Day One — Sacramento ✈️ Spokane → Coeur d’Alene (Birthday Kickoff)

The Vibe

Birthday energy. Boys trip. Keep it moving.

SMF → GEG: Smooth

• Sacramento lounge: Staff dialed in, food solid, drinks doing their job. Exactly what you want before herding humans onto a plane.
• Spokane (GEG): Small, clean, and fast. Bags out quick. No maze, no chaos.

Hertz at GEG: In, Out, Gone

• Signed up in advance, so pickup felt like: walk, keys, roll.
• Pro tip: Add your driver and credit card to the Hertz profile before you fly. It turns “paperwork” into a 60-second non-event.

Drive to Coeur d’Alene

• Roughly 40 minutes with light traffic.
• We considered Capone’s Bar & Grill but punted to eat at the course (great call).

Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course — Lunch & First Impressions

• Tucked into a neighborhood—kind of a sleeper arrival. Range on the right, clubhouse straight ahead, course drifting left through the homes.
• Clubhouse lunch: Cocktails A+. The burger? I’m not saying “best of my life,” but I’m also not not saying it. Absolute unit.
• Staff & locals: Friendly, funny, and delightfully allergic to Californians buying their houses. (“Don’t tell anyone about this place.” Message received.)

The Course

• Look/feel: Tree-lined, fairways that look narrow but play friendlier than expected.
• Water hazards: Basically none.
• Quirky truth: Wayward tee shots had “bumper bowling” energy—catch a tree, carom back to safety. Not designed that way (I hope), but we’ll take the bounces.
• What we paid: ~$70–$80 for the round (weekday). Totally worth it for a warm-up day.

Check-In: The Airbnb Reality

• Grade: Fine. Roof > rain & cold, beds for all, call it a win.
• If you’re picky: You’ll nitpick. Water pressure was… not aggressive. My wife would’ve vetoed it; the guys didn’t care.

Dinner: The Porch (Hayden Lake)

• They don’t have a website, so don’t go looking for one. Nevertheless, it’s out by the country club. Good spot, easy vibes, closed the loop on Day 1 without turning it into a late one.

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What I’d Repeat

• Eat at the CDA Public GC clubhouse. Burger + cocktail combo is a tone-setter.
• Hertz at Spokane. Make the profile beforehand and you’re sprinting to the lot.
• Public course as the opener. Friendly first round before the bigger-ticket stuff.

What I’d Rethink

• If you’re traveling with anyone bougie: upgrade lodging or at least confirm water pressure in the listing Q&A.

Quick Tips (Steal These)

• Book tee time + lunch window at CDA Public ahead of time if you’re landing midday.
• Pack a “first-round” kit: balls you don’t mind donating, a cheap brush, and electrolytes. Travel swings are… travel swings.
• Photo ops: clubhouse burger (hero shot), starter box with range backdrop, tight fairway framed by pines, golden hour on 9/18.
• Conversation tip with locals: Maybe don’t lead with “We’re from California.”