Local donations were also awarded as weekly and final prizes to encourage employee wellness. These incentives included tickets for Iowa Chops  and Iowa Cubs  games, gift certificates and memberships to Anytime Fitness in Des Moines (SE 14th & Beaver Ave.), passes to Woodland Hills Golf Course, a fruit bouquet by Edible Arrangements, free bowling to Plaza Lanes, Fridley Theaters passes, and 32 oz. jars of Salsa By Joni.

Seneca’s Biggest Loser Mike Freese lost nearly 22% of his body weight during the 10-week period. A recent graduate of Iowa State, he currently works in the Seneca Distribution warehouse and from the get-go hoped his weight loss and new diet would provide more energy and stamina throughout the workday. “I had to cut out my Mountain Dew and snacks to begin a much healthier diet, and I feel so much better now that I have lost that weight.” He adds, “It’s a tough economy out there, and if losing weight makes me do my job better and faster, I am all for it!”.

Seneca will begin their second Biggest Loser contest on May 1st, encouraging new participants to increase wellness and physical activity throughout the company.

This year, my goal is to play as many Des Moines public golf courses as I can, and I plan to sneak in a round at several of the top courses within an hour drive as well. Today in the Des Moines Register (print edition) I came across a list of metro-area public golf courses. Normally I cut this out and keep it at my office, but since I couldn’t find the same information on the Register website, I’ve decided to add some of it here.

In addition to listing these courses, I’d also like to add Des Moines golf course specials as I find them, and I encourage you to do the same. Since rates are constantly changing, please use this as a guide only. Many courses change green fees based on what time you tee off. Some also have discounted rates for juniors and seniors. Before you make any decisions based on the data below, please check the website or call the course to get update information and to schedule your tee time.

A.H. Blank Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
18 hole course, par 72
515-285-0864 or www.blankgolfcourse.com
18 holes with a cart runs $31 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Beaver Creek Golf Course is located in Grimes.
27 hole course, par 72
515-986-3221 or www.beavercreek-golf.com
18 holes with a cart runs $39 weekdays and $46 on weekends.

Copper Creek Golf Course is located in Pleasant Hill.
18 hole course, par 71
515-263-1600 or www.golfcoppercreek.com
18 holes with a cart runs $40 weekdays and $45 on weekends.

Countryside Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
18 hole course, par 70
515-981-0266 or www.countrysideiowa.com
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Deer Run Golf Course is located in Indianola.
18 hole course, par 72
515-961-5445
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Grand View Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
18 hole course, par 70
515-248-6301 or www.golfgrandviewgc.com
18 holes with a cart runs $27 weekdays and $36 on weekends.

Jester Park Golf Course is located in Granger.
515-999-2903 or www.jesterparkgolf.com
18 holes, par 72 (plus a 9 hole, par 3 course)
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $43 on weekends.

Legacy Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
515-287-7885 or www.thelegacygolfclub.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $45 weekdays and $50 on weekends.

Otter Creek Golf Course is located in Ankeny.
515-965-6464 or www.ankenyiowa.gov/ottercreekgolf
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $39 weekdays and $49 on weekends.

River Valley Golf Course is located in Adel.
515-993-4029 or www.rivervalleygolf.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $38 weekdays and $44 on weekends.

Rolling Hills Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
515-981-1500
9 holes, par 36 (plus a 9 hole, par 3 course)
18 holes with a cart runs $25 weekdays and $29 on weekends.

Sugar Creek Golf Course is located in Waukee.
515-987-5247 or http://sugarcreek.waukee.org/
9 hole course, par 34
18 holes with a cart runs $32 weekdays and $32 on weekends.

Terrace Hills Golf Course is located in Altoona.
515-967-2932 or www.golfthills.com
18 hole course, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $33.50 weekdays and $38 on weekends.

Toad Valley Golf Course is located in Pleasant Hill.
515-967-9575 or www.toadvalley.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $41 on weekends.

Tournament Club of Iowa (TCI) is located in Polk City.
515-984-9440 or www.tcofiowa.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $67 weekdays and $67 on weekends.

Waveland Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-271-8725 or www.golfwavelandgc.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $34 weekdays and $44 on weekends.

Willow Creek Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-285-4558 or www.willowgolf.com
36 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $37 weekdays and $42 on weekends.

Woodland Hills Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-289-1326 or www.golfwoodlandhills.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $35 weekdays and $39 on weekends.

Some weekly specials I ran across as of April 20th, 2009: 

     Honey Creek Resort (Moravia 641-724-1400):  “Early Bird Special”…Monday-Thursday…before 11:00 am…18 holes with a cart…$30 w/ tax

     Countryside (Norwalk 981-0266):  “Monday-Friday Special” $34…18 holes w/ cart…”Junior/Senior Special” $26…18 holes w/ cart

     Copper Creek (Pleasant Hill 515-263-1600):  Mondays:  “2 for 1″ green fees with paid cart…every Monday (except holidays) throughout the summer

There are lots of additional golf courses we could add to the list including Harvester, Lake Panorama, Bos Landen, etc. If you’d like one added here, just let me know!

VanDen Huevel runs The MarketingSavant Group and his presentation began with the fact that people (not publishers and editors) are taking control of the marketing message. He stressed that marketers need to listen to new media (blogs, social networking sites, online conversations) and move beyond banner ads.

In the following video, Dana points out that word of mouth marketing is becoming even more important, citing an example of how Southwest has gained marketshare over rival airlines such as Northwest and United by listening to and understanding what customers want. Much of the growth has been fueled by online evangelists rather than traditional marketing. (As an added bonus, Dana will now earn a bright red X on his boarding pass for all future flights, along with the occasional white glove treatment.).

Mr. VanDen Huevel also showed an example of how online discussions can infiltrate search engine results, in this case having a negative effect for Iams on Google.

Thanks for making the trip to Des Moines, Dana. It’s not often someone comes to our city in January to warm up.

Related Posts:
Google Speaker In Des Moines
Des Moines SEO : Part 3 of the series
 

What activity can bring me out of the winter blues???  Golf!  I can golf without leaving Iowa by registering for Principal’s Charity Classic Skywalk Golf set for Saturday February 7th, 2009.  This event takes place in Des Moines skywalks without worrying about the snow outside.   Registration is $25 through January 23rd, and $30 from January 24th through February 5th.  Golfers receive a ticket to Principal’s Charity Classic, a golf ball and a t-shirt.

Hope to see you there…don’t forget your putter!

Up until today, the only Google employee I’d ever met was Matt Cutts (who incidently is the guy with Google’s current ranking algorithm tucked away in the deep recesses of his mind), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, I was impressed with Mr. Bond. Not only did he really know his stuff, he also did a great job of working the crowd - although admittedly on Sudafed (James, not the crowd). If James ever decides to leave the Big G, I see stand up comedy in his future (video evidence below). I think I even heard James use the word “Google” as a verb, so watch the mail for a letter from the mothership, Jim.

A special thanks to all the people who put this learning series together including Meg Fitz, Brent Wiersma, Darcy Swon, Tamara Kenworthy, Tom Flynn, Dale Bentlage, Daphne Christensen, and many others I’m forgetting to mention.

If you are interested in learning more about how to navigate today’s web as it relates to business, get registered for upcoming presentations on Emerging Media/Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Widgets/Sharable Features, and ROI Web Strategies.

If you attended this event, we’d love to hear what you thought…so leave a comment below and we will see you next month! (Part 2 of the series continues on social media marketing, dogfood, and airlines!)