SVM_Golf Guide 2023

Northwestern Illinois and Eastern Iowa

(cont’d)

(cont’d)

JO DAVIESS COUNTY (cont’d)

* 2 with 9 holes par 35, or 70 when combined into 18 holes. Family course is par 27

| woodbinebend.com

LASALLE COUNTY

www.ci.streator.il.us (under Your Government, City Departments links)

A Dixon golf course with more than a hundred years of history has a shot at a brighter future, thanks to a group committed to being partners in its success

other golf courses heard about the who’s who that’s walked the links at Timber Creek Golf Course during its 108-year history, they’d probably be greens with envy.

Ronald Reagan, at just 12 years old, once hauled golf clubs around its greens during the first Women’s Lincoln Highway Tournament in 1923.

Jack Nicklaus, building his legacy as one of professional golf’s all-time greats, shot a round of 32 in a 9-hole exhibition on the same rolling greens in 1965.

Charles Walgreen, the founder of the national drug store chain that bears his name, was one of the first golfers to swing a club at the course.

While there’s a lot to celebrate in the course’s past, it’s Timber Creek’s future that a group of local golfers are focusing on now.

Just a few weeks before the golf season teed off, the fivesome of Rich Boysen, Ryan Harrison, Steve Kitzman, Tom Rich and Doug Schuler partnered up to sign a 3-year lease option to keep the course going this year.

The five formed a limited liability partnership in early March and are leasing the course from its owners, Ron and Brett Keith. The course layout will continue to look the same, improvements will be made, and the bar will continue to serve beverages and light snacks. Everything else on Timber Creek’s grounds, however — the restaurant, banquet hall, swimming pool and tennis courts — continue to face an uncertain future.

For now, the group just wants to focus on getting golfers to the course and keep them coming back.

“It’s necessary for the community to have it be a draw,” said Schuler, retired owner of Dixon Auto Body. “We’ve got some parks for the youth, but [golfers] would have to go out of town and play. I would think businesses coming into town would look at a place like this for something for their people to do.”

The Keiths purchased the course in 2007 and changed its name from Dixon Country Club to Timber Creek Golf Course and opened it to the public. The operation of golf courses nationwide has been on a decline in recent decades, and after losses in revenue, the Keiths leased it for 3 years to local agriculture business owners Rick and Brenda Humphrey in 2019. When the lease expired, a potential sale to Kreider Services fell through, and the course faced likely closure — until the current group came together and came forward.

2023 DAILY RATES 2023 PASS FEES

OGLE

ROCK

Fans of Timber Creek can thank the fivesome of (from left) Doug Schuler, Steve Kitzman, Rich Boysen, Tom Rich and Ryan Harrison for giving the golf course another shot at success. The group recently partnered up to sign a lease agreement to keep the course open.

Boysen, retired general manager of Dixon Direct and member of the KSB Hospital Board of Directors, knows firsthand the importance of having a course like Timber Creek in the community. He said having a quality course can factor into whether or not a potential hospital physician or employee wants to relocate. The same goes for other local businesses, he said.

“The likelihood of the course staying open was not very good,” Boysen said. “We were all in support of having Kreider, but we as a group — we never dreamed we were going to be in the golf course business — but then we decided to form an LLC and operate the club.”

The course opened in early April with only three months of preparation, unlike most courses, which would be preparing for the following year midway through the previous one. Membership rates were posted to the group’s Facebook page (“Timber Creek Golf – Dixon”) shortly after the lease was signed.

“I think if we didn’t at least try to step in and do something with it, it was never going to come back,” Schuler added.

Rich, like a young Reagan, caddied at the course as a kid in the 1950s and ’60s, and didn’t want to see a piece of local history, and a piece of his childhood memories, disappear.

“I came out here as a kid and caddied and played out here,” said Rich, a retired engineer at Borg Warner. “As long as I’ve lived here, I’ve been a member. A real loss would have been the history of the course. It’s over 100 years old, Charles Walgreen dedicated the property, Ronald Reagan caddied here and brought his friends from Hollywood out here, Jack Nicklaus played here. There’s just so much history for a small club. How many small golf courses around here can arguably say that they had the best golfer of all time play it? It’s an amazing thing.”

The group doesn’t plan to make any money personally in the endeavor; instead, they plan to reinvest all profits into facility improvements. The fixes include aeration, fertilization, and overseeding of the greens; upgrades to the existing sprinkler system; clearing and removing dead and unnecessary trees and foliage; and improving the quality of certain sand traps and converting others to grass bunkers. In addition, the practice putting green will undergo a renovation; course accessories such as flags, tee markers, ball cleaners and benches will be updated; and if demand warrants it the restaurant could reopen.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“Ultimately, we would like to open up the restaurant at some point in the future, but at this point we’re not ready to do that,” Boysen said. “It’s going to take some time to get all of that squared away. It was successful when the Humphreys had it. It can earn some money and then that money can go back to the golf course. It all fits together real well. Certainly the town could use another restaurant, with it being a nice place to sit outside.”

Other goals down the road include making the course a venue for golf outings and special occasions, and offering instruction and golf camps to younger golfers. The group is taking their goals day-by-day, wanting to get a feel of how each week or month goes in order to not bite off more than they can chew.

The course also hosts the boys and girls golf programs at Dixon High School, and is a charter member of the century-long Lincoln Highway amateur tournament. Timber Creek was originally scheduled to host the 2022 men’s tournament, but it was moved to PrairieView Golf Club in Byron due to unfavorable course conditions.

“It’s part of the community,” said Kitzman, owner of Kitzman’s Lumber. “The history. The community. It’s a great sport. We’re keeping it local, we’re supporting Dixon High School and keeping the golf team out here.”

The lease option runs until 2026, at which time the group could purchase the course. They’re hoping for success in the first year, but only time will tell what the future holds.

“Timber Creek is a true asset of the Sauk Valley community, and we plan to position this facility for success in the future,” Boysen said. n

Friday, June 23, 2023

Deer Valley Golf Club

Deer Grove, IL

Registration & Lunch - Noon • Shotgun Start - 1 p.m. Prizes, Awards and Snacks Following Golf Scramble Format

Timber Creek Golf Course is at 729 Timber Creek Road, north of Dixon. Find “Timber Creek Golf — Dixon” on Facebook, or call 815-475-5605 to schedule a tee time, for membership rates, or for more information.

Give back for a good cause!

The DeKalb Park District is excited to host the 17th Annual Golf Fore the Kids Scholarship Golf Outing! All proceeds from the outing provide opportunities for families to participate in recreation programs and use facilities that would otherwise be unable to do so because of Financial burdens. Play golf, donate, or become one of our sponsors! Early Bird (EB)

Registration Deadline: May 26

Golfing is next to nature with Golf

DeKalb

Become a member and enjoy seasonal youth golf programs, coed leagues, and themed outings like the Father’s Day Birdie Brunch, Club Championship, Labor Day Weekend Best Ball Tournament, and more!

Friday, June 9 (Rain date June 23)

Location: River Heights Golf Course

Lunch provided 10:00-11:00 am, Shotgun start at 11:00 am, Dinner provided starting at 4:30 pm! Fee is $280 EB/$300 per foursome or $75 EB/$90 for individuals; Extra Individual Dinner Ticket $20 EB/ $30

Includes golf, cart, lunch, two drink tickets, swag bag, polo, dinner, and a great time!”

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY (cont’d)

STEPHENSON COUNTY

STEPHENSON COUNTY (cont’d)

WINNEBAGO

WINNEBAGO COUNTY (cont’d)

IOWA CLINTON COUNTY

CLINTON COUNTY (cont’d)

SCOTT COUNTY

CLINTON COUNTY (cont’d)

SCOTT COUNTY

join today.

MONTHLY RATES: $17 - $62

Military & Corporate Discounts Available

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• Over 40,000 sq. ft. of equipment

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WELLNESS

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• Infrared Sauna*

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*Free services for Total Fitness pass members. Wellness drop-in fee of $15 for non-members (includes fitness & wood basketball court access).