played well.”

Ben Bermel has learned a little bit from everyone in his family. He also has one memory that stands out from those outings when the Bermel sixsome gets together on the course.

“We were out one night and my dad got on the No.3 tee box and he goes,‘Somebody needs to make a hole in one,’” Ben shares. “Then he stepped up and made a hole in one right there.

Everybody was going crazy. It was awesome.”

Why not golf?

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2016 GOLF GUIDE

Golf bridges generations for Christensens Sam, Jane have passed along their love for game NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com‌

‌Tom Christensen couldn’t think of a better way to welcome his wife, Laura, into the family.

Some might consider a set of golf clubs an unconventional wedding present, but it’s practical when your family has a standing Sunday afternoon tee time.

It’s a tradition that started back in the early sixties.

Church, lunch and golf was the weekly routine for Louis and Genevieve Walker, their daughter Jane, and her husband Sam Christensen. Jane and Sam’s four children, John, Jim, Tom and Ann each were exposed to the sport by age three. As they married, their spouses, Lorie, Marianne, Laura and Dave would join the group. Sam and Jane’s 12 grandchildren became active

in the sport, as well.

All of a sudden it wasn’t uncommon to see upward of 17 in the Christensen group working their way to the first tee. Not all would complete a full 18-hole round, some would drop out to work, others because they were playing poorly.

“It’s been a huge part of our family camaraderie,” said Marianne Christensen, who assisted Tom Berg in helping revitalize the Waterloo Junior Golf Association. “We’re all extremely competitive, but we love to get together as a family and play golf. It’s kind of a standing joke, there might be 17 of us that start and it’s always questionable how many will actually finish.”

Certainly this family of golfers doesn’t need a special occasion to get together.

“It’s just amazing,” said Tom Christensen, an accomplished amateur golfer who recently finished a term as the President of the Iowa Golf Association.

Please see GENERATIONS, Page 4

COURTESY PHOTO‌

Members of the Christensen family gathered in 2013 for a round of golf to celebrate Jane Christensen’s 80th birthday.

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2016 GOLF GUIDE

Kleins say ‘I do’ to game of golf

before it would get dark and start putting sprinklers by the early holes,” Tom recalls of his first job at Irv Warren. “I’d have to move them every 45 minutes. It was usually around midnight or 1 a.m. and we be done.

“I liked the job and being outside so much, I’d actually go home, turn around and be back here at 7 a.m. to work on the grounds crew. I don’t think I could’ve found a better place to work.”

Golf has revolved around the Kleins because of Tom’s profession, but through

their family, as well. The two introduced their children, Kelley and Curtis, now a junior golfer at his mom’s alma mater Central, at an early age.

For many years, the Kleins waged the Battle at Byrnes, an alternate shot that pitted Michelle and Curtis against Tom and Kelley.

“Curtis would put me in the sand trap on purpose because he thought it was funny to hit out of the sand,” laughed Michelle, who teaches special education at Jesup middle school.

While Tom’s jobs as superintendent and Jesup girls’ basketball coach keep him from playing a lot of golf, Michelle is active on the Iowa women’s amateur circuit and for the past three years has volunteered for the Iowa Golf Association. This past year, she has been a member of the IGA board.

“We try to get out and play nine holes at least once a week together,” Michelle said.

One thing both Kleins make time for is a memorial golf tournament Michelle’s family has conducted at Red Carpet Golf for the last 15 years in memory of her father, John Dunakey.

“It started as a birthday bash because nobody ever knew what to get my dad for his birthday because he was always buying things ahead of time,” Michelle said.

“So my sister, Stephanie, and brother, Matt, thought let’s do a golf outing.

“We knew dad would love it if we honored him in a golf tournament and have some prize or what not that went to the winner. It’s friends and family, invite only.

“It became a memorial after he passed in 2004. Eddie (Ed Dolan with Red Carpet Golf) always has a story to tell us about dad. Red Carpet is where we grew up learning to play.”

One of the traditions of Memorial Bash is that all participants have to tee off from the first tee with John’s old gold-covered TaylorMade driver.

“He was a lefty and we are all righties.

It’s still a rule,” smiled Michelle. “It’s funny because my sister’s family practices for it hitting lefthanded. We all hope one of them is on our team because they can smack it lefthanded.”

Golf will remain a constant for the Kleins, and much of that will revolve around following Curtis and the Central Dutch this year.

“It is something we enjoy,” Michelle says.

Sam and Jane return from wintering in Florida and still join in the weekly routine every summer. Many of their grandchildren find themselves back in town for the Sunday afternoon tee times, as well.

“To this day, the kids (ranging in age from 18 to 31) still try to come back and play as a group,” Jim Christensen noted.

“They love playing with their grandparents as much as anything. They are

amazed that their grandparents, ages 84 and 83, still play 4-to-5 times a week.”

Jim’s wife, Marianne, competed in sports from basketball to track and swimming, but had never picked up a set of golf clubs until after she married. Her first set of clubs was passed down from Jim’s mother.

To this day, Marianne remains an active supporter of junior golf in the community. It’s a sport that has taught her and

her children plenty of life-long lessons.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of their family traditions and love of the game,” Marianne Christensen said. “It resonates throughout our whole family and we have taken those traditions on down to the kids.

It’s hard in this day and age to find something that three or four generations can do together. I’d say the game of golf has provided that for our family.”

Jesup couple’s future was built on Irv Warren course JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

‌WATERLOO — Michelle Klein can’t walk up to or past the third green at the Irv Warren Golf Course in Waterloo without smiling.

It’s been that way for 29 years.

The former Michelle Dunakey was a Central College sophomore-to-be and member of the Irv Warren golf crew in 1984. It was on the third green when then Byrnes Park (Irv Warren) golf course superintendent Dean Fagerlind introduced Dunakey to his new, young assistant, Tom Klein.

Three years later, on a golf date and on the third green, Tom proposed to Michelle.

Now the Kleins are two of the more recognizable faces around Irv Warren, and this spring the husband and wife duo will be coaching side by side as the head boys’ and girls’ golf coaches at Jesup High School.

“I always think, this is where he proposed to me,” Michelle says of the third green at Irv. “I don’t say it out loud, but I do think it.”

Tom is entering his 36th year at Irv Warren, the last 25 as the head superintendent. Michelle can count almost as many years as a grounds crew member as she’s volunteered to help out at the Waterloo Open every year.

The two would have never met if Tom hadn’t accepted an offer from Fagerlind to become the night waterman at Byrnes Park. He liked the job so much he went to Hawkeye Tech for horticulture and after graduating in 1983, he was named assistant superintendent.

“I’d get to the course about a half-hour

Generations From 3

“There’s ups and downs every day. Someone’s happy, someone’s sad. You try not to pair yourself with sons or daughters, so you’re playing with nieces or nephews and in-laws. It’s just fun. We’re a very close-knit family.”

JIM NELSON / COURIER SPORTS WRITER‌

Michelle and Tom Klein stand on the third green at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course in Waterloo where their relationship, not to mention their love of golf, began some 29 years ago.

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2016 GOLF GUIDE

Westemeier tourney blooms after shower Family outing has become one of largest in state ROD PAYNE rod.payne@wcfcourier.com‌

‌WATERLOO — One day 49 years ago, a simple wedding shower provided the background for what has become one of the largest family golf outings in Iowa.

Larry Westemeier’s daughter, Sue, was the guest of honor for the shower, where members of the immediate family gathered to celebrate her impending marriage.

“There were six of us in the family,” explains Larry’s son, Gene Westemeier. “We got together for Sue’s shower and wanted to take off and play some golf. Dad told us to get out and have fun and he would babysit. Well, we were not going to argue so we left, and as they say, the rest is history.

“We decided that we had so much fun that we would do this each year about this time. So the first weekend in August, we

call up the family and we plan a day of golfing, then later a picnic.”

So, the LW Invitational was born in honor of the man who made it possible that day 49 years ago. At first it was a small gathering, but as the Westemeier family began to grow, Gene knew he had to call out for help.

“We golfed at Byrnes Park all the time so we asked them if we could get that weekend for the outing and they had no problem with that,” said Gene. “After the first nine, the women would break off and prepare a great lunch for us, and we used that as a reunion of sorts.

“We kept growing and we had family from California, Dallas, Oregon ... aunts, uncles, cousins ... they just came from all over the U.S,” Gene continued. “We had so many that we started having auctions and stuff to help out our good friends at Byrnes. We raised enough money one year and we donated 17 trees to the course and we had a hole (14) dedicated to us.”

After about 40 years as the event director, Gene eventually passed the club to his nephew, Mike Westemeier.

“We have always been a close family and my dad, Bill, and Gene and the others decided this would be a great way to spend time together since we all love to golf,” Mike said. “It has just been amazing, to say the least. I did not really think it could last this long, but it just gets bigger.

“We have relatives come in on the first weekend of August from all over the United States, and some cousins from Germany, and we just get together to have a fun time.”

The event has included as many as 120 family members.

“I will tell you what, Andy Devine (the golf pro at Irv Warren) does a fantastic job helping us out,” Mike said. “He helps get the flights together and afterwards comes to the picnic to post scores and have a little fun with us.”

“When I came here (in 2008), Gene and

the boys were running this outing and they are quite the golfing family,” Devine said. “We have built a good relationship with the Westemeiers and golfing is their lives. They have a special bond through golf and it truly is a lifelong sport for most.

“It is really cool to watch for them on that weekend, because they just start rolling in and you see kids that have grown up here at this thing. There certainly are a lot of them.”

Gene’s son, Bruce, just moved back to Cedar Falls two years ago and is looking forward to becoming an annual participant.

“I lived in Florida for 19 years and Detroit for four years, and could only get back every five years,” Bruce said. “I love living here and really look forward to August.”

Bruce, a Waterloo Columbus graduate, has a 1988 Iowa Amateur title to his Please see TOURNEY, Page 6

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2016 GOLF GUIDE

Golf a labor of love for Schuchmann Waterloo Golf Headquarters owner pours passion into sales NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com‌

‌WATERLOO — Mike Schuchmann doesn’t feel he’s worked a day in his life.

The owner of Waterloo Golf Headquarters brings energy and passion to the retail side of golf.

A native of Strawberry Point, Schuchmann has learned plenty of life lessons from his grandfather, an outgoing farmer and businessman in his own right.

“My energy is from my grandpa, who is very gregarious,” Schuchmann said. “He never was too busy to stop and say hi to somebody or find out how they were doing. He was a very giving man.”

Time at his grandfather’s farm gave Schuchmann a new perspective on work.

“Growing up on a farm back in Strawberry Point, working day in and day out with my grandpa, he gave me a lot of great wisdom,” Schuchmann said. “He was on the farm at work sunup to sundown and he said it’s not work if you enjoy it. He loved everything he did. He said that’s the key. If you can find something every day that you enjoy, it’s not work.”

Schuchmann’s parents were active in the Backbone Golf Course and Country Club and introduced him to the sport. After graduating from Kirkwood Community College, he took an opportunity to return home and work as the

owner of Waterloo’s Nevada Bob’s golf retail store who sold him his first set of clubs — and decided to help out as a salesman during the winter. By the time spring rolled around, Schuchmann had found a passion.

“In 1998 I started as a salesman, worked my way up to general manager and had an opportunity to buy the store in 2004,” Schuchmann said.

This spring, the Waterloo Golf Headquarters owner has seen another dream come to fruition. His business has moved from its Bopp Street location into an impressive new strip mall building at 1850 W. Ridgeway as part of a development partnership with George Cooley and Brent Dahlstrom.

The strip mall also includes Bankers Life, Cherry Creek Grill and Sidecar Coffee Shop, and sits next to a driving range and par-3 course.

“It’s way more than I ever imagined,” Schuchmann said.

“I drove by here every day since March 8 when we broke ground a year ago. I looked and I’d shake my head and go, ‘Wow.’ Here we are. It’s going to be a crazy summer, but it’s going to be a fun summer.”

Schuchmann is an accomplished golfer in his own right, with multiple city amateur and Leonard Katoski Invitational titles to his credit, alongside a top five finish in the Waterloo Open.

Working in the golf business BRANDON POLLOCK / COURIER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER‌ has given him the opportunity play a round with Jack NickMike Schuchmann is pictured at his new Waterloo Golf Headquarters laus, travel to Pebble Beach location on Ridgeway Avenue in Waterloo. with Mizuno, and he has an augolf course superintendent and At a wedding, he got to talking tographed pink driver from a director of golf. with Charlie Updegraff — the meeting with Bubba Watson. His

had ever felt with them all there. Some of them would cheer me on and others of course would heckle me, but that is our family. credit.

Bruce fell in love with the sport “That was fun, but I had the whole when he was nine years old, when he family there watching me,” Bruce said. actually cried on the golf course.

“Yeah, I hit my ball in the water out “That was close to the most pressure I

Tourney

at Byrnes on hole nine,” Bruce remembered. “I cried then, but fell in love with it at the same time. Four years later I made the cut at the Waterloo Open at the age of 13.

“Waterloo is so rich with great golfers,” added Bruce. “I remember seeing Ken Shall, Mike Bender and Doug

business has been named PING’s Clubfitter of the Year twice in the past five years.

Yet, Schuchmann has received the most gratification from the relationships he’s been able to form with golfers in the community.

“We had a customer the other day who was 94 years old and he was in here and got a putter and a bag,” Schuchmann said.

“What was amazing is an hour later, Grant (Stevens, general manager) is giving a lesson to a four-year-old.

“In my time, I’ve seen the moms and dads that have brought their son or daughter in, now that son or daughter is starting to bring their kids in. It’s a lot of gratification to see your parents trusted us, and now you bring your kids to shop with us. That’s a huge testament to the store and the staff on what we do.”

Schuchmann says his passion for the sport is matched by his high-energy staff, a group that remains close friends outside the business. The new location is closer to home where his wife, Amber, and sons, Spencer, 20, and Max, nine, are never too far away.

Whether it’s as a competitor or a salesman, golf has been a labor of love.

“I love the game of golf,” Schuchmann said. “I just always remember what my grandpa said. You’ve got to do something that you love. There’s a lot of people that wake up every day and don’t truly love what they do, they’re doing it to make a living. Every day I’m excited to come here.”

Dunakey out here and knew I wanted to golf like them.”

The sun, it seems, nearly always shines on the Westemeier Invitational.

“I find it funny that this whole thing started with a shower, but it has never rained on us that weekend,” Gene said.

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2016 GOLF GUIDE

Bender is proud of his Waterloo roots Golf has been good to renowned instructor JIM SULLIVAN jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com‌

‌Mike Bender tinkers, teaches, mentors and guides.

It’s all connected by the game of golf.

The Waterloo native loves to invent tools that help people improve. He is the master instructor at the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Florida, where he teaches the finer points to young golfers. A one-time member of the PGA Tour, Bender has worked with numerous professionals, among them Zach Johnson. He’s even walked the course as a caddy for Johnson now and then.

There’s just one thing Bender, at the age of 59, is not yet prepared to do — reinvent his career or himself.

“I’m not slowing down,” he said. “I don’t plan on it anytime soon.”

While he’s firmly based in the Orlando area and he rarely returns to Waterloo these

state, right, because of the winter in the Midwest and everything. It’s more Florida or Arizona — that type of thing.

“But it’s being able to climb the ranks and be recognized as one of the top instructors and to be on the course with Zach, a player coming out of Iowa. Can you imagine that?”

According to the biography on his academy’s Website, Bender’s been recognized often by his peers. The PGA of America selected him as its National Teacher of the Year in 2009. Five years ago, Golf Digest Mike Bender, left, and ranked Bender as one of the top five teachZach Johnson have ers in the country. developed a strong For a man who uses the golf course as relationship over the a classroom, it’s been a long and fruitful years. Bender has been teaching career, although Bender wasn’t a caddy for Johnson as necessarily aiming in that direction when well as a swing coach. he started.

“I was kind of forced into it,” he said.

COURTESY PHOTO‌ As a player, Bender won Division III national titles at California-Stanislaus. He days, Bender said he hasn’t forgotten where telling people where I’m from. I love the fact played well enough to earn a spot in the he’s from. that I came out of the Midwest. It’s just that “I’m proud of my roots,” he said. “I love you don’t think much about Iowa as a golf Please see BENDER, Page 8

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Bender From 7

1979 NCAA Division I Championship.

There he finished third.

Turning pro in 1980, Bender won the 1983 Waterloo Open and the Iowa Open three years after that.

But, at the end of the 1989 season, Bender lost his PGA Tour card. He had started a family, and he didn’t think a return to what he called “the mini-tours” would bring in enough money.

So teaching beckoned. Bender, in 1985, worked under Ed Schumann at Sunnyside Country Club as a summer instructor before going on the PGA Tour. Now, with his playing career uncertain, Bender went to Florida, started advertising himself and became a golf teacher for good.

“I don’t play much competitively anymore,” said Bender. “There’s not any regret, really — just hindsight. Knowing what I know now, I understand why I wasn’t able to sustain that (playing) career and make enough money. I’ve had so many great things happen through teaching. It’s been much better for the family and the long run from the standpoint of having a regular life

an acronym for Most Efficient Golf Swing Attainable. According to Bender, MEGSA can correct flaws in a swing by offering immediate feedback.

It’s not the only practice aid Bender has developed. His desire to tinker with technology and equipment stems from his childhood days in Waterloo, he said.

“I always wanted to know how things worked as a kid,” added Bender. “I used to take apart engines and figure out how they worked. I’d build mini-bikes. I took a wheel off one and put a ski in front of it so I could use it in the winter.

“I was always tinkering around with stuff. I started doing that just with golf. It was because of some my struggles changing my swing. It was frustrating. I worked on my swing and I’d go to video and it wouldn’t do much. So I started puttering with developing training things and my swing changed.”

One of the “students” who used MEGSA was Zach Johnson. Bender met Johnson years ago, when he was working out of Timacuan. Johnson and some college friends had moved into the Orlando area and sought a place to practice. Eventually, the two men learned they shared a home state as well as a love of golf.

as opposed to the traveling life.”

Bender began with teaching the pros on the mini-tours before turning to younger golfers. His first base of operations was an old tennis building on a Florida course called Timacuan. Equipped with a small television and some VHS tapes, Bender helped players hone and adjust their swings.

One thing led to another. Bender hired help.

The academy grew. Four years ago, he moved the Mike Bender Golf Acad- Mike Bender emy to Magnolia Plantation. There he works with kids, including the top juniors in a full time elite program that Bender hopes will continue to grow.

“It’s been great, really great, having done this all on your own to some degree,” he said. “Looking out, you can see people hitting balls everywhere, people practicing hard. It’s a lot of fun — kind of like a training camp, a boot camp for golf. Everybody’s working hard.”

At the Bender Academy, golfers get a chance to work with some of the master instructor’s teaching tools. One of them is a practice station called MEGSA, which is

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So Johnson took some swing lessons from Bender. Today, said Bender, he still gets together with his old pupil and winner of two majors every few weeks. And he was the caddy for Johnson when he claimed the 2012 John Deere Classic “To have an opportunity to work with a talent like him is a once in a lifetime thing,” said Bender. “It kind of came out of nowhere.

“To watch him go through this and see what he’s done, I can tell you what a blessing it’s been. And what makes it cool is we’re both from the state of Iowa. It’s one of the highlights of my life for sure. And I love caddying for him. Three years ago, when he won the tournament, it was amazing.”

Bender said he plans a return to Iowa this summer for Johnson’s pro-am event.

He’ll work with other pros, such as Chesson Hadley. Meanwhile, there are swings to fix and golfers to teach. Bender wants to tinker with as many of them as he can.

“You don’t ever get complacent,” he said.

“The goal is to get people to play the game better. It’s such a fun game to play your whole life. And if you’re competitive and want to win tournaments, that’s a lot of fun, too. I’m always trying to figure out better ways, more efficient ways to do things.

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10 | Sunday, March 27, 2016

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Less has led to much more for Heinz Local champion credits healthy lifestyle with gains on course JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

‌CEDAR FALLS — Jenny Heinz didn’t have any self-esteem issues.

She was outwardly confident, outgoing, energetic, active in the community and had many friends.

Meanwhile, she was one of the top women’s golfers in the state of Iowa, winning the Iowa Women’s Amateur for the second time in 2009 at the Hyperion Field Club in Johnston.

But as her 30th birthday approached in January 2012, Heinz came to a realization that she needed to change her lifestyle. It had to be Jenny Heinz more healthy.

As campaign director for United Way and Fund Drive chair for the Panther Scholarship Club at Northern Iowa, Heinz believed she led a healthy lifestyle because she was so active, but it was finally in 2012 when she realized she was only half right.

“I had always confused a healthy lifestyle with an active lifestyle,” said Heinz.

“I’d tell myself, I’m involved with all this stuff, doing great things in the community. I was going to events at UNI and stuff like that and at the end of the day, my health was being sacrificed.

“I had to make a choice. I finally told myself if I can make time for a meeting or community involvement or a volunteer project, then I can make time to put the work in the gym and fully commit to being healthy.”

The mental toughness she developed on the golf course while becoming a top junior player and then a standout at Waterloo West High School and Northern Iowa helped.

Heinz embarked on what she describes as a life-changing journey that didn’t stop when she had lost 130 pounds in the fall of 2014, but will continue for the rest of her life.

“Making that change, it is so much like golf,” Heinz said. “Making a life-

COURTESY PHOTO‌

Former Waterloo West state champion Jenny Heinz putts at the Iowa State Amateur last year in Ames. style change or losing weight, it is like golf because golf is a game that is more mental than anything. It is about leaving your comfort zone and pushing yourself to your highest potential. I think that is true.”

Beginning with swimming, Kosama

and healthier eating choices, Heinz began a journey she describes as the hardest thing she’s done in her life.

The results began to show on the outside, but it was the other positive benefits Heinz recognizes most. No longer does the 34-year old worry about joint

issues or diabetes later in life.

And on the golf course, Heinz says her dedication to a more healthy lifestyle has made a big difference.

“I was fortunate that my health never held me back from doing anything at that point,” Heinz said. “Now it would have had I continued down that path as I got older. I was definitely lucky I never felt any repercussions.

“Having said that, I know now that when I’m out playing in 90-degree Iowa summers and have a tough physical course to walk, I know I’m more mentally tough than any of my competitors because of the work I’ve put in during the offseason.

“I don’t worry about the physical side because I know I’m prepared.”

Despite having to rework her swing because her center of gravity changed with her physical size, Heinz says she is playing the best golf of her life and the results on the course show it.

Heinz was named the Iowa Golf Association’s 2014 Women’s Golfer of the Year, and last July, she blew away the field at the Iowa Women’s State Amateur, winning the 54-hole tournament by six strokes with the help of a final-round 68.

The third title made Heinz just the 11th player in the 91-year history of the event to have won at least three Iowa Women’s State Amateur titles. Additionally, that victory propelled her to her second consecutive IGA Women’s Golfer of the Year award.

“I am playing the best golf of my career right now. I do feel like I’m a better golfer now,” Heinz said. “And I do think the success I’ve had on the golf course over the past couple of years has been a direct reflection of the offseason work I’ve put in.”

Heinz says her journey has taught her many life lessons that she hopes to pass on to the girls’ she coaches as an assistant at Waterloo West.

“Golf has enriched my life in so many ways,” Heinz said. “Coaching ... I really enjoy that role. It is cool to work alongside the girls and be able to show them that fitness and life skills are important.

“Being a role model to them is more rewarding than playing for me anymore.

I want to help girls love golf. That is a top priority for me.”

Sunday, March 27, 2016 | 11

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Science, technology never take a break Manufacturers addressing demand for distance, forgiveness DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com‌

‌A recent survey by the research specialists at Golf Datatech indicates that the serious golfer spends an average of around $900 a year on equipment.

As the 2016 season comes into play around the country, there are a lot of ways to spend that money — all with the promise of making you a better player.

Need to improve your distance and accuracy off the tee? Check out the newest drivers from TaylorMade, Ping, PXG and Callaway. Want to sharpen your game around the greens? Maybe the new wedges from Titleist or Cleveland are the answer. Having trouble with the pace of your putts? It could be time to join the growing legion of players turning to SuperStroke oversized grips.

For the average golfer or even the tournament pro, it’s all about the end result on the scorecard. For those who provide today’s equipment, it’s a space-age world where science and technology come together in the laboratory to help consumers meet that goal.

“It’s crazy,” says Mike Schuchmann, owner of Golf Headquarters in Waterloo.

“We were with Mizuno out at Pebble Beach a few weeks ago and they’re already working on their 2018 line.

“The USGA limits what you can do with clubhead size and shaft lengths, so companies are finding ways to make it lighter and make it more efficient. They are pushing it to the limit as much as they can to find that extra yardage and accuracy while staying USGA legal.”

Drivers are a hot item again this season.

Manufacturers are introducing new designs that are lighter, faster, longer and straighter.

Some have adjustable weighting systems inside the clubhead that can be tailored to achieve the maximum efficiency from each

individual golfer’s swing.

“Everybody wants the latest and greatest,” notes Pheasant Ridge professional and University of Northern Iowa golf head coach John Bermel. “Everybody wants more distance.”

If you are really, really serious, PXG can set you up with the same clubs two-time major champion Zach Johnson prefers for roughly $5,000. The company claims it only introduces new product when it is absolutely certain that the look, feel and performance is significantly better than anything else on the market.

Fortunately for most golfers, there are other manufacturers providing top of the line products for considerably less.

Schuchmann said TaylorMade’s M1 and M2 lines of drivers have delivered on their claim to get more performance for players of all skill levels — maximum forgiveness BRANDON POLLOCK / COURIER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER‌ without sacrificing distance.

Ping’s new G Driver, which features The latest and greatest in drivers and fairway woods feature revolutionary Please see TECHNOLOGY, Page 13 designs, materials and engineering.

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12 | Sunday, March 27, 2016

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Hole-in-one a magic moment in golf There’s usually a story that goes with a coveted ace JIM SULLIVAN jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com‌

‌ ATERLOO — The links exist.

W Zach Johnson may not know he’s connected to the fifth hole-in-one of Gene Tripp’s golf career. In Tripp’s mind, he is, and that illustrates the random nature and strange circumstances that often surround an ace.

On a Monday in late July of last year, as Johnson was involved in a playoff at the British Open, Tripp was finishing a round at Waterloo’s Gates Park. At about the same time the Cedar Rapids native sank the putt that earned him the Claret Jug, Tripp gripped a 5-iron, took a swing and watched his tee shot off the 17th tee sail toward the green. The ball landed and then rolled to the cup.

It went in. Tripp, 69, a retired John Deere employee, had the fifth hole-in-one of his career. A playing partner named Al Bass, watching on a phone, announced that Johnson had claimed his second major. “it was almost to the exact minute Zach won the British Open,” said Tripp, laughing. “I was not watching him. I was thinking about the shot. But I had been wondering if I should be playing or if I’d sooner be home watching Zach go for winning the British Open.”

Asked if he made the right decision, Tripp laughed.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “Zach won without me watching. Yeah, the hole-inone was really fun very exciting.”

There is a postscript. A few days later, Tripp was back at Gates. Playing the 17th hole, he scored career ace No. 6 and the second one in less than a week.

“I think it bounced once or twice and went in,” said Tripp. “My brother jumped up and said, ‘It’s in!’ I said, ‘No way that can happen in four days.’ Apparently, yes it can.”

Apparently, when it comes to a holein-one, it’s a thrill and a surprise party all wrapped in one swing of the club.

“It is so exciting and so unexpected,” said Nate Lubs, the pro at Gates Park.

Said John Bermel of Pheasant Ridge, “You never have any idea when it’s going to happen or who’s going to make it. That’s about as random as anything. We’ve had very good golfers to pretty average golfers get them.”

BRANDON POLLOCK / COURIER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER‌

Gene Tripp shows four of his six hole-in-one golf balls in this March 11 photograph.

There is a website called the National Hole-In-One Registry. It lists several facts and figures for the ace.

A PGA Tour player has a 3,000-to-1 chance of making a hole-in-one. For an average player, that figures climbs to 12,000to-1.

Out of approximately 450 million rounds of golf played each year in the United States, a hole-in-one is scored once every 3,500 rounds.

A few years ago, a golfer named W.W. Smith recorded a hole-in-one on the fourth hole at Walter’s Ridge.

“Geez, he came in here and he was so excited,” said Bermel. “He was 90-some years old.”

Bermel’s had 13 holes-in-one. He got the first one in high school. The last one happened a few years ago at Pheasant Ridge.

“I yelled and jumped like everybody else,” he said, laughing.

And then there’s Gene Tripp, with a halfdozen aces.

Tripp took up golf at the age of 22, after finishing a hitch in the Marine Corps. His uncle Jerry invited him along to fill out a foursome on a Saturday over 40 years ago.

“Why not?” said Tripp, laughing. “I was single then and he and I did a lot of things together. He showed me how to hold a club, and the rest is history. I’m self-taught.

Maybe a couple of lessons, but nothing really, I would say.”

But some of his shots off various par 3s in the area could only be described as something else.

Tripp tallied his first hole-inone about a quarter-century ago, playing in a La Porte City, using a 9-iron on the second hole.

“The first one is magical,” said Tripp.

The second one may be more memorable because of the conditions. Tripp and a group of salesmen went to the Amanas for a round on a cold, rainy, awful day. On the 17th, Tripp went to his 5-iron and hit a “perfect” shot. It sailed over the trap side of the green and rolled in.

“I think there were only eight guys on the course, it was raining so terrible,” said Tripp. “It was so stinking, miserable cold, there was nobody there but us.

Even one of the players quit.”

Ace No. 3 came at South Hills, the eight hole. “It’s maybe the hardest hole on the course,” said Tripp.

And number four? Tripp got it at Irv Warren, exactly one day after his brother, Fred, got an ace. Fred Tripp was supposed to be in the foursome with Gene, but a business call intervened.

Tripp said the fifth hole-in-one came after “quite a drought.” Then came the day in July, 2015 when he made some personal history on the same day Zach Johnson made golf history.

To Tripp, what made many of the aces memorable was the presence of family— his son or his brother or a cousin. But to call his shot and predict a hole-in-one? Forget about it.

“All I do is make the statement that I’m playing really well and knocking the flag down with iron shots,” said Tripp. “You know that when you’re playing well and you’re at the pin with the right distance, magic can happen, yeah. But as far as calling it, I wouldn’t say you can predict anything like that.

“They were all perfect shots, maybe one of these days I’ll hit a dribbler with a blade and it’ll go in.”

These days, Tripp takes pride in shooting his age or below. He tallied a 67 at Gates when he was 68, for example. But he thinks he may have another ace or two in his bag.

“I’m fairly good and I’m lucky, too,” said Tripp, laughing. “How’s that?”

Sunday, March 27, 2016 | 13

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Technology From 11

“dragon fly” technology, or webbing that reduces weight in the crown of the club that pushes the center of gravity lower and farther back has received rave reviews.

Basically, the G Driver is more stable on off-center hits across a wider area of the face, which means more consistent ball speeds and spin rates.

“I think they said Bubba (Watson) gained 7 to 12 yards with the new driver,” Schuchmann says. “They said he hit it one day on the range and put it into play on the next Thursday, and Bubba doesn’t change all that much.”

Callaway, long a leader in the world of distance, has teammed up with the aerospace engineers at Boeing to develop materials that are lighter and stronger and more economic in terms of swing dynamics and ball spin. In the company’s own words, they have reached a completely new threshold of ball speed in a deeper face In the world of wedges, Titleist is making an impact with its Vokes Design SM6 models, and Cleveland has a new line of

588 RTX 2.0 tour wedges that have been well-received.

If there’s one piece of equipment that is outselling all the others at the local level, it’s oversized putter grips.

Made popular by two-time major champion Jordan Spieth last year when he equipped his putter with a SuperStroke Flatso 1.0 grip, the trend has caught on locally in a big way.

“We probably sold 25 a week in the heat of the golf season last year,” said Schuchmann.

“It’s a bigger grip, so it helps take your wrist out of the swing so it becomes more of a pendulum motion,” Schuchmann explains. “They come in different sizes. You can put a mallet on there if you want.”

In the end, the science of golf has to merge with the technology to create better shots and lower scores for the average player. Simply having the best equipment isn’t enough.

“Everybody swings differently,” says Schuchmann. “No two people have the same launch angle or spin rate. There is a science now to fitting players with their clubs. You’ve got to get the proper numbers to make it all work.”

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14 | Sunday, March 27, 2016

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Officials always ready with answers Golf rules are strict, and sometimes surprising NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com‌

‌It typically starts with a call from a golfer’s cellphone.

One player knows the rule, the other may not.

That’s when golf professionals put on the hat of rules official.

In a game where competitors take pride in policing themselves, rules officials serve as a valuable source to protect the sport’s integrity during tournament play.

They make sure boundaries are marked and hazards or ground under repair areas are identified.

When there are questions, they have answers.

Common rulings include whether or not an area on the course qualifies as ground under repair, allowing a player to receive free relief. Where to drop on lateral and water hazards, a putt that hits the flag stick because nobody pulled the pin, hitting the wrong ball, addressing a ball in the rough and it moves.

Then there are the more obscure rulings.

“Sometimes we’ve got to get the decisions book out,” Gates Park golf professional Nate Lubs said. “The USGA prints a biannual book with decisions MATTHEW PUTNEY / COURIER PHOTO EDITOR‌ on the rules of golf that’s a couple Brian Wingert looks for his ball at South Hills Golf Course during the Waterloo Open Amateur Division last year.

Please see OFFICIALS, Page 15

Join us for the 83rd Annual Cedar Valley Jaycees’ Waterloo Open July 14th-17th The Pro/Sponsor event will be held on Thursday at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course at Byrnes Park. This event consists of approximately 60 teams. Each team includes one professional and four sponsor players. Winning teams in each flight will be awarded with gift certificates to the Irv Warren Memorial Pro Shop, professionals are awarded cash prizes.

The amateur tournament, which begins Friday, July 15th, showcases all three of Waterloo’s public courses. All participants play a qualifying round at Gates Park Golf Course and South Hills Golf Course on Friday and Saturday. Those that make the cut will play on Sunday with their

professional counterparts at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course; amateurs are awarded gift certificates to one of the three local pro shops.

The professional tournament will be a three day event starting on Thursday, July 15th. 192 professional golfers from around the world will tee it up with their sights set on the first place prize. Competitors will either play Friday morning/Saturday afternoon or Friday afternoon/Saturday morning.

For more information or to register please visit www.WaterlooOpen.com or contact the Cedar Valley Jaycees at info@waterloojaycees.org

Sunday, March 27, 2016 | 15

2016 GOLF GUIDE

Officials From 14

inches think. If we have some crazy rulings, we can get into there and make sure we get it right.”

One of the more interesting ruling moments Andy Devine witnessed came at the Waterloo Open. He serves as a host for that event, and the Waterloo Jaycees staff the rules officials.

During a tournament years back, a recent graduate from Oklahoma State’s prominent program was playing in one of his first professional events before Q school, when he received an unexpected penalty.

“He walked off the tee and he showed the other player what club he hit,” Devine said. “There was a rules official right there watching this. He went up and gave him a two-shot penalty for giving advice. ... This kid just blew up, but the ruling was correct, it’s just one that doesn’t get called very often.

“I talked to the rules official the next year. He says, ‘You can’t believe this, but this kid found my address and sent me a Christmas card.’ He said, ‘I was re-

“He walked off the tee and he showed the other player what club he hit. There was a rules official right there watching this. He went up and gave him a two-shot penalty for giving advice. ... This kid just blew up, but the ruling was correct, it’s just one that doesn’t get called very often.”

Andy Devine

ally upset at the time, but I know that was the correct ruling. I appreciate you calling it on me.’ He learned the rule, knew it was correct and accepted it.”

Devine says rules are a point of emphasis during his youth clinics, and Lubs feels coaches have done a good job of conveying the rules to high school golfers.

While youth may now have a better understanding of the rules, televi-

sion has added to golfers’ grasp of the rules book. Viewers at home have been known to call in during professional tournaments and make rulings.

Devine recalls one of the first call-in instances involved Craig Stadler hitting a shot from his knees at the San Diego Open. Stadler used a towel to protect his pants, and was ultimately penalized for making his stance.

“I think it’s good for the game of golf,”

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Devine said of the call-ins. “There’s a lot of rulings that are made on tour that once the rulings are made, people that played golf forever say, ‘I didn’t know that.’”

Added Lubs, “I think sometimes players may not even realize it happened. I don’t think any tour players are trying to cheat. They know everything is being watched. Sometimes people can see something the player may not know they’ve done.”

Ultimately, the pride golfers take in enforcing rules on themselves is part of what make the sport unique.

“If you’re not willing to call a penalty on yourself, you may not understand the game,” Lubs said. “You wouldn’t think of basketball players calling fouls on themselves or football players calling penalties on themselves, but golf is a different sport. That’s how you honor the game, you’re honest with yourself, honest with the game and it makes it fair for the rest of the people competing.”

Said Devine, “It’s integrity of game and respect of the game. I don’t think anybody would ever have a penalty on them and not call it.”

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