ILLINOIS

 

The First Tee of Chicago Charity Classic Debuts at The Glen Club
 Inaugural event to benefit Chicago’s youth on and off the course

CHICAGO, March 31, 2005 – The First Tee of Chicago recently announced the inaugural First Tee of Chicago Charity Classic, scheduled for May 3, 2005 at The Glen Club, a nationally acclaimed Tom Fazio-designed golf course located on Chicago’s North Shore in Glenview. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the thousands of children who participate in the Chicago area chapter of The First Tee, founded in 2000 through the efforts of City of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and KemperSports Management Chairman and CEO Steve Lesnik. The First Tee is a program dedicated to introducing the sport of golf to young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to play.

Guest speaker National First Tee Executive Director Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. will headline a post-tournament program and awards reception.

“We see the Charity Classic as another vehicle to improve the lives of our young people here in Chicago and simultaneously promote a game which encompasses the core values that will benefit these children throughout their lives – respect, confidence, honesty and courtesy,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley. “We look forward to kicking off the golf season with an endeavor that puts our local youth at the forefront. And, we are confident that the public will embrace this opportunity to make a difference through tournament participation and sponsorship,” he added.

Entering its fifth year of operation, The First Tee of Chicago provides a unique environment to introduce the game of golf and its life-enhancing values free of charge to the underprivileged youth of Chicago. The program provides children with equipment, instructions, practice facilities and golf course access, while imparting and cultivating life skills including self-discipline, perseverance, honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. In 2004 alone, more than 18,000 contacts with children and teens were established through the organization’s programs and initiatives. It has been chaired by Mr. Lesnik since its inception, and funded by KemperSports and a number of Chicago-area business leaders.

For information regarding tournament entry and sponsorship opportunities, contact Jim Russell, The First Tee of Chicago’s director of outreach, at 312.742.4985 or outreach@kempersports.com. Information is also available at http//:www.thefirstteechicago.org.

About The First Tee
The First Tee, an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, has opened 200 golf-learning facilities and introduced the game of golf to more than 450,000 participants since 2000. The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. For more information, visit http://www.thefirsttee.org. 

About KemperSports Management
Northbrook, Illinois-based KemperSports Management operates more than 70 premier golf facilities nationwide, including nationally ranked courses such as The Glen Club, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Harding Park, Bolingbrook Golf Club and Desert Willow, as well as a number of major sporting events including the PGA TOUR’s Booz Allen Classic and the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. For more information, visit http://www.kempersports.com.

 

JACOBSON’S COURSE RENOVATIONS RECOGNIZED BY GOLF INC. MAGAZINE

                         

LIBERTYVILLE, Illinois (March 1, 2005) – Golf Inc. magazine, a leading golf industry trade publication, will recognize the outstanding golf course renovation work of nationally renowned course architect Rick Jacobson in its upcoming April issue.

 

Jacobson will be recognized in both the private club and public-access categories for his detailed renovation of North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Illinois and for his complete makeover of the West Course (since renamed Blackhawk Trace) at Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

 

“Renovation work is an increasingly important element of the golf course design business and it is an honor to be recognized by Golf Inc. magazine for some of the things we have been able to accomplish in that area,” Jacobson said.  “In renovating older classic courses, it is important to maintain the spirit of the original design intent while adapting the layout to the realities of today’s changing technology – specifically club and ball innovations that make the ball fly farther than it ever has.”

 

Jacobson placed second place for his renovation of North Shore, a private club originally designed in 1924 by H.S. Colt and H.G. Alison, two giants in the field of golf course architecture. After Jacobson completed his highly praised Strategic Preservation Plan at North Shore, the club was selected by the U.S. Golf Association to host a 2003 U.S. Open qualifier.  The club has an impressive championship history, hosting the U.S. Open, the Western Open and two U.S. Amateurs.

 

The scope of the award-winning work included the restoration of the bunker characteristics originally intended by Colt and Alison.  A tee restoration plan is also being implemented along with overall drainage improvements, fairway contouring, and re-capturing of lost green surfaces.

 

For the Blackhawk Trace Course at Indian Lakes Resort, Jacobson completely changed the character of the original Robert Bruce Harris design into a golf experience that is strategically challenging as well as aesthetically dramatic.   Among the key changes Jacobson made were:

 

  • Replaced the original 1965 vintage, saucer-style bunkers with new bunker complexes inspired by the work of the famed Alister Mackenzie, designer of Augusta National GC.  Many of the new bunkers slope dramatically down from the green and feature sand flashed high on the slopes with fingers of turf bleeding down into the bunkers.
  • Installed four separate teeing areas on nearly every hole in order to accommodate various levels of play. 
  • Renovated the greens and added contour in order to recapture or create new pin placements.
  • Added chipping areas adjacent to the greens that offer a variety of recovery shot options.
  • Dramatically upgraded all playing surfaces.  Original bluegrass tees and fairways were converted to high quality bentgrass.  The greens, originally poa, have been changed to bentgrass.
  • Incorporated fescue grasses in order to provide contrast and texture to the turf.
  • Installed new irrigation and drainage systems to improve overall course conditions. 

The Blackhawk Trace course at Indian Lakes will host its second annual Hooters Tour event in May.  Jacobson’s renovation was one of five finalists in the public course category.

 

A protégé of Jack Nicklaus, Jacobson founded Jacobson Golf Course Design, Inc. in 1991 as a full-service golf design firm specializing in new course designs as well as master plan renovations and additions to existing facilities.

 

In recent years, he has opened several new courses, including Vista Links in Buena Vista, Virginia (2004); Makefield Highlands GC in suburban Philadelphia (2004), and Patriot Hills GC in Stony Point, NY (2003). In 2004, Golf Magazine named Jacobson’s Spirit Hollow GC in Burlington, IA one its “Thrifty Fifty” – i.e. one of the nation’s top 50 courses costing less than $50 to play.

 

Jacobson’s current projects include Bowes Creek GC in Elgin, Illinois; The Wilds in Kansas City, Missouri; and the Club at Strawberry Creek in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  He also is working on two projects in collaboration with Jack Nicklaus - Harbor Station in Prince William County, Virginia and Bayside in Sussex County, Delaware.

 

Jacobson’s first 18-hole project in North America – Augustine Golf Club in Stafford, Virginia – has been ranked among the nation’s Top 100 Public Golf Courses by Golf Magazine and was ranked among the best new upscale courses in 1996 by Golf Digest Magazine.

 

Golf Magazine ranked Jacobson’s Bull Run Country Club in Haymarket, Virginia - located approximately 35 miles west of Washington, D.C. - the top new public course in Virginia in 1999.  Jacobson’s Bear Trap Dunes opened to rave reviews and the 27-hole complex was honored by Golf Inc. magazine as Development of the Year for 2002.

 

KemperSports Retained to Manage Highland Park Country Club
 

HIGHLAND PARK, Illinois – The City Council of Highland Park announced that KemperSports has assumed management operations of Highland Park Country Club, effective January 1, 2005.  Founded in 1967, the 18-hole public golf course is set in the heart of Highland Park, located on Chicago's scenic North Shore.
 

"We look forward to forging a true partnership with the City of Highland Park - a great community and neighbor,"  said Steve Skinner, president of nearby Northbrook, Illinois-based KemperSports Management.   "As manager, we plan to set in motion a series of enhancements to establish Highland Park Country Club as one of the North Shore's most popular golf and banquet facilities, supported by a highly trained staff and first-rate customer service."
 

Designed by Dick Nugent Associates, Highland Park Country Club measures 6,506 yards from the back tees.  The par 71's picturesque terrain features nine ponds and mature tree-lined fairways adorned with towering oaks, maples and willows.  The reputable Lake County property also boasts a spacious banquet facility with a seating capacity of more than 350 guests. 
 

In addition to renovation of the pro shop and locker rooms, which is currently underway, the Park District and City of Highland Park are constructing a state-of-the-art recreational center and adjoining community center, slated to open on the west side of Highland Park Country Club in the fall of 2005.  The new facility, designed to enrich the quality of community life for Highland Park residents through recreational and educational programs, will include an indoor pool, fitness center, two high school size gymnasiums, multi-purpose and party rooms as well as an indoor café for casual diners. 
 

KemperSports recently named Paul Pearce as Highland Park Country Club's general manager.  Pearce launched his career with the company at Royal Melbourne Country Club, a private facility located in Long Grove, Illinois, where he has served as general manager since 1999.  Prior to that, he occupied various management positions for golf facilities and athletic clubs nationwide.
 

For more information, visit http://www.cityhpil.com/community/countryclub.html


About KemperSports Management
Northbrook, Illinois-based KemperSports Management operates more than 70 golf facilities nationwide, including nationally ranked courses such as The Glen Club, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Harding Park, Bolingbrook Golf Club and Desert Willow, as well as a number of major sporting events including the PGA TOUR's Booz Allen Classic and the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational.  For more information, visit http://www.kempersports.com

 

 

2004 JOHN DEERE CLASSIC RAISES $2M FOR CHARITY

Quad Cities Remains PGA TOUR’s Most Generous Stop

 

EAST MOLINE, Illinois – The 2004 John Deere Classic helped raise more than $2 million for charity, an increase of $558,000 – or 27 percent – compared with the year before, tournament officials announced today.

 

The final charity total of $2,008,807 means the John Deere Classic continues to be the No. 1 per-capita charity event on the PGA TOUR, generating just over five dollars per person in a Quad City community of approximately 400,000 residents.  Straddling the banks of the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities are comprised of the Illinois cities of Moline and Rock Island and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf.

 

“Once again, the Quad Cities and its neighboring communities have proven that when it comes to charity, it’s not the size of the market that matters but rather the size of the hearts of the people who live there,” said John Deere Classic Tournament Director Clair Peterson.  “We are thankful to John Deere, to the staff and volunteers who make the tournament possible, to individual donors, and to the thousands of people who participated in the Birdies for Charity program.”

 

The charitable contributions were generated by a combination of tournament revenues, direct donations, and the highly successful John Deere Classic Birdies for Charity program. 

 

Despite the small size of its market, the John Deere Classic also consistently ranks in the top quartile of the PGA TOUR’s 47 regular events, the vast majority of which take place in far larger markets.

 

Peterson said the major factors in the increased total were: a $300,000 increase in Birdies for Charity over 2003; a $100,000 increase that came as a result of the first year of PGA TOUR’s new Crestor Charity Challenge; $152,000 in increased tournament donations.  The Crestor program is expected to continue.

 

Australian Mark Hensby won the 2004 John Deere Classic on Sunday, July 11 at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., defeating Englishman John Morgan on the second hole of sudden death. 

 

The John Deere Classic, which includes Birdies for Charity, is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization located in the John Deere Classic tournament offices at 15623 Coaltown Road, East Moline, Illinois.

 

 

JACOBSON CONTINUES ONGOING RENOVATIONS
AT PRESTIGIOUS CHICAGO DISTRICT COURSES

 

In addition to recently opening 18-hole original designs of his own in Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York state, golf course architect Rick Jacobson continues to devote himself to the restoration and renovation of classic Chicago-area golf courses.

 

Jacobson currently is engaged in ongoing renovation/restoration projects at Bob ‘O Link, North Shore, and Sunset Ridge, all private member-clubs of the Chicago District Golf Association.

 

Jacobson is in the final phase of a five-year renovation project at Bob ‘O Link in Highland Park, originally designed in 1916 by the legendary Donald Ross and renovated in 1924 by the revered design team of Harry S. Colt and H.S. Alison.

 

Currently, Jacobson is working on the bunkers on final six holes at Bob ‘O Link and the short game practice area.  A major part of the project has been to recapture pin-placements by expanding greens to their original size and shape, improve drainage in bunkers, and to restore functionality of the bunkers.

 

“Over the years at Bob ‘O Link, we have tried to restore both the original architectural styles of the Ross and Colt-Alison bunkers and to bring back some of the original strategy of the golf course,” Jacobson said.  “The members have been very receptive to the improvements.”

 

At North Shore CC in Glenview, Jacobson is in the second phase of a tee restoration program that will result in a multiple tee system, improved tee alignment, a leveling off of tees, and a squaring off of the tee areas to give them a more classic look and feel.  Jacobson previously completed a highly praised bunker renovation program at North Shore, a 1924 Colt-Alison original that hosted a 2003 U.S. Open qualifier.

 

Originally designed in 1924 by the prolific William H. Diddel and renovated a short time later by Charles Wagstaff, Sunset Ridge in Northbrook has undergone a comprehensive renovation under Jacobson’s direction. 

 

The Sunset Ridge renovation entails all new tees and bunkers, resurfacing of all greens, construction of a new putting green, pond dredging, a new drainage system, new cart paths to help golfer circulation, and fairway contouring.  Greens have been expanded – and in some cases squared off – to recapture pin placements and to create new pin positions.  The course, which closed to member play in August, is expected to reopen next spring.  The 15th d green was rebuilt, expanded and recontoured and reshaped.  In addition, the club has undertaken a major clubhouse renovation/reconstruction program. 

                                                                                 

At another project in the Chicago District, Jacobson is set to undertake a bunker renovation program at Sportsman’s GC, a municipally-owned 18-hole public course in Northbrook. The city of Northbrook also has retained Jacobson to renovate the 9-hole Anets GC, a Par 3 course the city recently acquired from a private owner.

 

A protégé of Jack Nicklaus, Jacobson founded Jacobson Golf Course Design, Inc. in 1991 as a full-service golf design firm specializing in new course designs as well as master plan renovations and additions to existing facilities.

 

In recent years, he has opened several new courses, including Vista Links in Buena Vista, Virginia (2004); Makefield Highlands GC in suburban Philadelphia (2004), Patriot Hills GC in Stony Point, NY (2003), and the completely renovated Blackhawk Trace course at Indian Lakes Resort in the Chicago suburb of Bloomingdale.

 

In 2004, Golf Magazine named Jacobson’s Spirit Hollow GC in Burlington, IA one its “Thrifty Fifty” – i.e. one of the nation’s top 50 courses costing less than $50 to play.

 

Jacobson’s first 18-hole project in North America – Augustine Golf Club in Stafford, Virginia – has been ranked among the nation’s Top 100 Public Golf Courses by Golf Magazine and was ranked among the best new upscale courses in 1996 by Golf Digest Magazine.

 

Golf Magazine ranked Jacobson’s Bull Run Country Club in Haymarket, Virginia - located approximately 35 miles west of Washington, D.C. - the top new public course in Virginia in 1999.  Jacobson’s Bear Trap Dunes opened to rave reviews and the 27-hole complex was honored by Golf Inc. Magazine as Development of the Year for 2002.

 

In addition to his renovation work in the Chicago area, Jacobson also received high praise when he renovated Pete Dye’s Des Moines G&CC in preparation for the 1999 U.S. Senior Open.

 

 

GreenToTee GOLF ACADEMY INTRODUCES

UNIQUE AFTER-SCHOOL GOLF TRAINING

 

NORTHBROOK, Illinois  – Putting a new twist on Fall Golf, the GreenToTee Golf Academy will offer a unique eight-week After School Golf training program for elementary, middle and high school students ages seven to 14 starting Tuesday, Sept. 7.

 

The program will run from 4-6PM Tuesday-Friday during the months of September and October at the GreenToTee Golf Academy at the Willow Hill Golf Course located on Willow Road just west of Waukegan Road in Northbrook.

 

School-age golfers can attend up to three two-hour sessions per week of personal and/or group golf training  from the renowned GreenToTee golf coaching staff for a flat monthly fee of $800 or two months for $1,500.  The average hourly rate for a player who attended every hour of every session would amount to only $31.25.

 

Training will consist of group and individual work on the full swing, short game, putting, chipping, strategy and course management.  Sessions will be held on the practice range, putting green, chipping green, and on the golf course itself, and will utilize contests and games to emphasize fun.  

 

“GreenToTee has set up the After-School Golf program because we wanted to create a safe, nurturing, outdoor learning environment where kids and come, work with our coaches on their golf games for extended periods of time, and spend time with their friends,” said GreenToTee co-founder Joe Bosco.

 

Included in the program along with coaching will be:

 

 

Understanding that students have a variety of after school commitments, GreenToTee does not require attendance at all training sessions. In addition, players may attend partial sessions as their schedules dictate, Bosco said.

  

“The idea of the program is to set up a learning schedule that mirrors the schedule of the high school golf season and gives high school players and elementary school players an opportunity to improve and have some fun in a positive atmosphere,” Bosco said.

 

Bosco said GreenToTee also has set up a Before School Golf program.  The sessions will run between the hours of 6 and 8AM for young golfers interested in training before school starts, as do many competitive swimmers, figure skaters and other athletes.

 

Anyone interested in participating in either program is invited to call GreenToTee Golf Academy at 847-405-9800.

 

Founded in 1989, the GreenToTee Golf Academy specializes in developing customized training programs for individuals who want to improve their golf skills.  Not satisfied with providing players with the popular “temporary quick fix,” GreenToTee instructors work one-on-one with each student to develop a “planned personal program” aimed at producing lasting improvements and measurable results.  In addition to helping players identify effective swing models, GreenToTee instructors teach students to manage their games on the course.

 

GreenToTee also has been the feeder program for several of the top high school programs on the North Shore, including the reigning state champion New Trier boys and girls teams.

 

 

Alex Malachowski Triumphs at Century-Old Chicago City Amateur Championship

Seventeen-year-old Alex Malachowski of Mount Prospect defeated Rob Bruce, tournament champion in both 2001 and 2002, on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to capture the 2004 Chicago City Amateur Championship, held July 16-18 at Jackson Park Golf Course.  Malachowski fired rounds of 69-72-66 for a 3-under-par 207 total to finish atop the field of 100 competitors and secure his name on the Richard M. Daley Cup, the first athletic trophy named for the Mayor, to be permanently housed at Jackson Park’s clubhouse.  The 54-hole stroke play event celebrated its centennial anniversary this year.

The victor, a member of the American Junior Golf Association and Mount Prospect High School’s golf team, will enter his senior year in school.

100th Annual Chicago City Amateur Championship
Jackson Park Golf Course - Chicago, Illinois
Par 70 - 5,528 yards
July 16-18, 2004


Since 1993, KemperGolf Management has managed all Chicago Park District golf facilities, which include five nine-hole courses, one 18-hole course (Jackson Park), three driving ranges, a junior learning center at Douglas Park and the Diversey Miniature Golf Course.

For more information on the 100th Chicago City Amateur Championship or Chicago Park District golf, visit www.cpdgolf.com  and www.kempersports.com.  

 

Jewel of Chicago Public Golf Prepares to Reassume Mantle as One of Chicago Area’s Top Courses

 

 

The Village Links of Glen Ellyn has long been regarded as one of metropolitan Chicago’s elite public golf facilities. 

 

Now, after a $5 million renovation that took 20 months and kept the course closed last year, the renowned 18-hole Village Links course located in the west suburban community of Glen Ellyn is about to reopen stronger than ever.

 

“Our golfers and our community have waited 20 months to see how the renovation plans will translate from the architect’s renderings to the actual golf course,” said longtime Village Links general manager Matthew Pekarek.  “Now that the time has come, I think they are really going to like it.”

 

And just five days after the public resumes play, some of the world’s top golfers will get their first look at the revamped course, when the new-and-improved Village Links hosts the Cialis Western Open’s Monday qualifying competition for the 22nd time in the last 24 years. 

 

The top four finishers in the June 28 qualifier will earn spots in the Western, which begins later that week.  Among the golfers who have qualified for the Western at the Village Links in the past are John Daly, D.A. Weibring, Chris Smith, Frank Lickliter, Brian Payne, Deane Pappas, Stan Utley and David Morland (who holds the course record with a 9-under par 63).

 

“We think the golf course is going to play two or three shots harder for the pros because of the changes we have made,” Pekarek said.

 

River Falls, Wisconsin-based Gill Miller Golf Course Architects headed the renovation.  One of the principals of the firm is Garrett Gill, whose father, the late David Gill, was the original architect when the Village Links was laid out and built in 1966. 

 

“Over the years the Village Links was always one of the must-play golf courses in the Chicago area,” said Gill.  “Our goal going in was to see if we could get the Village Links back on the must-play list.”

 

Although the routing of the course is essentially the same, Gill added 275 yards to the championship yardages, pushing it to 7,208 from 6,933.  In order to make the course more enjoyable for golfers of varying abilities, Gill created up to five new separate teeing areas on every hole, whereas the original had only three.  

                                                                             

All tees, greens and bunkers have been rebuilt, the irrigation system has been replaced, drainage has been upgraded and some water hazards and bunkers have been repositioned to account for technical improvements in golf clubs and balls that make the ball go farther.

 

A primary reason for the renovation was that the Village Links lost greens on several of its holes three times during the 1990s (1995, 1998 and 1999).  In rebuilding the greens, Gill also expanded them and gave them more contour.  This provides more pin location zones on each green, which is important for a golf course that hosts some 40,000 rounds a year.

 

The greens were seeded with A-4 creeping bent grass, a new denser form of turf that is expected to create a putting surface that produces truer putts, higher speeds and better color along with absorbing the wear and tear of heavy play, Gill said.

 

In order to balance the length of the front and back nines, holes 7 through 12 have been renumbered.  Number 7 is old 10; 8 is old 11; 9 is old 12; 10 is old 7; 11 is old 8, and 12 is old 9.

 

A number of trees also have been removed.  On No. 14 trees were taken down to reveal the water hazard and make it part of the golfer’s strategic approach to the hole.  Gill added a beach bunker along the water on what might be the most beautiful hole on the course.  Another willow was removed on the Par 5 15th, the longest hole on the course, to reveal the water hazard.  No. 16 was lengthened from a Par 4 to a Par 5 and now plays 554 yards from the championship tees.

 

“The basic structure of the golf course did not change, but we literally took it all apart and we recreated the golf course,” Gill said.  “We updated the course for length because technology has changed the way people play the game in terms of hitting the ball farther.  We wanted it to be subtle and sleek.  We wanted it to be fast looking and smooth.

 

In addition to providing recreation for golfers, the Village Links was one of the first golf courses ever developed to serve as a storm water management facility for the village of Glen Ellyn.  According to Pekarek, 30 percent of the rain that falls in Glen Ellyn drains through the golf course.  The renovation has increased the course’s capacity for storm water retention, he said.

 

Gill said he is especially proud of the renovation project, which he calls “a labor of love.”

 

“When my father was designing it, I was in high school, so I saw him live through all that,” Gill recalled.  I went out there on numerous occasions and spent time with my dad, and over the years I developed a sense of what this golf course meant to him.  He wanted it to be a municipal country club.”

 

Gill isn’t sure how his father would react to his work at the Village Links.

 

“I’ll never know what my dad thinks of what I did here, but I know that if the Village Links golfers enjoy it as much as they did the original course, my dad will be happy.”

 

The Village Links also has a nine-hole course that was not renovated and that remained open during the renovation of the 18-hole course.  The facility features a 33-station driving range, large putting green and a short game practice area with sand bunkers and chipping areas.  The Village Links has one of the stronger junior programs in the Chicago area and is a pioneer in many areas of golf course management.

 

Birdies For Charity Looks To Raise $1 Million For Local Charities In 2004
 

MOLINE, Ill. - The John Deere Classic Birdies for Charity program will attempt to raise $1 million on behalf of local charities in 2004, program leaders announced today.

"Our goal for 2004 is for the Birdies for Charity program to raise $1 million for the 400 local and regional charities affiliated with the program," said Kristy Ketcham, director of the Birdies for Charity program. "We plan to continue to recruit new local charities and to introduce the Birdies concept to charities located in cities and towns within a 180-mile radius of the Quad Cities."

The announcement was made at a news conference at The Mark of the Quad Cities in downtown Moline, where the organization formally kicked off the annual fundraising drive.

In 2003, the John Deere Classic raised a record $1.5 million for charity, with nearly a million of that coming from the Birdies program, according to Ketcham.

In 2003, Birdies for Charity continued to spread its simple yet highly effective fundraising program to other cities in the region, including Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Galesburg. Ketcham said approximately 20 charities in each of those cities participated in Birdies last year.

This year's Birdies for Charity Kickoff schedule for those cities is as follows:

Dubuque 11AM Wednesday, March 31 at Mt. St. Francis, 3390 Windsor Ave., Dubuque, Ia.
Galesburg 11AM Thursday, April 1 at Cottage Hospital, 695 N. Kellogg St., Galesburg, Ill.
Cedar Rapids 11AM Tuesday, April 27 at Hunter's Ridge Golf Club, 2901 Hunter's Ridge Rd., Marion, Ia.

Under the Birdies for Charity program, individuals or corporations pledge a minimum of one cent per birdie made during the Wednesday pro-am and all four tournament rounds of the John Deere Classic, including playoffs, to a particular charity or charities. At the conclusion of the tournament, the total number of birdies is calculated and the Birdies office sends invoices to donors. Donors remit their checks to the Birdies office, which then distributes 100 percent of the donations directly to the designated charity.

In 2003, the tournament's fourth year at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run, 1,634 birdies were recorded, meaning that someone who pledged one cent per birdie to a charity would contribute $16.34 to that charity. Many contributors donate to more than one charity.

John Deere Health underwrites the cost of administering the program so that all monies pledged go to the charities. Since its inception in 1993, the Birdies program has raised more than $6 million for charities in the tournament area. More information on the program is available online at www.birdiesforcharity.com.

As it did last year, Buick will give away a new Buick Rendezvous to the person who correctly guesses the exact number of birdies made during the tournament. The Buick Rendezvous combines the capabilities of an SUV with the ride and comfort of a luxury car. Buick is the Official Car of the John Deere Classic and is the Official Car of the PGA TOUR.

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