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"Let's Play 9!" with Barry Poe
"Let's Play 9!" with Barry Poe
For May, 2023 we are featuring the former long time sportswriter for the Sioux City Journal, Barry Poe.
Although he is quick to anoint Todd Sapp as the originator of the Siouxland Player of the Year, Poe was a major factor in keeping it on the minds of Siouxland golfers. From 2009 until the summer of 2022, it was Barry's articles in the Journal that kept all of us golfers aware of upcoming tournaments and publishing the results and updates on who was leading the points race. "The original idea for Siouxland Player of the Year came from Todd Sapp, and why not? He is one of the most accomplished players who have ever teed it up in our area. I believe he and Dan Freed share the overall lead for "major" tournament victories with 10", said Poe. Sapp and Poe had to come up with a points system and a rotation for the PoY and in the first year that included tournaments quite a bit further away than they are now and of course, they had to include our local "majors". Jim Le Moine joined in the mix several years later to take on the "math" part of things. According to Poe, the Siouxland Player of the Year still thrives because of Jim. The local amateur golf scene was given a lift when the PoY Points began. There are a lot of great golfers on our side of the state and thanks to the efforts of Sapp, Poe and Le Moine they have been and still are being recognized.
Born in Greenfield, Iowa and raised in Woodbine, Barry's love for golf began around the age of 10. During the summers, his parents would drop him off in Dunlap in the morning and pick him up at suppertime as there was no golf course in Woodbine. Throughout high school he continued to play golf but football, basketball and baseball kept him busy, in fact Poe earned All-Conference laurels in both football and basketball at Woodbine High School. In 1976, Poe led the state of Iowa in passing with 1,663 yards when the option dominated high school football. He began playing golf regularly at age 21 and continues to play today at the young age of 64.
Poe attended Buena Vista College (now University) with a goal of becoming a radio broadcaster. A part-time job at the Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune newspaper his sophomore year changed his career. Barry spent 44 years in the newspaper biz with two stints at Storm Lake as well as stops in Denison, Ida Grove and a total of 31 years at the Sioux City Journal. Poe retired from the SC Journal in 2019 as a full-time reporter and stayed on as a stringer until 2022. As he said: "Countless memories that I will never forget".
Says Poe about his amateur golf career: "The first tournament I ever played in was the Dunlap men's tournament, held annually on Labor Day. Played in that many times over the years and actually placed in a flight or two. I played in the Lake Creek Amateur in the early 80s as well as several other tournaments around Storm Lake. My first Men's City in Sioux City was 1992 and I played in nearly every one of them until I moved to Brunsville in 2010. I've placed in anywhere from the first to the fifth flights in the Sioux City majors over the years. Nothing much to brag about, that's for sure. I always thought that I was better than the results showed!"
Barry calls Prairie Rose Golf Club in Brunsville, Iowa his home course now. He lives about a block away from the course and his golf cart is in the garage ready to go whenever the moment arises. Prairie Rose is a 9 hole course that Poe describes as a "diamond in the rough". The course was built by the one and only Marty Johnson whom many know from Covington Golf Course in South Sioux City, NE. Poe has played Green Valley in Sioux City the most of any course and still considers it his favorite course, even though he acknowledges that there are so many fantastic courses in the Siouxland Area.
To keep him busy now-a-days, Poe delivers the SC Journal to Le Mars and Merrill five days a week and also does some freelance work with a national high school website called Scorebook Live. He enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Susan and taking care of the four cats. Barry is proud to be a father of two and a grandfather of four.
Now, let's see how Barry performs on the back 9...
Which of the local Siouxland Golf Tournaments is your favorite, and why? (Does not have to be a Player of the Year qualifying tournament)
It's hard to pick a favorite, because each and every one of them are top-notch. I would say the Sioux Valley Amateur Match Play in Cherokee would rank right up there, simply because of the friendships I've forged with the people who run the event over the years. I've played in it a few times, but covered the tournament for decades. It's a great golf course with an unforgettable crew of folks who put in on each year.
What has been your best golf moment up to now?
Two things come to mind right way. I played a round in Aurelia in the late 1980s when I had nine putts in nine holes. That despite the two guys I played with trying to distract me in various ways, including reminding me each hole along the way that I had taken only one putt. Secondly, winning the Jim's Lounge tournament in 2009 with one of my closest friends, Todd Sapp. He, of course, carried us in the two-man tourney, but it's something I'll never forget.
How many hole-in-ones have you had and how many have you witnessed?
I've been lucky enough to have 4 hole-in-ones. The first was in 1994 at Floyd on my first shot of the day. The second came at Two Rivers in 2000 and the third at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona in 2001. A mere 17 years later, I aced the sixth hole at Prairie Rose in 2018. I've also witnessed three others.
If money and access were no issue, what golf course would you love to play that you haven't already played?
Pebble Beach. That will probably never happen, though.
What would be your ultimate foursome (you included)?
Me, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods
Related to golfing, what is there about you that nobody really knows?
My greatest thrill was getting the opportunity to cover Arnold Palmer when he played the first 18-hole round ever at Dakota Dunes. He shook my hand afterwards and I'll never forget how firm that grip was. I've also had the opportunity to attend two PGA tournaments and two US Senior Opens. Just getting to watch Tiger Woods hit a golf ball is enough for me.
With our Midwest golf season of 7 months, do you ever get to warmer climates to play golf in the other 5 months?
I've played a lot of golf in Arizona, including twice at TPC Scottsdale, home of the Waste Management Open. The 16th hole looks a lot different when there isn't a stadium there.
In the Siouxland area, amongst all golf courses, what is your favorite:
a. Par 3 Hole
Two Rivers has changed the order of holes since I was a member there, but I made my hole-in-one at No. 6 back in 2001, so I would pick that. Don't know what hole it is now, for sure. (Editor's note: that was likely the current #15)
b. Par 4 Hole
As far as a Par 4s, to me the two most difficult are No. 6 at Covington Links in South Sioux City and No. 15 at Dakota Dunes. I really like No. 16 at Green Valley and I made an eagle on No. 3 at Prairie Rose last year.
c. Par 5 Hole
I once came within inches of a two on the par-5 7th at Dakota Dunes. Hit 3 wood off the tee and then 4-iron to within a couple of inches and tapped in for eagle.
Who/What was the primary influence for you to play golf?
The two most influential people for me are my two late uncles, who let me tag along with them at Dunlap when I was very young. They taught me more than one thing about the game of golf, but the thing I remember the most is when I used to throw temper tantrums after a bad shot, my uncle Jim would say, "shut up and fellowship."
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