Capital Fundraising Campaign

The Lake Panorama National Resort capital fundraising campaign is now in its second year. To ensure the Lake Panorama National golf course remains a premier destination for property owners and visitors, we are raising funds to enhance and maintain this recreational gem.

Funds raised in 2024 supported the renovation of forward tee boxes on holes 5, 6, 7, and 8. Learn more here.

Friends of Lake Panorama, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is partnering with Lake Panorama National on this campaign. All contributions are tax-deductible, and donors will receive a letter of thanks for tax purposes. Donations may also be made in memory of or in honor of someone.

Donations

Donations Received As of August 29 - $116,242

Driving Range Tee Project

At its July meeting, the LPN Board of Managers approved a renovation project for the LPN driving range to begin this fall. The current tee box has a deteriorating railroad tie retaining wall that needs replacement. It is also undersized, requiring the golf maintenance staff to position bag stands in front of the tee to encourage turf recovery after periods of heavy usage.

The project will include removing the deteriorating railroad tie wall, extending the tee box to the west, and installing a new block retaining wall.

At the back of the tee box, a new synthetic grass tee line will be installed. This will help protect the natural turf and provide a better teeing option when the natural turf area is closed.

Edging will also be installed around the tee line and along the mulch bed on the north side of the tee box for a polished appearance and easier mowing. In addition, new bag stands will be purchased.

Donate and Win!

We’re offering a special promotion to encourage support through August 31. Donate $500 or more and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a 2026 LPN Single Golf Pass with your choice of Trail Fee or Cart Seat.

One entry per $500 donated
No limit on the number of entries
Only valid for direct donations (not combined with other fundraising events)

How to Donate

Anyone donating $500 or more will be listed on a donor display wall in Spikes snack shop and acknowledged on the Lake Panorama National Resort and Friends of Lake Panorama websites.

Check: Payable to Friends of Lake Panorama, mailed to PO Box 488, Panora, IA 50216
Venmo: www.venmo.com/Panorama-Friends
Credit Card: friendsoflakepanorama.org/donate

Include an extra $15 for every $500 donated to cover processing fees

Donations of securities (stocks, mutual funds, etc.) are welcome, as are direct IRA qualified charitable distributions. There are potential tax-saving benefits when considering either of these direct donation strategies. Check with your financial advisor for details.

Donor List

Thank you to the following donors. Your contribution will help enhance and maintain Lake Panorama National, ensuring it remains a premier Lake Panorama destination for years to come.

Sponsor - $50,000+

Champion - $25,000 to $49,999

Leader - $10,000 to $24,999

Benefactor - $5,000 to $9,999

David & Mary Butterwick
Dick & Carolyn Koberg Family
Kevin & Jackie Wellik

Steward - $1,000 to $4,999

Anonymous, In Memory of George Edward Wassom, May Elizabeth Wassom, DeAnna Joy Wassom
Don & Kathy Berryman
Shane & Anne Broderick
Richard Deardorff
Jay & Karen Gerlich
Sean & Sheila Grambart
Lyle & Paula Hansen
Fred & Gayla Henry
Jimmy Buffet Party
LPN Women’s League
Tom & Celia Mahoney
Bill & Deb McDermott
Steve & Danielle Navarro
Panora Fiber
Galen & Carol Redshaw
Louis Rizzuti
Jim & Sharon Scherbring
Jim & Julie Tibbles
Jim & Dee Tometich
David & Jackie Van Ahn
Dave & Shanell Wagler

Friend - $500 to $999

Larry & Dawn Anderson
Larry Babcock & Susan Thompson
Kathleen DeLucca
Chris & Brenda Duree
Dave & Susan Greiner
Todd & Diane Halbur
Larry & Julie Hamling
Chip Hansen
Reuben & Karen Hanson
Chris & Kim Joliet
Mark & Deb Jorgensen
Rick & Marian Langel
Wendy Ludwig, In Memory of Joanne & Harold Churchill
Lorrie Motsick & Bob Nevitt
John & Beth Muenzenberger
Tom & Andrea Murphy
Rod & Amy Northrup
Gordon & Sharon Opland
Dennis & Joyce Pickering
Jan Reinicke
Matt & Marilyn Schultes
Sunset Realty
Frank & Sandi Teale
Dave & Sue Thompson
John & Angie Worth

Lake Panorama National Resort Timeline

• The first nine holes of the Iowa National Golf Course were staked in 1970, and construction began that fall under the direction of Richard Watson.
• The front nine holes of the Iowa National Golf Course opened for play in midsummer 1972.
• By the fall of 1972, Mid-Iowa Lakes had fallen behind on payments owed to Watson for his work on the front nine. Watson proposed to start work on the second nine holes but agreed not to submit invoices until May 1973, a proposition which Mid-Iowa accepted.
• Most of the work on the second nine was completed by the end of 1973.
• In a December 1973 letter from Watson to Mid-Iowa Lakes officials, it was stated that some of the back-nine holes seeded that fall should be ready for play by July 1974. The remaining holes would be seeded in the spring, and with proper fertilization and maintenance, all holes should be ready for play by August 1974.
• Mid-Iowa Lakes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 1975.
• During the summer, the front nine of the golf course was operational. Maintenance work was carried out by two employees and numerous volunteers, funded by personal donations and Lake Enterprises Inc.
• In April 1976, the bankruptcy court leased the course to Lake Enterprises Inc. The back nine of the course was completely overgrown, prompting volunteers to locate and mow the greens with a push mower. By the end of 1976 and throughout the 1977 season, the entire course was open.
• In 1978, the LPA board decided that associating the 18-hole course with Lake Panorama would help promote it to the public. The name was changed to Lake Panorama National Golf Course.
• A new clubhouse was constructed between the first and 10th tees which included a pro shop, kitchen, restrooms, and cart storage.
• Clover Ridge Ltd. signed a 50-year lease on the Lake Panorama National Golf Course. They also purchased 25 acres within the Lake Panorama National area and began construction of townhomes, a conference center, and a guest house.
• Clover Ridge Ltd. went bankrupt in November 1991, and CIPCO managed the course until 1997. During this period, the pro shop was relocated from the original clubhouse to the basement of the LPN conference center.
• In 1997, Guthrie County REC purchased the Lake Panorama National Conference Center and assumed the golf course lease until 2004. They operated under the subsidiary of Progressive Development Inc. (PDI).
• A change in the lease with PDI allowed LPN members to pay additional dues to help cover the installation of asphalt cart paths. Golf members were assessed $200 per year for four years. Matching funds were provided by PDI and LPA, resulting in approximately $400,000 raised.
• Cart paths were added in 2001, along with the installation of forward tee boxes.
• LPA resumed management of the golf course while also purchasing the LPN Conference Center.
• The LPA board approved the installation of a double-row irrigation system, with work scheduled to start in spring 2008.
• An LPN advisory committee devised plans to replace the original clubhouse, which was currently serving as a snack shop. A fundraising campaign was launched in October 2007. By January 2008, sufficient funds had been donated and in-kind commitments secured to obtain approval from the LPA board.
• In March 2008, construction on the new snack shop began.
• A contest was held to name the new building, and "Spikes" was chosen.
• Approximately $197,500 in cash and in-kind materials and labor were contributed. A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony took place on July 26.
• Two on-course bathrooms were replaced, funded by private donations.
• Additionally, the pond on hole #7 was riprapped, thanks to a donation from a single donor.
• A project to stabilize the shoreline between the 5th pond and the green started in October 2021. The previous wall, constructed with railroad ties, had been deteriorating over the course of several years. A new retaining wall was constructed.
• Due to emerald ash borer infestation, 304 ash trees were removed from the golf course, starting in January 2022. Later that year, 30 trees were replanted in strategic locations.
• A shade sail structure was installed at Spikes, thanks to donations.