Coeur d'Alene

A golfer's dream is to enter a golf course that has been, or still is, a location for the PGA tour. I have played Torrey Pines in San Diego with my dad after placing our golf bags on the deck at 4:00 am, sleeping in the car for an hour and a half in the parking lot, just to hear our names called to the tee for a 6:15 tee time. Three summers ago I visited the home of golf, St. Andrews, to see Tiger Woods beat out Scotland's own Collin Montgomery, and the Golden Bear, Jack Nickalaus, retired waving one more time from the Swilken bridge. I also walked into the club house of both Carnoustie and Hoylake at Royal Liverpool.

Last summer, I made it up to Banff National Park in Canada to play amongst the elk and bear with my dad and we couldn't have asked for better conditions for a mountain course. In college, I was luckily enough to play in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Southern Hills where even Tiger Woods shot an unimpressive 79 for the US Open, and I also played at PGA National in West Palm Beach Florida for the NAIA championships. One of my favorite trips was to Austin, Texas where dad and I played at Barton Creek where the Nationwide and Canadian Golf Association play events. It still gives me the shakes to walk on the grounds of such an impressive landscape. It was the same feeling today when I pulled up to the gates at the resort of The Coeur d'Alene. The guard asked for my tee time and I politely asked if we could just get in to see the pro shop. After getting some information and filling out a guest pass we were able to get through the pearly gates.

This trip has truly been heaven for me. Seeing national parks with glacier topped mountains and turquoise lakes has been a dream come true. The amazing thing is I haven't played a single round of golf for the entire trip. Which is a true testament for me. As much as I wanted to play golf today at the resort, I decided not to. I know what you're thinking, and it even shocked me, but I realized that all of my walks on the legendary courses where the likes of Arnie, Tiger and Jack have played have been memorable not only for the layout and prestige but for the foursome I was in. Just as Jackson Hole will be a place I will return to some day, so will Coeur d'Alene. I just hope my dad realizes he will have to book a flight with me in the near future.

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