To each his own

Some golf purists hold nothing but distain for courses that fail to measure up to the 7,000 plus-yard monsters that are being designed and constructed these days in a seemingly futile effort to combat technological advancements in the manufacturing of clubs and balls.

In their eyes, the executive-style and par-3 courses that dot the golfing landscape are nothing more than roadside litter along golf’s superhighway.

But truth be told, these short courses – some featuring holes no longer than 60 yards in length – serve a valuable role in the sport by offering venues for women, children and beginning golfers to hone their games prior to venturing out on an 18-hole championship layout.

And the Spokane area, long noted for its abundance of affordable and accessible regulation courses, is also blessed with a variety of interesting and well-maintained short courses that cater not only to beginners but to more accomplished players interested in working on their short games, as well.

“We’ve really kind of carved out our own niche,” said Mollie Thola, the head professional at the city-owned Trailhead at Liberty Lake executive course, which operates in the shadows of MeadowWood and Liberty Lake GC, a pair of 18-hole layouts that are owned and operated by Spokane County. “Not only do we give beginners a place to play, but we fill the void for golfers who can’t get on the other two courses because they’re having a tournament or they’re too crowded.”

Trailhead and the Ranch Club Golf Course near Priest River both offer a variety of par-3s and par-4s, while Chester Creek, Pine Acres, the Eagle Ridge Short Course and Ponderosa Springs in Coeur d’Alene feature nothing but par-3s.

Rimrock Golf Course, located along U.S. Highway 95 just north of Coeur d’Alene, has eight par-3s and one par-4 and checks in as a bit of a “hybrid” short course.

What they all have in common, however, are dedicated owners with creative business plans geared to sell fun and family, as well as golf.

At Ponderosa Springs, for example, the family of Richard and Gloria Lynch, who own and operate the course, stages a Glow-in-the-Dark Golf competition each Friday evening during June, July and August.

Glow discs and glow sticks are used in the holes and on the flag sticks, and competitors – who must all be 21 years of age – are required to wear glow-in-the-dark necklaces in order to remain somewhat visible to other golfers.

“That way, if you see your ball heading toward a glowing necklace, you can yell fore,” said Mona Lynch, who works the pro shop and clubhouse for her parents. “The idea has really taken off, and it’s become like one big party.”

It helps, Lynch added, that most of those who play in the post-dusk event are – like most of Ponderosa Springs’ clientele – local golfers who are well acquainted with each other.

“We get real steady play and we have a lot of regulars, where I know everyone by name, just about,” she explained. “We get a lot of beginners out here, and we’ve started to get a lot of women who come out, too, because they’re not intimidated like they might be on a big course.”

Ponderosa Springs also boasts one of the most lenient dress codes in the business.

“Basically, we don’t have one,” Lynch said. “We let the guys take their shirts off and some of the girls come out in their bathing suits.

“We like to tell everybody that we’re an official sun-tanning facility here at Ponderosa Springs.”

At Rimrock, owner John Janke also strives to accommodate the locals first.

“My main clientele are couples, where you might have a guy who is a pretty good golfer playing with his wife, who might not be able to handle the longer courses without getting frustrated,” he said. “Most of them are from around here, so every day of the week, I can just about tell you who’s coming to play and at what time.”

Dennis Napier, who owns The Ranch Club, realizes he can’t compete with larger courses for the attention of golf purists, so he’s geared his approach toward selling a social experience that just happens to include golf.

To that end, Napier constantly pushes the full-service restaurant at his facility and offers a prime rib special on Friday evenings.

“We’re really geared toward family golf and fun, friendly golf,” Napier said. “The idea behind the spirit is that you’re going to come here and have a very pleasant day. You’re going to have a good time playing golf and then you’re going to finish it off by having a meal you really, really like.”

“With us, it’s more about the entire package than just the golf.”

And seldom are tee times required – even at a course as popular as Trailhead.

“We don’t take tee times, because it just works out better that way,” Thola said. “You can usually get on here within 20 minutes after you show up, so we encourage people checking in to maybe hit a few practice balls or putts while they wait.

“I like to tell people to ‘Come on out to Trailhead, where you’re never late for your tee time.’ In most cases, you can go when you’re ready.”

The casual approach employed at the short courses in the area seems to working in almost every instance.

“It’s a great place to learn to play golf without being overwhelmed,” said Jim Tucker, Jr., whose father, Jim, a PGA professional, owns Pine Acres. “It’s golf, just on a smaller scale. And it gives beginners a place to go as opposed to turning them loose on a full-size course and holding everybody up.”

It’s nice, Tucker added, that the Spokane area has so many short-course options.

“I think we’re pretty good with the number we have right now,” he explained. “But we’re not getting as many new golfers as we have, maybe, in the past. So if we were to add any more, it might spread us too thin.”