IAGA Quick Hits | 8.06.26
Historic Celebration of 80 Years since Inaugural U.S. Women’s Open
From WA Golf
The first U.S. Women’s Open was held at Spokane Country Club (now called Kalispel Golf & Country Club) in 1946. It was conducted by the Women’s Professional Golf Association (precursor to the LPGA) and the Spokane Athletic Round Table. It is the only U.S. Women’s Open that was played as match play, and future World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Berg defeated Betty Jameson, 5 and 4, in the scheduled 36-hole final match to win the title.
Spokane’s Betty Jean (Rucker) Hulteng defeated several professionals earlier in the match play bracket, and advanced to the semifinals, where she finally bowed to Berg on the 35th hole.
It was in the 1940s that Hulteng enjoyed most of her success. She won the Spokane Women’s City Amateur three times (1942, 1943, 1944), and burst onto the national scene 1944 when she won the Broadmoor Invitational in Colorado Springs, the most prestigious national women’s event next to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won the PNGA Women’s Amateur in 1945 and 1946, and the Washington State Women’s Golf Association Championship in 1946.
In 1995, Hulteng was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame.
Pop Warner’s Overlooked Legacy: Springville Country Club
From the New York State Golf Association
In 1934, the former president of Springville Country Club spoke to about 800 young football players who bombarded their special guest with questions. The organizer of the event, Joseph Tomlin, wanted to help those children learn the game of football. He expected attendance from several speakers, but due to poor weather, only one showed up. To commemorate the generosity, Tomlin would eventually name his new youth football program after the speaker, Pop Warner.
The name “Pop Warner” holds great significance in American football. Pop Warner is now the largest youth football program in the world. An estimated 60-70% of NFL players played Pop Warner as kids. The league’s namesake, Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner, was a legendary college football coach before the days of Paterno, Bryant and Saban. He was known for his innovative spirit and winning ways.
What many people don’t know is that Warner’s impact was felt in another sport, golf.
Team Alabama Captures Tenth Consecutive Southern Junior Cup Victory
From the Alabama Golf Association
The 2026 Southern Junior Cup team, representing Alabama, won 9.5 of the 24 points available in today’s singles matches to claim their tenth consecutive Southern Junior Cup title at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Missouri after three rounds consisting of Four-Ball, Foursomes, and Singles matches.
Coming down to the final hole and the final match, Team Alabama successfully held onto their title after Kamdyn Kelley of Alabama tied Lisa Zhang of Missouri on the 18th hole to put Team Alabama half a point in front of Team Missouri.
Team Alabama finished the two-day, three match event with 16 points to defend the Cup and claim victory for the tenth year in a row.
MGA Foundation Kicks off 2026 Youth Clinic Series Presented by Webster Bank
From the Metropolitan Golf Association
The MGA Foundation kicked off it’s Youth Clinic series presented by Webster Bank at Knollwood Country Club on Monday afternoon.
Approximately 25 kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester rotated between putting and short game stations, where they learned the fundamentals of stance, grip, and hitting the ball.
“I think it gives our youth a chance to try a new sport,” said John Tunas, Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester Donor Impact Officer. “MGA gave us the opportunity to come here and let our kids play. It’s amazing.”
The outing was the MGA Foundation’s first of four Youth Clinics in the Met Area this year and the first ever at Knollwood Country Club, whose teaching pros led instruction at both stations.
“We were thrilled to partner with Knollwood Country Club for this clinic and are incredibly grateful for their hospitality and support,” said Jordyn Lee, MGA Coordinator of Membership Growth. “Their team helped create a fun, welcoming environment that made for a fantastic experience, and we’re excited to continue introducing more juniors to the game through partnerships like this.”
Why the Voice of Golfers Matters in Protecting Utah’s Municipal Golf Courses
From the Utah Golf Association
As Director of Golf for Davis County, he oversees two municipal golf courses – Valley View and Davis Park – and in 2025, those courses produced a combined $6.6 million in revenue and generated a budget surplus of $2.3 million.
On a recent spring day, I visited Volk in his basement office below the pro shop at Valley View Golf Course. He pulled up budget spreadsheets and ran manual calculations on his old-fashioned desktop printing calculator to educate me on how a municipal golf course operates — and to bust somecommon misperceptions.
“It’s always funny, you always get a few in here who say, well, my tax dollars are supporting you,” Volk said with a laugh. “And I’m like, I don’t want to make you feel bad, but that hasn’t been the case since 1981.”
We love our local munis here in Utah, but what do we really know about how they are funded, how they operate, and how they stay in business?
Valley View and Davis Park are county-owned courses funded by revenue generated by their own operations — not by taxpayer dollars. Like many Utah municipal courses, their staff salaries, maintenance, and improvements are funded by four revenue streams — greens fees, cart fees, range fees, and merchandise sold in the pro shop.