Jon Waddell, head golf professional at Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf, shows one of the hats for sale in the pro shop. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bob Walsh has some great memories of the Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf. One of his best memories came on a foggy day a few years ago while playing Hole 4. He couldn’t see the pin because of the fog, but played the hole the best he could. “I hit the ball towards the […]
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Bob Walsh has some great memories of the Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf.One of his best memories came on a foggy day a few years ago while playing Hole 4. He couldn’t see the pin because of the fog, but played the hole the best he could.“I hit the ball towards the green, but I thought I hit it past the middle of the green. When I got to the green, the ball was not there. I looked behind the green while the guys playing with me looked in front of the green. After a while, I decided to look in the hole and the ball was there. It was a lucky shot since I couldn’t see the hole when I hit,” Mr. Walsh said, recalling his hole-in-one.That experience was one of many great golfing memories for the Quad Citian, who estimates he has been golfing at Palmer Hills for about 43 years. That’s just seven years shy of the 50 years the challenging course has been in operation. On Monday, March 10, the city-owned course opened for the 2025 season. As golfers return to the links to create their own best memories, they will be part of a special year for Palmer Hills. This year marks the 50th anniversary for the course, which opened for golf in 1975. Palmer Hills workers are getting set to celebrate the golden anniversary with a series of special events and celebrations.Many details still are being worked out, but some of the 50th anniversary events scheduled include:
The Forge Putting Tournament: Friday, May 9, with registration beginning at 7 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. start time. Two-person teams will be capped at 50 teams. The tournament will have 18 holes of glow golf putting as well as live music.
Preferred Ball Tournament: Friday, July 18, with registration at 8 a.m. and a 9 a.m. start. This event will have three-person teams. Fun includes a sack lunch, hors d’oeuvres and an awards ceremony.
First Tee Parent Child Putting Tournament: Friday, Aug. 22, with registration at 5 p.m. and a 5:30 p.m. start. Two-person teams (60 teams maximum) will vie for prizes for a long putt challenge, closest to the pin and hole-in-one.
Superintendent’s Revenge: Friday, Oct. 17. The four-person scramble will include a sack lunch and an awards ceremony.
Much of this special year, though, will be spent honoring the many golfers who have hit the greens at Palmer Hills over the years and helped make the course a great success.The course has been a favorite for golfers the past 50 years because of the features of the course and the hard work of staff members, said Jon Waddell, the head golf professional at Palmer Hills for the past 30 years.Palmer Hills Golf Course is celebrating its 50th year in 2025. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON“The golfers like the conditions. We have great greens. You hear a lot of comments from our golfers about that. … We are always making improvements here,” he added.The golfers apparently do like what they see at Palmer Hills as they pushed the course to reach a record number of rounds played in 2024 – more than 41,500 rounds of golf. Part of the reason for those many rounds was due to the mild winter a year ago. Golfers were on the course in late February last year. Usually, golf doesn’t start until mid or late March, said Mr. Waddell, of Davenport.But, the big reason for all those rounds of golf is because Palmer Hills is a great, welcoming place for golfers, say many people in the community.“Palmer Hills has been a staple in the Quad Cities golf community for 50 years,” Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher told the QCBJ. “This beautiful course has been a weekly home for golfers from all over our area and is hosting more rounds than ever before. … The course superintendent and golf professionals at Palmer are second to none.” Mr. Walsh, a regular at the course, said some of his favorite features include the refurbished bunkers; the numerous new tees that have been installed to improve playability; and a friendly staff.“The facilities are second to none. There are two practice greens. There is a driving range. There is a short game practice area,” he said.Palmer Hills also has been great for the community. The golf course offers clinics and leagues for men, women, and youth, including a “Girl Power” clinic to inspire young women to pursue the sport, said Kim Kidwell, who recently resumed her position as Family Museum director after serving as the city’s culture & recreation director.Jon Waddell, head golf professional at Bettendorf’s Palmer Hills Golf Course, shows off a golf club for sale in the pro shop. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSONThe golf course even grows food on site to help people in need in the community.“For the past two years, we have partnered with a local nonprofit organization, Tapestry Farms, helping to grow food for distribution in our community,” Ms. Kidwell added. “In total, 700 cabbages were planted at Palmer Hills. They were harvested, then distributed to local food pantries through an initiative that compensates primarily socially disadvantaged farmers’ markets and provides work for newly arrived refugees.” Bettendorf’s mayor said much of the credit for Palmer Hill’s popularity should go to the golf course staff who have worked hard over the years to make the facility great.“They have created a wonderful destination for exciting and challenging golf while keeping greens fees reasonable, which has made Palmer Hills the Quad Cities’ number one destination for public golf for decades,” Mr. Gallagher added.
PALMER HILLS: AT A GLANCE
Course details and history: The par-71 golf course measures more than 6,500 yards from the back tees. Designed by William J. Spear, it opened for play in 1975. The 18-hole course features 100-year-old oak trees, rolling hills, ponds and a meandering creek that comes into play on 11 of the holes. The course and driving range are located on land the City of Bettendorf purchased from the David Palmer family in 1971. It was built on land that was previously the Palmer Family Dairy Farm.
Staff: Head Golf Professional Jon Waddell; Alex Grell, assistant golf pro; and Brian Hickey, superintendent. The course has about 50 employees during peak season.
Address: 2999 Middle Road, Bettendorf.
2024 season: A record 41,726 rounds of golf were played last year.
Recent honors: The Iowa Golf Association selected Palmer Hills as the 2024 18-Hole Golf Course of the Year. Also, Butch Haverland, who offers golf lessons there, was named the 2024 Iowa PGA of America’s Teacher of the Year. Palmer Hills also was selected by the QCBJ’s readers as the Best Golf Course in 2022 and 2023.
Plantings:The maintenance team has transplanted more than 300 native plants in creek banks and in landscape beds to provide more pollinator habitat, visual appeal and erosion control.
Contact: Pro shop: (563) 332-8296; and Palmer Grill: (563) 344-7169.
