Scott Benson ’08-’10 Golf

Scott fell in love with Iowa Lakes long before he was even looking for a college to attend. He had roamed the halls at ILCC for many years. He was a yearly participant in the Laker Basketball Camps and enjoyed learning the game from the players, in particular, Dusty Wadlington. Once he got to high school, he went on many visits to Iowa Lakes with golfers that Coach Soper was recruiting. He always enjoyed Coach Soper’s company and from early on realized he could see himself playing here, especially with the small school atmosphere. Plus, being able to practice and play at Brooks was an added incentive.  

While here, Coach Soper had the biggest impact on Scott. He made Scott feel like a Laker before he even committed to be one. He was very supportive of the team, not only as athletes, but as people. Scott had this to say about Coach Soper, “Coach Soper was an awesome coach, however, I must say he is an even better man and made a huge impact on my life. I will forever be grateful for everything that he has done for me.”

Coach Soper had this to say about Scott, “I have been privileged to coach so many great athletes at Iowa Lakes and Scott Benson is the best of the best! He has the perfect temperament for the game of golf and his consistency is beyond compare, he is a very deserving of this honor. His accomplishments on the golf course as a Laker speak for themselves, but the greatest compliment I could give him is to say he is an outstanding human being!”

Besides his coach, Scott was influenced by many others at Iowa Lakes. Sarah Stokes’ office was always a place that Scott enjoyed visiting. Sarah always had a smile on her face and was there if he needed something. Scott also enjoyed getting to know Troy Larson and Ben Rops. They were recruiting him to play basketball at the time, so he got to know them pretty well. Scott did however get involved with basketball by doing their stats at the home games. He hopes he didn’t pad the stats too much for you Troy!

While Scott had many memories at Iowa Lakes, he wanted to highlight two of them. The first is their annual spring trips. He enjoyed them mostly because they got to get out of the cold and snow. However, there was one downside to the trip, and that was the drive because Coach would play the same CD the entire way. The other memory that sticks out to Scott was the National Tournament in Alabama. The trip started as soon as they left the airport in Atlanta, where they took a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere. On the way back to Atlanta, they went to a Braves game and went on an unexpected tour of underground Atlanta, which was followed by riding the Marta back to the hotel. Needless to say, they were ready to get back to Iowa.

Even with all the hiccups in their trips, Scott still found a way to be a standout golfer. He was a Regional Medalist, two time National Qualifier, 2 time Ping All-American, NJCAA All-American, and golfed 8 rounds under par. He was a member of the highest percentage winning team in 2008-2009 with 82.7% and his team won 95 matches in 2 years. 

After graduating from Iowa Lakes, Scott attended Alabama State University. He helped lead his team to the 1st ever Conference Championship and finished 2nd at the PGA Minority National Championship. He was an All-Conference selection his junior and senior year, was ASU Fall Classic Champion, and tied for 1st at the FAMU Tournament. Scott is currently working as a senior financial analyst in Columbus, Georgia.

He would like to thank his wife for making the trip with him. She has always gone above and beyond to support him. Secondly, he would like to thank his parents for being there for him every step of the way. Lastly, he would like to thank his grandparents, aunts, and uncles for always supporting him. 

Congratulations Scott Benson on being named to the Laker Hall of Fame.