Round three on this trip, and golf course No. 997 overall for me, was at TPC Deere Run. After a morning round in Iowa we drove about an hour and a half north to the Quad Cities. I made a stop to re-stock on golf balls as soon as we got into town, had some lunch and then we headed over to the course for our afternoon tee time.

I wasn’t sure what to expect at TPC Deere Run. On one hand, I’ve seen plenty of the course on TV over the years since it is host of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic every year. On the other hand, that event doesn’t really draw many big names and you don’t hear much about this TPC course like you do about some others, TPC Scottsdale for example. Maybe TPC Deere Run doesn’t get the press because it is on the Illinois/Iowa border – who knows.

Anyway, I walked away impressed with the course on multiple levels. I’d even go as far as saying that it is underrated. The course occupies a great piece of property, has plenty of character and I found it fair to play. I didn’t score well, but everything is in front of you, no tricks.

TPC Deere Run is located along the Rock River and if you’ve watched any of the TV coverage over the years, you’ll know that the par-3 16th (next to the river) is the signature hole. What you may not know is that there are plenty of holes with some elevation change since the river is the property’s low point. Other holes play over small ravines so it is more involved than it looks on TV. Plus, it would be a challenging course to walk.

When it comes to the design I’ll call the course a quasi-parkland layout. I thought it was a unique layout for a TPC course, since most TPC courses are wide open off the tee. The fairways here are still generous, but a wayward shot is going to end up with tree trouble. The tree-lined holes and the white sand in the bunkers gave the course a great look. It presents well!

We played the blue tees which are 72.4/136/6502 and while those numbers don’t look too bad, TPC Deere Run is a par-71 with only three par-5’s. So it is more difficult than a traditional par-72 course. There are a good number of semi-blind landing areas and visually I found the course intimidating. Maybe that is because I was out of position so much off the tee, ha. The bunkers are deep and will be a penalty for most amateurs.

My favorite holes were the par-5’s and of course that signature 16th – 140 yards – along the river. The 2nd, 10th and 17th are the par-5’s. The 2nd – 504 yards – plays downhill and has a nice view of the river as well. The 10th – 512 yards – has a ho-hum tee shot before a hazard influences layups and those who go for the green in two. The green is narrow and any shots flirting with the right side of the green will probably kick into the water.

As you’d expect, the conditions were excellent. The greens were fast and pure. They had a lot of trickle to them and I blew many putts past the hole. The fairways and tees were like carpet and the rough was thick and gnarly. For the $100 green fee, the value is good to play a PGA Tour course.

I enjoyed TPC Deere Run and would like another crack at it when I’m swinging the driver better. If you are in the Midwest on a golf trip or traveling through along the I-80 then my vote is to put the course on your list.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):