Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf is still covered with snow and ice, but it is getting ready for a big year.
The golf course, located at 2999 Middle Road, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. It will host a series of tournaments and special events at the course later this year to celebrate the special year, said Jon Waddell, head golf professional at the city-owned Palmer Hills.
“The golfers like the conditions. We have great greens. You hear a lot of comments from our golfers about that,” he added.
A few weeks ago, Palmer was honored for those great greens and the many other aspects of the course. The Iowa Golf Association (IGA) selected Palmer as its 2024 18-Hole Golf Course of the Year.
Palmer Hills also was selected by QCBJ readers as the Best Golf Course in the QCBJ’s Best of the Region contest in 2022 and 2023.
“Palmer Hills has been a staple in the Quad Cities golf community for 50 years. This beautiful course has been a weekly home for golfers from all over our area and is hosting more rounds than ever before,” Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher said in an email statement to the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.
In the coming weeks and months, many golfers from around the area will help Palmer celebrate its 50th anniversary at a series of events. Many of the details still are being worked out, but here are the 50th anniversary events scheduled:
- The Forge Putting Tournament: This event will be Friday, May 9. Registration will begin at 7 p.m. with a 7:30 p.m. start time. The event will have two-person teams and be capped at 50 teams. The tournament will have 18 holes of glow golf putting. There will be live music.
- Preferred Ball Tournament: This will be Friday, July 18, with registration at 8 a.m. and a 9 a.m. start time. This event will have three-person teams. There will be a sack lunch, hor d’oeuvres and an awards ceremony.
- First Tee Parent Child Putting Tournament: This will be Friday, Aug. 22, with registration at 5 p.m. and a 5:30 p.m. start time. Two-person teams (capped at 60 teams) will vie for prizes for a long putt challenge, closest to the pin and hole-in-one. There will also be raffle prizes.
- Superintendent’s Revenge: This is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17. This will be a four-person scramble. There will be a sack lunch provided and an awards ceremony.
