PGA Tour players and others that take the time to make the drive west from Chicago toward the Illinois-Iowa border and the Quad Cities area are rewarded by the spectacular course at TPC Deere Run, the home of the John Deere Classic since 2000 and one of the most underrated stops in professional golf.
TPC Deere Run, designed by former PGA Tour player D.A. Weibring and opened at the turn of the 21st century, is routed on rolling hillsides and glens alongside the Rock River in Silvis, Illinois about four miles southeast of where the Mississippi River separates Illinois and Iowa.
The parkland-style course features many elevation changes, scenic views, and beautifully framed oak trees and is accented throughout by small ponds and deep ravines. The 386 acres of land on which TPC Deere Run was fashioned is rich in history, as the site was once the home of Native American settlements, farming, and coal mining, as well as Arabian horse and cattle breeding operations.
TPC Deere Run
A bit of background
Weibring, who won the Quad Cities Open (forerunner of the John Deere Classic) three times, and consultant Chris Gray of PGA Tour Design Services used only about 170 acres of the site to route the course through pristine hardwood trees. Only about 60 of the acres used were altered during the building phase, with more than 80 percent of the hardwoods left undisturbed and as Mother Nature intended them to be.
Weibring’s use of the river (especially on the fabulous par-3 16th), as well as a rolling layout that even sports some links-style holes on the way down to and away from the river, give golfers a variety of looks and tests and keeps even the best players on their toes.
TPC Deere Run plays as a par-71 and at just 7,006 yards and has only three par-5s. It’s a “target golf” course for the pros, but plenty long and demanding for the rest of us, with emphasis placed on strategy and accurate shot-making.
The fairways at TPC Deere Run are generous, but the rough is deep and the run offs around the putting surfaces can be very penal. There are sloping lies everywhere, which makes alignment and good contact paramount.
The greens at TPC Deere Run are mostly deep and narrow – five are at least 40 yards in depth from front to back – forcing accurate iron play in order to produce chances for a good score. It’s very easy to hit shots back and forth over the narrow dimension of these putting surfaces, so take dead aim.
TPC Deere Run
Great start, even better finish
While TPC Deere Run is chock full of great holes, its opening and closing sequence are the course’s standouts. The panoramic views on many holes are absolutely beautiful and the significant elevation changes of the course are apparent from the first hole on.
The 551-yard second hole is a par-5 with an elevated box and is played down the hill to a dogleg right fairway with the river as a constant companion. Bunkers protect both the inside and outside of the dogleg, and the green is guarded by a pond that runs 100 yards short of the green and through to the left side. It’s a true risk-reward opportunity that helps set the tone early in the round.
It’s followed by a 183-yard uphill par-3 with a raised putting surface protected by a kidney-shaped bunker on the front right. The entire left side of the green slides off to a tightly mown area that tests the golfer’s short game, especially when the hole is cut on that side of the putting surface.
No. 4 is a 448-yard par-4 with a large tree in the middle of the fairway at the apex of the dogleg. There is more room to the left if players choose to go that route while carving a drive to the right of the tree offers a shorter approach shot and a better angle. The zero-edge green seems to melt into the near distance, giving a false sense of its depth and challenge.
The ninth, a 485-yard par-4, is considered the toughest hole at TPC Deere Run, and features an uphill approach through the trees to an elevated green guarded by bunkers on both sides. It could easily be a par-5 and is likely played that way for those of us not on Tour.
The aforementioned 16th, called “Mother Earth,” is the signature hole at TPC Deere Run. It plays at 153 yards along the river and is guarded by a large bunker in front and another on the right. It is a tough but picturesque hole – the very definition of a round here.
The 550-yard par-5 17th is a final chance at risk-reward with two bunkers on the left as the golfer approaches the green and a deep and undulating putting surface.
The closer, a par-4 at 463 yards, brings water into serious play on the approach and a deep bunker on the right that’s decided plenty of renditions of the John Deere Classic, including in 2103 when Jordan Spieth, at 19 years old, holed a shot from the sand on the way to winning his first championship on the PGA Tour.
TPC Deere Run, a member of the TPC Network, allows golfers of all levels to experience the challenge of a course that tests the best players in the world. It also gives visitors the same standards of quality and service that are normally reserved for professionals.
Boasting more character in its design than many PGA Tour courses, TPC Deere Run is a gem hidden in the Midwest and must-play when in the area.
Fyre Lake
Other options in the Quad Cities
The “Quad Cities” is the name applied to the region that encompasses Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.
Since you are out here almost in the middle of nowhere, why not stay awhile and enjoy a few of the other courses in the area after or before tackling TPC Deere Run. Here are a trio of other options in the neighboring cities and towns:
Palmer Hills (Bettendorf, Iowa)
This course was designed by William J. Spear (who also designed the fabulous Amana Colonies Golf Club a little further east in Iowa) and opened in 1974. Its routing travels through stands of 100-year-old oak trees and over rolling hills with ponds and a meandering creek that comes into play on 11 of its holes. Palmer Hills opened an 18-hole, 56,500-square-foot putting course called The Forge designed by golf course architect Paul Miller in 2021 that is more than worth the visit.
Fyre Lake Golf Club (Sherrard, Illinois)
Fashioned by Nicklaus Design, Fyre Lake is the newest course in the Quad Cities, debuting in 2012. The course is fair off the tee and challenging around the greens, with no consecutive holes playing the same direction. The landscape Nicklaus design had to work with is terrific, with lots of elevation changes, forced carries, and a handful of lake views. The signature hole here is the par-4 13th, with an island green set in the lake. Fyre Lake Golf Club, when in top condition, can rival TPC Deere Run for the best, most beautiful golf course in the region.
Glynns Creek Golf Course (Long Grove, Iowa)
This championship 7,036-yard, 18-hole layout is patterned after the great courses of Scotland, with tree-lined fairways, rolling hills and loads of grass bunkers. Every hole offers a unique challenge. Opened in 1992, owned by Scott County and part of the county’s park system, the course is fun, yet challenging and provides a little of everything in a low-stress atmosphere.