2021 Golf Guide N2 | FRIDAY,PALMER MAY 14, 2021 HILLS GOLF COURSE 2999 Middle Road, Bettendorf, IA (563) 332-8296 www.palmerhillsgolf.com The Award Winning Palmer Hills Experience Palmer Hills Golf Course is an award winning, public 18-Hole course designed by William J. Spear. Established in 1974, Palmer Hills is home to 100 year old oak trees and features rolling hills, with creeks and ponds coming into play on 11 holes. The hills and water can provide a challenge, but a wide variety of teeing options makes Palmer Hills playable for • Our Clubhouse is home to the “Palmer Grill” golfers of any caliber. serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 7 days/ week (in season) • Fully Stocked Pro Shop, with a wide selection of merchandise • Certified Ping & Mizuno Clubfitters GREENS FEES Weekdays 9 Holes ........................................................ $18.00 The Forge...a unique putting experience, opening 18 Holes ...................................................... $23.00 Sundown ..................................................... $18.00 May 2021 Super Sundown . .$14.00 Weekends (Begins Noon Friday) & Holidays 9/18 ............................................................ $28.00 Sundown ..................................................... $20.00 Super Sundown . .$16.00 Juniors/Seniors (Monday-Thursday before 2 p.m., Friday after 10am, excluding holidays) $14.00/$18.00 RIDING CART FEES (per person) Daily 9 Holes ............................................................ $13 Call us for tee times or book online at 18 Holes .......................................................... $18 palmerhillsgolf.com Sundown Cart Fee ............................................. $14 PULL CART FEES ..............................................$3.00 *Value Pass for the Value-Minded Only $280 /Pay for RENTAL CLUBS 10, get 12 Rounds! Every Day..................................................... $15.00 *Perfect your swing at our OTHER FEES Driving Range,Passes Available Driving Range Large Bucket...................................................$9.00 Medium Bucket...............................................$8.00 Small Bucket...................................................$6.00 Jr. or Sr. Bucket................................................$5.00 GOLF GUIDE FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 | 3 WHAT’S INSIDE Golf riding high after FEATURES by Tom Johnston unique 2020 season Welcome to the 2021 season and so much promise ............ t’s so good to be back for the 2021 golf ness when the Greenside Grille was closed page 3 season and have something to look for- for the summer. However, things picked up Iward to this year when it comes to hitting with an open tee sheet for the two weeks in Golf landscape sculpted by the courses. July that are normally off the books. these locals ............................ It’s also encouraging to look at the season “With no tournaments, and not hosting page 4 with optimism after enduring a 2020 season the John Deere Classic, we played just as Meet TPC Deere Run’s new that could be described in so many ways: many rounds in 2020 as we did in ‘19 and head professional .................. Non-existent (for a while, at least, on the previous years because there was nothing page 6 Illinois side of the Mighty Mississippi River), else happening — it was just straight golf,” confounding (too many restrictions to follow Hajduk said. “We got the two weeks of the Fyre Lake on fire and headed during the pandemic), frus- tournament back of straight play that we in new direction ..................... trating (isn’t it always), exhila- never would have received. We had a record page 9 rating (once in a while), safe to July. We had a record August. We had a re- John Deere Classic’s delayed do and top of it all, so success- cord September because of weather and just 50th Q-C tourney celebration ful on so many fronts. demand.” back on ................................... Which makes the 2020 sea- It was the same thing on the Iowa side, page 11 son one of the most incredible which not only benefited from not shutting years on the books in quite down as did its Illinois counterparts, but also Q-C golf and tourism com- TOM JOHNSTON a while despite a COVID-19 picked up extra business for a while when Il- bine that college spirit ........... pandemic that took away part linois was shuttered. page 14 of the early season and threat- John Valliere, Glynns Creek head pro- A touch of a resort feel at ened to shut down Illinois side golf courses fessional, said his facility enjoyed 29,569 Bettendorf municipal facility all together. rounds last year — “6,000 up over 2019,” he page 15 But once it was deemed safe to play, it said. appears as if we did just. We got out and The last year the scenic Scott County Park QC Amateur Tour navigating played. And we did so in record numbers. layout was pushing 30,000 rounds, accord- path back to success .............. Courses in Iowa, which never shut down ing to Valliere, was the 2012 season. page 17 last spring, went on to record a milestone “We had a lot of people that hadn’t played Find a Q-C course that fits number of rounds. Even with being shut for a while and they weren’t working in the your golfing needs ................. down, Illinois courses enjoyed a resurgence. office and weren’t going to school, so they page 18 Rounds nationally were up across the board kind of liked it and it was a safe haven for according to the National Golf Foundation, them to get out of the house and do some- noting the previous highest jump was in thing,” Valliere said. “I think a lot of them 1997 when young Tiger Woods was changing liked it and will stick with it.” the game. Bettendorf’s Palmer Hills Golf Course also “We ended up down, but not as much as enjoyed huge numbers. Head pro Jon Wad- you would have thought considering the dell said the course produced “a little over shut down,” said Todd Winter, assistant 34,000 rounds. It was the best year we’ve Rock Island parks director and golf man- had in 20 years,” he said. ager for Highland Springs and Saukie golf “To make it even crazier, we were replac- courses. “We made up a ton once we were ing four bridges on the golf course early in open; there were so many people out play- the season and we were only a 9-hole golf ing. It was one of the things people felt safe course into May,” he added. “So that’s how doing and could do it without many restric- busy we were even operating as a 9-hole golf tions.” course for the first six to eight weeks of the Which was great for the game. season. Not only that, we were blocking out Todd Hajduk, general manager at TPC the tee sheet a little bit to keep people dis- Deere Run and the PGA Tour-owned course tanced, so we weren’t offering our full array in Silvis that hosts the John Deere Classic of tee times. I think we were blocking out each July, experienced both the good and the every third tee time.” bad of last year’s strange season. I guess we were looking for any reason to The course lost the JDC — and interna- get out of the house last year! tional exposure — when it was canceled for the year, and also lost all of its catering busi- Please see JOHNSTON, Page 8 4 | FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 GOLF GUIDE A golf major and sport’s shakers have Q-C connections TOM JOHNSTON with the best players in the [email protected] world,” Harmon said. “Believe The Quad-Cities and sur- it or not, I have learned as much rounding area have deep ties from them as they have from to professional sports on all me.” levels. Fleck, a QC native, has one On the golf side of things, of the most indelible connec- the history is profound — from tions to pro golf. The long-time roots to the Masters tourna- Bettendorf resident took down ment to being home to one of iconic Ben Hogan in a playoff the most renowned and re- for the 1955 U.S. Open at the spected teaching professionals. Olympic Club in San Francisco. Most of those connections He died in March of 2014 at the now are associated with the age of 92. John Deere Classic. While Fleck may have one However, from not far away of the most amazing stories, in Morning Sun, Iowa, lie the there is an impressive and roots to arguably the most varied group of people from prestigious golf event held an- the Quad-Cities with connec- nually and one the most elite of tions to pro golf. clubs — Augusta National. Another PGA Tour winner Roughly 50 miles southwest from the QCA is Jamieson, of the Quad-Cities in Morning who passed away in 2018. The Sun is where Clifford Roberts Michigan native who grew up was born and raised. in Moline won the 1972 West- A humble beginning even- ern Open and finished top 5 in tually turned and Roberts, a CONTRIBUTED the Masters twice in his illus- shrewd businessman, made Quad-City Sports Hall of Famers Jim Hasley and former LPGA trious career that was cut short millions on Wall Street. In star Beth Bader, a North Scott High School prep and Iowa State due to a hand injury. 1932, Roberts and Bobby Jones standout, posed for this photo at an exhibition at Red Hawk Golf Jamieson, who operated co-founded the Augusta Na- Course in Davenport. his own golf school at Re- tional Golf Club in Augusta, sort Glade Springs in Daniels, Ga. Roberts served as chairman year to the Illinois-Iowa bor- teachers in the world. W.Va., coached women’s golf at of the club from 1931 through der setting, but has been the The teaching pro to many of NCAA Division II University of 1976. top per-capita tournament in today’s top stars got his start Charleston in 2011, getting that Two years after its found- charitable contributions on the as a club professional at Dav- program up and running.