This years girls state golf tournament was the last one for one of the state’s longtime coaches. Arvilla Altemeier had coached girls golf for over 40 at Grinnell High School. She was asked what got her started coaching girls golf.
She had just started playing golf and was trying to learn the game when she was asked to coach. Altemeier says she didn’t think she knew enough about the game and started taking classes to learn more about it.
Altemeier leaves as the most successful coach in the history of Grinnell High School with five state titles in girls golf and five runner-up teams.
Two of the runner-up finishes were by one stroke, and the first title came in 1983, and then in 1991 and 2001-2003. What is Altemeier most proud of in over 43 years of coaching. Alemeier says all the "wonderful" kids she had play for her and all the support. She says she can’t pick out one player of team over the other.