THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: August 31, 2013

For decades, golfers in the Sandpoint area have been weaned on the game at the Sandpoint Elks Golf Course.

It's small-town golf to a "T" (or, better yet, a tee).

Nine-hole course, flat, not a lot of trouble to find unless you have a problem with slicing (however, sometimes the boxcars can be your friend!).

And if you're a member and it's not busy, you can spend a lot of our beautiful summer nights just playing ... and playing ... and playing.

There's no driving range, but there is a net for you to whack a few balls into to get loosened up - though with the opening hole being a par-3, many use that to hit a nice, easy iron into the green as part of their warmup.

You don't make tee times at Sandpoint Elks - at least you didn't when I was there. Show up, sign in, walk maybe 10 yards to the first tee. If there was a crowd waiting, there was a spiral ball holder near the tee. Someone from each group would put a ball in there, and when your ball made it to the bottom, your group was up.

And I swear on one of the greens (No. 4/13), from a certain spot on the green, the putts breaks uphill. Local knowledge!

Tom Tharp, longtime manager at Sandpoint Elks Golf Course, and in recent years golf coach at Sandpoint High, noted our recent series on the state of golf, and offered some creative things he does at the Elks to speed up play and keep people interested in the game.

THARP SAID he has done some "quite specific" things at the Elks to speed up play.

"First, I have built beginner or junior tees that are 100, 150 and 200 yards long," he said. "Second, I have a scorecard for these tees. The par is 55 (the regular par for 18 at the Elks, with separate tees for each nine, is 70). What I do with the kids that think they can hit off the regular tees, but really can't, is tell them once they can shoot par or below 55 three times, than they can move to the ladies tees."

As for adult beginners, Tharp said they "strongly suggest" they hit off the shorter junior, or gold, tees.

"Most of them seem quite relived to do this, thus avoiding the first-tee jitters with everyone watching them," he said.

A SIGN behind the counter in the pro shop at the Elks tells golfers that if they are not on the green in seven shots, pick up their ball and put in on the green. Tharp said this has also helped speed up play.

As for getting younger players to take up the game, next year Tharp plans to have a league for junior players divided into four-person teams.

"They would have jerseys with numbers, the sponsor's name and their name," he said. "They'll play a scramble format, with a point for every three holes and an extra point for winning the most points or a total of four per match. This team concept will be a lot like Little League baseball."

Good suggestions, all. Now, if they could just make sure those box cars are positioned just right on hole No. 6, and 7, and maybe even 2 ...

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached by phone at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.