Highland Springs G.C. in Rock Island: Everything a park district course should be
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A park is a gift of nature, where hard-working, good-hearted folks can come to relax and enjoy the wonders of creation. The first park, the Garden of Eden, was just such a gift to humankind.
Then, thinking that God wasn't watching, we went and screwed it up with a rules violation of Biblical proportions.
Golfers are aware the watchful eye of a higher power more than most folks. Why else would we willingly call penalties on ourselves? At least, golfers should be more aware, especially in park district courses, whose sometimes rough edges and natural feel hint at the wilderness beyond the gates of civilization.
Some golfers aren't so mindful, however, and try to get away with murder. Take, for example, the golfer standing under a tree on the fourth tee at Highland Springs Golf Course in Rock Island, one of two park district golf courses in the city. You see, this golfer had just beaten a murder rap, despite the popular public opinion that he was guilty.
Then lightning struck the tree, and said golfer. Though he survived, locals considered the bolt to have been divine retribution.
Aside from bringing golfers closer to nature — and at least one golfer closer to his maker — Highland Springs offers plenty of other services to the golfing public, not least of which is a 6,777-yard design with a handful of very memorable holes.
How it plays
Highland Springs is ideal for outings. According to Bill Fetty, manager of golf services for the city of Rock Island, the course does 80-100 corporate outings per year. On weekends there is even an outdoor barbecue fired up.
The golf itself is outing-friendly, too. The length allows everyone to grip it and rip it (always the best part of a scramble) and, as Fetty says, "the greens are big, really big," so even errant approaches have a chance of finding the putting surface.
Carts are equipped with a simple GPS (just a yardage to the pin), which is helpful given the extremely hilly topography. And a long-term renovation project has made the course both more playable and more visually appealing.
"We've been doing a lot of work over the past years," Fetty said. "(Course architect) Jim Spears has been back to do the redo, returning the course back to the original specifications. And the superintendent's done a ton of landscaping."
Perhaps most dramatic is the removal of some 3,800-4,000 trees, opening up fairways and making recovery shots somewhat more feasible.
After a rather clumsy opening hole, where the fairway bends around the netted edge of the spacious grass practice range, the holes become progressively more unique and memorable as the routing turns into the woods.
The 395-yard fifth demands a big fade off the tee around a dense stand of trees; however, if you play a high, long fade over the trees, you can end up right in front of the green, which is nestled into more trees and bounded on the back side by a brick wall. A deep ravine runs all along the left side of the fairway beyond the dogleg, so that fade over the trees is really the ideal shot here.
The green on the 388-yard seventh is typical of the putting surfaces here, but certainly atypical of many park district courses. It's severely sloped ad almost wildly undulating, rather than flat and round like most "muni" greens.
The absolute best stretch of holes here begins at the 381-yard 14th and continues through the end of the round. Nos. 14 and 15 play out and back on a broad finger of land bordered on all sides by the same ravine as on the fifth, and thick, dark woods. Any shot lost to the left on the 14th or the 523-yard 15th are truly lost — banished from the Garden, as it were.
The 445-yard, par-4 16th plays directly into the prevailing wind and for all but the biggest hitters is realistically a par 5. No matter how impressive your drive here, you are left with a long second over a pond to an uphill green. This hole is the No. 6 handicap hole on the card, but there's no way that it is easier than the No. 2 handicap 15th, which is simply long and straight (but very pretty).
Highland Springs Golf Course: The verdict
Highland Springs is everything a park district track should be: fair but tough, intimately intertwined with nature, a bit rough around the edges but well-kept and landscaped.
The practice facilities and other amenities are excellent, though not luxurious. And best of all the greens fees of $18 weekdays and $21 weekends to walk ($30 and $33 to ride, respectively) are so reasonable, they too seem like a gift from a benevolent creator. Just be forewarned: the course is very hilly, so walking is recommended only if you're in good shape.
Oh, and don't try to fudge your score out here. Someone with an itchy lightning finger might just be watching.
Stay and play
The newest hotel in the Quad Cities is the Stoney Creek Inn (309-743-0101 or 800-659-2220). This family-friendly lodge-style inn is full of Northwoods charm.
Several of the PGA Tour, players stayed here during the 2006 John Deere Classic, played at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Rooms begin at around $80.
The Rock Island Casino is under construction just two miles from the course, which will bring in more golfers and more hotels and restaurants to the immediate area.
Dining out
There are several cozy brewpubs in the Quad Cities. For adults, Bent River Brewing Co. in Moline serves up microbrews and pub fare along with live music on weekends.
For a more family-style pub, River House Bar and Grill in Moline is worth a visit just to marvel at the belt-driven ceiling fan system. The homemade meatloaf ($8) is comfort food at its best.
For the best hot fudge sundae in the area — perhaps in the Midwest (but we'll leave the definitive testing to you) — try Lagomarcino's in Moline (lagomarcinos.com).
Fast fact
Highland Springs's sister course is Saukie Golf Club (309-732-2278). Saukie is built on the site of an old tree nursery and measures only 5,000 yards and plays to a par of 66, but Bill Fetty assures us, "It'll eat your lunch. It's the hardest par-66 course you'll ever see."
May 7, 2007
Kiel Christianson, Equipment Editor and Senior Writer
Kiel Christianson has lived, worked, traveled and golfed extensively on three continents. As senior writer and equipment editor for WorldGolf.com, he has reviewed courses, resorts, and golf academies from California to Ireland, including his home course, Lake of the Woods G.C. in Mahomet, Illinois. Read his golf blog here.