Wilson to be inducted into IHSGCA Player’s Hall of Fame

A Clear Lake High School golf standout who went on to play for the University of Iowa before becoming a golf professional in Dubuque, Iowa will be inducted into the  Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association’s  Player’s Hall of Fame.  

The honor will be bestowed on Brian Wilson at a Hall of Fame Luncheon on Friday, March 14, as part of the Iowa State Golf Coaches Clinic.

“I look forward to be inducted into the hall of fame,” said Wilson.  “It’s an honor I became aware of last year and was hoping to someday eventually achieve. I was surprised when (CLHS Golf) Coach Eric Perry called me.”

Wilson, who was a State runner-up in 1988 as a high school junior, and medalist in 1987 and 1989, is the first CLHS player chosen for the Hall of Fame.  Longtime CLHS Coach the late Al Rannals was inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006.

Wilson’s golfing honors also include being named Honorable Mention All American by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) in 1988.   After high school, he played collegiate golf at the University of Iowa, and while there competed and lettered all four years.  

In 1992, the team earned Iowa’s only Big 10 team men’s golf championship. The thrill of winning that championship at Finkbine in Iowa City and competing at the 1992 NCAA Regionals is his favorite memory as a Hawkeye.

Wilson was named All Big Ten in 1992 for his individual play. He also earned Academic All Big 10 honors in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

After graduating from Iowa in December 1993, Wilson started as an assistant golf professional at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar rapids, Iowa.  In April 1999, he accepted the head golf professional position at Thunder Hills Country Club in Peosta, Iowa which is located just outside of Dubuque.

Today, Wilson says he enjoys directing all golfing activities and events at Thunder Hills, including the junior golf program which typically involves 100 youngsters ages five to 13.  Helping those young golfers brings back memories of his own early playing days at All Vet’s Golf Course, now Veteran’s Memorial, in Clear Lake.  He notes that he lived near the course and spent a good deal of time there with family and friends. 

He is the son of Larry and Alice Wilson.

“I usually get back to Clear Lake a couple of times a year and the golf course is often part of that,” he said. “It’s nice to see the tradition of Clear Lake golf continuing.”  He credits Oak Hills owner and golf pro Tom Sherman with getting Clear Lake area youth interested in golf early and providing proper instruction to put them on the path to success.

Brian and his wife, Dian, have been married since 1997.  They reside in Peosta with their two children, Brock and Amber.