Back on the Road to Coeur d'Alene
A single entry blog about the Gurus' 2008 trip to Montana/Coeur d'Alene that was highlighted by a visit to the new Gozzer Ranch Golf Club.
Blog by: Mike SutoriusJune 26th - 29th, 2008
Over the years the Golf Course Gurus have been on a lot of golf trips. And, while every trip is a little different from any other, there are some common threads that tie all of them together. Here are a handful of things that can be expected to occur on a standard golf trip: Rule #1 The number of holes played will be maximized. This is accomplished by squeezing in rounds wherever possible – with the biggest factor, by far, being available daylight. Rule #2 There will be travel involved. Time spent traveling is typically only exceeded by time spent golfing. Travel should ideally occur when the available daylight or weather does not permit golfing. Rule #3 Time to sleep and time to eat are only scheduled during rare gaps between golfing and traveling. The Gurus love these rules and embrace them as an interconnected and integral part of every good trip. Coincidentally, however, we have found that these very same rules often exasperate wives, wear out our occasional traveling companions, and result in a lot of missed scenery in between courses. Our June 2008 trip to Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington was no exception to these rules.
Due to our typical eagerness to “get rolling,” the trip started early with us leaving work as soon as possible on June 25th rather leaving early in the morning on June 26th with every intention of having enough daylight to play at a remote 9-hole course called Timberline Golf Course outside of Ashton, Idaho. When we arrived, we had at least an hour of daylight – maybe as much as an hour and half. However, we were met at our vehicle, before we could even get our golf shoes on, by a course employee who informed us that the course was closed and that we couldn’t play any part of it, even if we wanted to walk! We begged a little, and offered her a couple of options, but every scenario that we suggested to her was immediately shot down.. Every piece of information that we gave regarding our circumstance and interest in playing the course was disregarded. We were told that this was a course that takes at least 2 hours to play (all 2500 yards, or so, of it), and that we would be welcome to come back to the middle-of-nowhere and catch it again when we could be there at least 2 hours before sunset. “Alrightee then!”
Our meal for the evening was at burger joint called Big Jud’s. They are famous for making burgers as big as a dinner plate, with as much meat on them as you think you can eat. Bill and I came up short a couple of years ago when we each attempted the 2 pounder, so we went with the original Big Jud Burger that comes with a pound of hamburger, a bun the same size as your plate, and plenty of lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes to cover it all. At Bill’s suggesting we also covered each burger in crumbled bleu cheese. After eating every bite, we wondered out loud what was most disgusting: 1- Each of us eating our own massive burger, 2- The two of combining to eat a massive bowl of greasy homemade French fries, or 3- The consumption of an entire bottle of homemade fry sauce (consisting of 90% mayonnaise)! The fry sauce was the easy choice. After disgusting ourselves with the acknowledgement of what we had just consumed, we continued on to the family cabin outside of West Yellowstone, Montana to spend the night.
On the 26th, we got up early and traveled to with Bill’s dad, Steve, to Big Sky, Montana for an early morning, and early season round at The Club at Spanish Peaks. When we were within a few miles of the course, we started watching the altitude climb rapidly on “Nikki,” Bill’s famous GPS unit. By the time we reached the course we at approximately 7700 feet above sea level! The altitude was not the only thing that exceeded our expectations. The Tom Weiskopf design, that opened for play in 2007, was a masterpiece. 5 tee boxes one every hole, based upon the traditional ski slope designations of difficulty, gave numerous options, angles, and strategies at every turn. From the “Triple Black Diamond” tee boxes the course played at 7200 yards. The highlight of the round, other than unexpectedly good early season scores by the 3 of us, was the discovery of Bear Repellant that was included as standard equipment on every golf cart! While we didn’t see any bears, we did feel very prepared! Unbelievable backdrops and fantastic hole after fantastic hole was the theme of the round.
Immediately after the round we parted ways with Steve and headed for the second round of the day at Canyon River Golf Course – 240 miles, and almost 4 hours away, in Missoula, Montana. As should be expected when driving through Montana, we made excellent time and arrived with plenty of time to complete our round. Highlights of the round on the very worthwhile public access course included the wind suddenly stopping completely somewhere on the back 9 after almost blowing us off the course on the front, and the “slow-as-molasses” 3-some of hackers finally inviting us to play through on hole #17 after waiting on them for countless holes. We really enjoyed playing the last hole at our own pace. Thanks, guys!
Again, we immediately jumped in the car and made the final trek of the day – 190 miles and about 3 hours to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where we rested from our labors and prepared for the remainder of the trip at our home-away-from-home . . . Motel 6.
- "Bear Repellant" . . . in an aerosol can . . . helping us feel safe - Hype
- Montana's need to return to unposted spped limits on interstate highways - Not Hype
June 27th brought an early morning round at the oldest 18 hole golf course in the state of Idaho: Hayden Lake Country Club. Warm hospitality, tree-lined fairways, conscientious conditioning, a good mix of holes, and a beautiful backdrop on the final hole were the notable experiences of the round.
After the round we eagerly headed for what we expected to be the highlight of the golf trip – a visit to the new Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club set up high on the south banks of beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene. The road itself, that leads to the course from I-90, is spectacular as it hugs the edge of the lake before climbing through the dense forest to the course. Upon arrival we were treated like celebrities and soon found that the staff had regular practice in dealing with big-shots, when we were introduced to Andrew Magee – a 20-year PGA tour pro, and host of multiple shows on The Golf Channel. Mr. Magee was part of the Gozzer Ranch staff and was intending to join us as one of our playing partners for the day. What a treat! There was no part of the round that was anything but sheer golf bliss! Perfect weather, an unbelievable setting, a truly world-class golf course designed by Tom Fazio, every amenity (including the most fantastic “comfort stations” we have yet encountered – with everything under the sun to eat or drink), and an absolute “clinic” put on by Mr. Magee as he shot 6-under on the round and impeccably described and executed the strategy on each and every hole. It is actually very difficult to imagine a better overall golf experience! It was spectacular!
After the opulent round, we decided that the only appropriate activity would be to gorge ourselves on 44 ounces of mind-blowing steak. Fortunately, Wolf Lodge Steak House was in the vicinity. We each got what is now our standard order – “The Rancher,” which includes a 20 ounce sirloin and a 24 ounce Porterhouse. We polished them off along with our sides and salads with no problem at all, but upon finishing, found that we still had a couple of hours of daylight. So, we decided to squeeze in a few more holes, and another course.
We had heard several years ago from a caddy that there was an insanely good 9-hole course in the area called Shoshone Golf Club in Silver Valley, Idaho. So, we decided to add it to the itinerary. Once we found the place (I challenge you to find Silver Valley, even on Google Maps), we threw on our shoes, grabbed our clubs, talked the guy at the desk into letting us play, and played all 9 holes in just under an hour. The caddy hadn’t been wrong – it was a cool little course, one of the best 9-holers that we have found. After the round, we spent about a half an hour talking golf with the Shoshone Golf Club’s regulars. They were great. There were a couple of guys who had been there forever and could have written a history book on the place. There was an associate pro who holds the course record, and was scheduled to play on an Asian tour later in the year. And, all of them were happy to have us - 2 new faces that could talk about courses for as long as they could.
On the 28th we started early with plans to play 54 holes. We began at The Links Golf Club in Post Falls, Idaho. The Links featured two rarities: a female head pro, which is rare at every course and, as the name of the course would suggest, very few trees, which is rare in the region. Without the usual huge pine trees on the course wind can be a killer. However, we lucked out and played all 7,425 yards without any huge gusts.
- Our paradisiacal Gozzer Ranch experience, in every aspect - Not Hype
- A course choosing to advertise itself as a "true links style" experience . . . usually - Hype
- Wolf Lodge Steak House in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Not Hype
Next we headed for Spokane Country Club, a fantastic club that was originally designed in 1910. The theme of the round was heat. Man, was it hot! We ended up soaking ourselves multiple times in a couple of old drinking fountains that were found on the course. The course, though, was sensational. It featured good variations in elevation, hole length and shape, and green structures. The final 3 holes were a great finishing trio, with a signature par 5 that required a tee shot high over the entrance road to a sharp dog-leg left that ran downhill to the hole, a fantastic par 3 that played over a series of cascading ponds, and good drivable finishing par 4 that presented an opportunity for a birdie or easy par, but had enough trouble to result in the dreaded bogey.
The final round of the day was at Manito Country Club in Spokane, the site of the 1944 PGA Championship. When we arrived, with not a lot of time to fit in the round before dark, the parking lot was absolutely slammed! Fortunately, there was a dinner party or reception at the clubhouse, and there was only one other group on the course itself. When we arrived at the pro shop, it was open, but, an employee could not be found. We waited around, used the members’ locker facilities, and speculated that it was somewhat amazing that pro shop had not been completely looted. Finally, we found someone that could get us a cart key and get us started. We only saw one other 2-some on the entire round and, therefore, played it quickly. Another great course! It was very well manicured, had massive trees that dictated shot making throughout the round, and featured nice finishing holes on both sides. After the round, we took way too much time deciding on, and finding a place to eat, (before finally settling on a Chinese buffet) and finally got on the road to Missoula, Montana.
We arrived in Missoula at about 1 am . . . and had no room reservation. Since we were not overly interested in paying “through the nose” for what would be 5 hours of time in the room, we called and/or visited at least 10-15 different locations looking for a cheap rate, but had no luck, whatsoever. We even found a little, out-of-the-way place with a vacancy sign illuminated with a decent rate advertised, but we knocked repeatedly and rang the door bell a few times, but got no response. We even called the listed number multiple times, but no one answered. Finally, at about 2 am, Bill called a Day’s Inn and told the attendant that we were looking for something as cheap as possible to sleep for 5 hours and be on our way. The attendant finally volunteered that he had a room that he could give us for $60 (less than half the usual price) because the television “didn’t work.” Not intending to even turn the TV on, we took it. Once inside the room, though, curiosity got the best of us and we had to check out the functionality of the TV. We found that it worked just fine, and so did all of the channels, except for CBS which was a little fuzzy. We will take that deal anytime.
June 29th was our traveling home day which represented 365 miles and almost 7 hours. We also intended to take a route that would allow us to pick up 4 separate 9-hole courses along the way in remote areas of Idaho. Our first stop was Salmon Valley Golf Club where we found that a women’s tournament was in progress, and that we would have to wait almost an hour and a half to play. Not knowing when (or if) we would ever be back in Salmon, Idaho, we chose to wait. The course was worthwhile, with a constant backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains, and a little creek that the designer made good use of throughout the round. The next stop was in Challis, Idaho at Challis Golf Club. The clubhouse was a double-wide trailer, and the course was a little rough, but ultimately it was better than we expected to find in such a rural, non-populated area. It was actually a fun place to play.
At this point in the trip we had played a total of seven 18-hole rounds and 3 additional 9 hole rounds in 3 ½ days and fully intended to pick up 18 more at two 9-hole course in Mackey, Idaho. However, as we approached Mackey, we were met with a massive thunderstorm that eliminated the option of adding to our totals. So, we continued toward home, and began looking for a place to eat. The only option was in Arco, Idaho where we stopped to eat a burger at a unique café called Pickle’s Place. Ultimately, having skipped the 2 rounds in Mackey, we arrived home earlier than we had expected to . . . which is very uncommon when golf is involved. In the end, we had played 153 holes and traveled nearly 1500 miles over about a 4 day total. That is our version of golf trip.
