John Deere Traditional House ‘A Good, Straight-Ahead Golf Course’ – CBS San Francisco

(CBS Chicago) – The TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois is one of the daily courses on the Tournament Players Club network, which debuted to great acclaim in 2000 as host of the John Deere Classic. And it remains one of the favorite spots among PGA Tour players, even if their name is not Steve Stricker.

“I rate the course a nine (out of 10), and it’s worth telling you about it,” said Champions Tour player and sports broadcaster Peter Jacobsen when he saw the course shortly after it opened in 1999.

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The par-71 layout, measuring up to 7,268 yards, was designed by former PGA Tour player DA Weibring and Chris Gray of PGA Tour Design Services. They turned a stunning property that was once a 386-acre horse and cattle farm into strategically beautiful parkland on the wooded cliffs above the Rock River, without destroying much of what glacier ice had left behind.

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

Weibring, who won the Quad Cities Open (predecessor to the John Deere Classic) three times, and Gray used just over half of the available land – about 170 acres – to run the course through pristine hardwood trees. Of these 170 hectares, only 60 were changed during the construction phase, with more than 80 percent of the hardwoods remaining untouched. Despite the generous fairways, the layout is protected by natural water hazards, clever bunkers and creative hills. There are no sharp doglegs to reward players who can shape the ball especially off the tee. The green spaces are framed by chipping areas, which requires creativity.

The Rock River compliments small ponds and deep canyons.

(An interesting side note: about 70 miles upriver from course, a gentleman named John Deere started his plowing business.)

“The course rewards a player who shapes the ball well into the greens and makes lots of good shots,” said Weibring, an Illinois native, after overseeing a 2006 renovation that included pinching some fairways and resetting some tea boxes for Larger Variety . “It’s not a place to fool anyone. It’s a good, uncomplicated golf course, no tricks. “

“It’s a shot-maker course,” he summarized.

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Stricker would agree. The former University of Illinois star, who will lead the US Ryder Cup team in 2020, won there three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, the longest run in the tournament’s history. He opened with a 60 in the 2010 edition on the way to the tournament record of 258 (Michael Kim shot a 257 to set a new record in 2018).

On the same day, Paul Goydos shot the fourth 59 in Tour history when the course was softened by rain and there was hardly any wind. It was the first time a 59 and a 60 were shot on the same range.

“Boys love to come and play,” said Stricker, winner of 12 PGA TOUR titles. “It’s ahead of you. It’s not tricked. It’s fair Good scores are scored when the conditions are favorable. “

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

The easiest hole is usually the second par-5 hole. Measuring 561 yards, it plays downhill and leans slightly to the right as it flanks the Rock River. The small, two tier green can be reached in two strokes, with accuracy being a must with wetlands on the left and a bunker and trees on the right. The toughest hole is usually # 9, a long par 4 of 485 yards that climbs up through the trees to a raised green that is guarded by bunkers on either side.

All holes have names and the par 3 16, called “Mother Earth”, is the signature hole. It plays up to 158 yards and is located on the Rock River and is guarded by a large bunker in front and another on the right. It’s a tough and picturesque hole, just what the TPC Deere Run is about.

“It has everything that, in my opinion, one would want on a golf course,” said Weibring shortly after the renovation in ’06. “There are height differences, great views and landscapes, hardwood trees. They added small ponds, deep canyons … and there is no real estate to the Rock River. I always want our projects to involve you, showcase playability, variability and balance, and I think TPC Deere Run does. “

Watch the John Deere Classic on Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Originally published on July 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm ET.