TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 1
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 1
TPC Deere Run starts off with a shortish, dogleg-left opening hole, where your club selection and line off the tee are the only things between you and an opening birdie. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 2
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 2
The par-5 second at TPC Deere Run is reachable if you cut off enough of the corner and if the prevailing winds aren't howling. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 3
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 3
Hole 3 at TPC Deere Run is the first of a great variety of par 3s. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 4
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 4
The green of the par-4 fourth at TPC Deere Run appears to drop off into the Rock River, which flows down below. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 7
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 7
The greens at TPC Deere Run are generally huge and can add or subtract more than a club to your approaches, like this one on the seventh. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 9
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 9
The long, par-4 ninth is the no. 1-handicap hole at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 10
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 10
The narrow green of the par-5 10th at TPC Deere Run is pretty tough to reach in two shots, guarded as it is on the right by water. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 15
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 15
The long 15th at TPC Deere Run demands a precise approach, as it is another green that drops off in the back toward the Rock River. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 16
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 16
The par-3 16th is the shortest hole at TPC Deere Run, but it is anything but a cupcake hole for recreational golfers. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 17
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TPC Deere Run golf course - hole 17
The par-5 17th at TPC Deere Run is a reachable breather before you take on the famed 18th hole. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run golf course - 18th
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TPC Deere Run golf course - 18th
The traditional Sunday pin on the 18th green of TPC Deere Run -- back left -- is the stuff of legendary shots, both heroic and tragic. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
TPC Deere Run - deer statue
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TPC Deere Run - deer statue
Nothing runs like a Deere, and perhaps no Tour venue is as accessible as TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Kiel Christianson/GolfAdvisor
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TPC Deere Run: Picturesque, pro-quality golf in the Quad Cities, Illinois

SILVIS, Ill. -- A common perception of golf is that it's expensive and exclusive, that recreational golfers can never get access to the picturesque tracks that the pros play when we watch them on TV. Whether this perception is on the whole justified is a matter for debate, but it can be demonstrably debunked in at least one case: The TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., near the Quad Cities.

The TPC Deere Run is the venue of the John Deere Classic, the PGA Tour event that is held every year the week before the British Open. The rest of the year, recreational golfers of all skill levels can play where the pros play for about $75, and it's worth every dime (and then some).

With five sets of tees, the TPC Deere Run measures anywhere from 5,179 yards up to 7,075 yards and will challenge all aspects of your game, just as it does the pros' games. Elevation changes, woods, water, and fast-and-true greens befitting a Tour venue -- along with friendly, first-class service -- all await visitors to the crown jewel of the golf-rich Quad Cities area.

There's a great mix of long and short holes, vistas over the Rock River, and the famous 18th green, where Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson have hoisted multiple trophies, Paul Goydos has putted for 59, and Jordan Spieth has holed out on the way to his first PGA Tour win. If you're listening, you'll hear the cheering crowd as you finish your round, too.

Ginella's Journeys: Plowing through TPC Deere Run

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, Ill. Read his golf blog here and follow him on Twitter @GolfWriterKiel.
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TPC Deere Run: Picturesque, pro-quality golf in the Quad Cities, Illinois