A Quick Nine: Best courses in Illinois

We reached out to our friends in Illinois for this week's, 'A Quick Nine,' feature.

Illinois is home to some of the best golf courses in the nation -- public and private. What we wanted to know is which courses do YOU consider the best in the Prairie State -- the kind anyone one of us could play.

Here at the top answers we received:

1. TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill. "Our goal was to build an old-style, traditional golf course and I think we've captured that," says D.A. Weibring, PGA Tour course designer and three-time champion of the Quad Cities tournament on the course's site. "We wanted to create a course that had memorable holes with dramatic views of the rolling hills and vistas." Weibring did just that.

Facebook fan quotes:

"TPC Deere Run in Silvis Illinois. Home of the John Deere Classic." -- Jack Johnston

"TPC Deere Run, Silvis." -- Troy Eden

2. ThunderHawk Golf Club, Beach Park, Ill. This Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design is the first public course in Illinois to achieve Audubon Signature certification. It has also been ranked among the 10 best municipal courses in the United States.

Facebook fan quotes:

"Thunderhawk. Affordable and amazing layout." -- Alex Price

"Thunderhawk in Beach park and definitely Deere Run in Silvis. Cog hill is next on my list." -- Jason Rowen

"Thunderhawk." -- Dave Milner

3. Gateway National, Madison, Ill. Nearly directly across from downtown St. Louis, but nestled on the Illinois line, Gateway National opened in 1998 and offers a links-golf experience.

Facebook fan quotes:

"Gateway National." -- John Kelley

"Gateway National." -- Don Trenary

4. Course #4 Dubsdread at Cog Hill, Lemont, Ill. With a demand on shot-making, Dubsdread is one of the most well known courses in the country and has played host to numerous prestigious events through the years, including the Western Open.

Facebook fan quote:

"Dubs, Cog no 4. A great old track , with new twists." -- Andrew Saur

5. The Rail Golf Course, Springfield, Ill. A sprawling, 240-acre farm turned into a golf course is what you'll find at The Rail, the former home of the LPGA Tour's State Farm Classic.

Facebook fan quote:

"The Rail in Springfield." -- Aaron Fitzpatrick

6. Prairie Landing Golf Club, West Chicago, Ill. A links-style course, Prairie Landing boasts on its website that it's rated 4.5 stars by Golf Digest's, 'Best Places to Play,' -- one of only 25 Illinois courses on the 4.5 Star List.

Facebook fan quote:

"Prairie Landing, a links style course.' -- Bobby Ram Das

7. Stonewall Orchard Golf Club, Grayslake, Ill. Here's the Stonewall Orchard description from its website: "From the more than 65,000 fully mature pine and oak trees to the acres and acres of rolling hills, tranquil wetlands and wildlife, Stonewall Orchard has those unique, natural qualities often associated with golf in the Carolinas."

Facebook fan quote:

"Stonewall Orchard." -- Geoff Gates

8. The General at Eagle Ridge, Galena, Ill. With spectacular views of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, the General opened at the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in 1997 and is ranked in the top 100 by Golf Digest of courses you can play.

Facebook fan quote:

"The General at Eagle Ridge is pretty sweet." -- Jay MacMaster

9. Whisper Creek Golf Club, Huntley, Ill. The breathtaking course notes that it's, "Luxury golf at a Whisper of the price." Sounds good to us!

Facebook fan quote:

"Whisper Creek in Huntley. Besides the obvious ones like Cog, TPC, Medinah." -- Robert A. Purvis Jr.