Nelles Named Max Shields Scholarship Recipient-
Riverside, Iowa – Kai Nelles of Lincoln, Nebraska has been named the 2024 Iowa PGA Max Shields Scholarship winner by the Iowa PGA Scholarship Committee. The Max Shields Scholarship awards a $2,000 scholarship each year to anyone wishing to get into the golf business as a PGA Professional, Golf Course Superintendent or as a Club Manager. The criteria for recipients include interest and potential for future contributions to the game of golf in any of these fields in the golf business. They may be a graduating high school senior, post-graduate or even someone looking into golf as a second career.
The story below is a significant part of its history, as a fond remembrance for those who knew Max Shields and to pass along the story of a much-loved man to those who came along later.
Max Shields was born on December 1, 1931, in Ottumwa, Iowa. He passed on Sunday, August 15, 2021, at the Crystal Heights Care Center in Oskaloosa. He graduated from Oskaloosa High School with the class of 1950. On March 10, 1951, he was united in marriage to Marilyn Allgood in Oskaloosa. To this union three children were born, Steve, Michael, and Becky. To learn more about the story of one of Iowa PGA’s unsung PGA Golf Professionals…click here.
The Max Shields Scholarship is being awarded for the very first time in 2024. Nelles is the first ever award winner. There can only be “one first ever”.
Written from Kai Nelles perspective:
Golf is my passion, and I dream of one day representing the PGA of America. Being part of the PGA Golf Management Program here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a tremendous honor. As a recent transfer student from North Iowa Area Community College, I bring with me a completed minor in business along with three years of college golf and leadership experience. But my journey to this point is what truly defines me.
I grew up in Germany, where I spent most of my life. My dad introduced me to golf when I was 14, and it wasn’t long before I developed a deep love for the game. If I wasn’t out on the course, I was assisting the groundskeepers with daily operations or helping instructors with camps and private lessons. That’s when I first discovered my passion for helping players of all ages improve their game.
Just like golf, life isn’t always a smooth swing. Between my freshman and junior years of high school, I faced significant challenges, including two hip surgeries that sidelined me for months. On top of that, I had to move out of my mother’s house when I was 15, lost my best friend to cancer, and had a very close call in a motorcycle accident when I was 17. While I don’t seek sympathy, those experiences have shaped me as a person. They taught me to cherish life, be a good person, pursue my passions, and support those around me—because life can change in an instant.
As the years passed, I realized that my talent for golf could impact others. I didn’t want to waste this gift, so I reached out to schools in the U.S. and found myself in Iowa six months later, competing at the Division 2 Junior College level. Iowa became my home, a place filled with opportunities. I recognized that I had been given a platform not only to excel but also to inspire my community to grow alongside me—not just in golf, but in life.
Today, I’m known as a resourceful person who never takes “no” for an answer. I am a true believer in God and that he has given me this gift to perform to my best abilities. Recently elected as Vice President of the University of Nebraska PGM Student Club, I have another opportunity to make voices heard and represent one of the largest PGM programs in the country. Thanks to our expansive network of exceptional professionals, I’m excited to gain more insights into the teaching world, with a drive to become a Director of Instruction at a private facility one day. This scholarship means more than just a dollar amount. It means opportunity. It means recognition and that I’m doing something right. I can focus on my studies, golf, and all the other things that are important to me. I can eat and get groceries, without worrying about sitting out a meal. It’s an essential step forward that makes me want to work on myself even harder, and I’m going to give it my all to win this again next year.
Joe Canny, Director PGA Golf Management at UNL Golf Management has these nice words to say, “What truly makes Kai special is his engagement and drive to support others. Here on campus Kai is the Vice President of the PGA Golf Management Student Club, a UNL Campus Host giving tours to potential students, and a teaching professional for Lincoln City Golf’s five courses. He also volunteers for every program we run and does this all while still making the Dean’s List for academic achievement. We often joke among the staff how Kai is truly a “Renaissance Man” doing everything and excelling at all of it.”
The Iowa PGA Congratulates Kai Nelles as our “first ever” and 2024 Iowa PGA Max Shields Scholarship.
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