Coeur d’Alene Offers Winter Golf Options

So you’d like to get away to Carmel to play Pebble Beach this winter, but your schedule is just a little too tight? Well, if you live in the environs of Coeur d’Alene for a $20 “green” fee you can play the first nine holes of that historic course on the famed 17-Mile Drive. Play it, that is, on a golf simulator either at the Caddyshack Sports Pub or the Pro Golf Discount store. That North Idaho price is a bit more reasonable than the $495 per round you’d pay on the actual course, but of course you won’t have a cart, the cost of which is included in the real resort’s tariff. Here’s how the simulators work: Computers with the course’s vital statistics project an image of each hole onto a cloth screen in a darkened booth. The golfer places his or her ball on a rubber “tee” identical to those on most driving ranges. When struck, the ball strikes the screen and the sensors embedded in it measure the launch angle, ball speed and the distance it would have carried had the ball landed on the actual fairway or in a hazard. The results are then displayed on the screen. Presuming the golfer didn’t score a hole in one, the image on the screen shifts to the point where the ball would have landed. The golfer then places the ball on an appropriate spot in the booth, on smooth fairway “grass” (actually a plastic substitute), short rough, longer rough or a piece of roughened plastic that simulates a bunker. He then strikes again until he’s within putting distance. When he’s sufficiently close to the hole, he putts into the screen. If the computer indicates that the ball would land within six feet of the pin, it’s presumed to be holed. The Caddyshack, at 110 W. Prairie Ave., offers a couple of options to players: You can pay a $10 green fee for evening league play, but you can also play that same “course” or 20 other famous resort courses during daylight hours for $20 per hour. From October through April, Caddyshack hosts 30 teams per week, three of them comprising women. Players drive there from as far as Spokane, Old Town, Newport, Sandpoint and Athol. The four-person teams signed up for this winter’s tournaments at the Caddyshack play once a week. Most players bring their own clubs, but the pub has several rental sets and management provides golf balls. For league play, the pub’s owners, Dirk Ferrell and D.J. Lundblad, pick a new course every week from the 21 programmed in their simulators’ computers. However, if you play during the day, you can select the course you want to play. Caddyshack offers two sets of tee times for league play, 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The owners advise calling ahead three days to secure a tee time. You can also get a golf lesson at Caddyshack from Daryl Hull, the pro who works the Prairie Falls Golf Course during the summer months. Call him to make arrangements at (208) 457-0210. Caddyshack has been open for 10 years and the owners take pride that it’s been a non-smoking establishment since opening day, some time before Idaho law prohibited smoking. The pub serves alcohol and food including paninis, burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups. Kids are welcome, and there’s even a menu for “little sports fans,” as the establishment calls them. Caddyshack is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. The Pro Golf shop’s simulator offers 10 challenging courses including Banff Springs, Alberta, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, Pinehurst, N.C. and Belfry, Ireland. It’s in George and Denise Minerich’s store at 408 W. Haycraft and is available for $20 plus $5 for each additional person. During the winter months it’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Pro Golf shop doesn’t host leagues; its simulator is principally for trying out the clubs its owners sell, but it is available for those who want to hone their skills during the winter months. Call for tee times. Why play a simulator? Jack Cassell, a Twin Lakes Village resident who visits the Caddyshack simulators at least once a week, offers a succinct answer: “It sure eliminates cabin fever.” The Caddyshack’s phone number is (208) 762-7275. The Pro Shop’s numbers are (208) 664-5381 or 877-664-5382.