Coeur d'Alene Resort 5th Hole

About Us

Hi, our names are Bill Satterfield and Mike Sutorius and we're golfaholics. "Hi Bill and Mike" should have been your knee-jerk response to that intro if you've attended Golfaholics Anonymous classes too. If you haven't attended any classes, but need to, both of our wives host them every other Wednesday night after PTA meeting. In Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 steps to recovery program, the first step reads; "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable." Substitute golf in for alcohol, and that pretty much epitomizes our lives eight months out of the year.

Bill and Mike at the Rees Jones designed Cascata Golf Course south of Las Vegas
Bill and Mike at Cascata's 14th
 Mike and Bill near the 9th green at Jim Engh's dramatic Sanctuary Golf Club near Denver
Mike and Bill at Sanctuary's 9th

As the self named Golf Gurus, we love golf; the challenge, the comradery, and the flat out beauty. Golf courses represent some of the most beautiful, well manicured places on earth. Renowned golf course architect Jim Engh once said, "Golf is the only art form whereby the viewers of the art can not only move within the artwork but also 'compete' against it." We concur. We love the individuality, the challenge, the architecture, the sanctuary, and the beauty - both natural and created.

Mike and Bill after a round at Cypress Point in October 2006
Mike and Bill at Cypress Point
 Mike and Bill standing in the landing area of Jim Engh's Black Rock course in Coeur d'Alene
Mike and Bill at Black Rock 11th

One the keys to any successful website is having fresh content. Whether it is new pictures, course reviews, or just a fresh look; the Golf Course Gurus website will frequently feature something new to look at or read. We also relish a good list - golf-related or otherwise. Every medium publishes them, and everyone with an opinion loves them. Top 10 This, Top 50 That, Greatest 100 of All Time, etc., etc. Lists inspire thought, instant debate, strong opinions, and renewed or initial interest. Golf lists are no exception.

GOLF COURSE GURUS QUICK BIOS

Bill

To support my golf addiction I sell real estate for a living. I represent the fourth generation of Satterfield's in real estate and help run our family business (Satterfield Realty in Pocatello, ID). I didn't pick up golf until age 21 but was able to develop a single digit handicap after playing for a few seasons. I like to draw the ball off the tee and with my longer clubs and then focus on a steady tempo to get me from point A to point B. During the non-golf season I stay active by playing basketball, running on the treadmill, and playing video games. Playing video games to stay active? Sounds odd, but I actually play video games while logging a few miles in on the treadmill. That multi-tasking technique helped me drop 40 pounds; now I just need help dropping a few more strokes! Beyond those things my life stays plenty busy while my wife and I try to keep up with our four beautiful daughters.

I'm all smiles after recording my first hole-in-one ever. It was a 227 yard 4 iron at Tom Fazio's beautifully designed Glenwild Golf Club in Park City, UT (July 3, 2006)
First ever hole-in-one (Glenwild 11th)
 Two aces in the same year!? 4 1/2 months after recording my first ever hole-in-one, lightning strikes twice and I drop in a 9 iron from 144 yards at the Oasis Canyons course in Mesquite, NV (November 18, 2006)
My 2nd ace of the year (Oasis 16th)

Mike

I support my golf habit by working as a salesman in the electrical distribution business. I just relocated from the "value golf" capital of the world, Salt Lake City, UT (see Featured Articles) to Pocatello, Idaho. Bill and I now live on the same street, 3 doors down, where our combined 8 girls could not be happier! I began golfing in high school where I admittedly was a non-factor on our golf team, but it was enough to give me the golf "itch." I also now play to a single digit handicap where my biggest strengths are finding ways to save par from troublesome lies as well as knocking down testy five and six footers. But the first thing people seem to notice and subsequently comment about my game is the big windup I take with my driver - Bill keeps track of how many holes it takes for any new playing partner to comment on how hard I swing (generally 3 or less). Besides golf, I'm an avid sports fan that enjoys playing basketball, lifting weights, and busting out some karaoke.

Mike is happy about his first trip to the Coeur d'Alene Resort where the floating green lived up to the hype
Mike at Coeur d'Alene Resort's world famous 14th hole
 Mike standing on the very spot he holed out from (about 180 yards) on Meadow Lake's 9th hole up near Flathead Lake in northern Montana
Mike after eagling the par four 9th at Meadow Lake

GOLF COURSE GURUS' ASSOCIATES QUICK BIOS

So those are the main players in this website. The blog section of the website will mostly focus on happenings during the golf trips Mike and I make together; however we'll occasionally make reference to other characters we golf with and thought this would be the perfect place to put some faces to the names.

Rick

Not a golfer himself (yet), Rick (Bill's brother) is the programming genius that helps make this website possible. Rick earned a Master's Degree in Computer Science from Utah State and specializes in web design. Besides helping with the design of the Golf Course Gurus website, Rick is the mastermind behind Satterfield Realty's business website (www.SatterfieldRealty.com) as well as the popular www.LDSChurchTemples.com site. In addition to his professional web design skills, Rick cuts a mean rug on the dance floor where he used to compete nationally in ballroom dancing.

Rick goofing off by hanging from a tree on the edge of the Grand Canyon
Rick at the Grand Canyon
 Rick is one cool customer and well connected. Don't mess with him.
Rick, the baddest web designer around

Steve

When we aren't golfing in just a twosome, there is a good chance Steve (Bill's Dad) is along with us. Bill and his Dad picked up the game together and used to play scrambles all the time so that they didn't get too frustrated with some of our "less than stellar" shots. Today, Steve is a steady player that counts on his deadly low iron game to get the job done. The most beautiful course he's ever played is Jim Engh's Club at Black Rock masterpiece in Coeur d'Alene, ID. His favorite all time course though is Columbia Edgewater in Portland, OR where the LPGA stops each August.

Dad after hitting his approach shot to the 11th green at Black Rock
Dad at Black Rock 11th
 Dad doing what Dad does best, sticking greens with his low irons.
Throwing a dart at Black Rock's 14th

R.Jay

The next character, and I mean character, you'll hear about on this site is Bill's good friend R.Jay Henderson. RJay is a jack of all trades that enjoys snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, basketball, water sports, and of course golf. For a living, RJay is a mortgage lender and has been for nearly ten years. His fondest golf memory is when he stuck his tee shot 26 inches from the hole and birdied the floating green at Coeur d'Alene Resort. The next golf destination that he wants to make a priority to get to is the beautiful Oregon coast to tackle on the courses at Bandon.

RJay and Bill are all smiles after seeing both of our tee shots find the green and not the bottom of Lake Coeur d'Alene
RJay and Bill at Coeur d'Alene Resort's famous 14th hole
 RJay and Bill at Black Rock's 13th hole with the 40 foot waterfalls that frames the hole in the background
RJay and Bill at Black Rock's 13th

Troy

Bill and Troy Bell have been great friends since junior high school and are now next door neighbors so it makes it really convenient to get together for some golf. Troy picked up golf in his 20s after he finished earning his Health Care Administration degree on a football scholorship (running back) at Idaho State University. Naturally athletic, Troy has developed a solid swing and relys on a high fade to get around the course in an efficient fashion. During the summer you are sure to find Troy at Highland golf course teeing off at 6:00 AM getting a quick round in before starting work for the day.

Troy and Tom are having a good time at Entrada in St. George, UT
Troy and Tom enjoy a perfect day at Entrada in St. George, UT
 Troy holds his finish at Tamarack's 8th hole
Troy at Tamarack's third par three on the front nine, the pretty 8th hole

Daren

Bill has known Daren Almond for several years since Bill played basketball with Daren's younger brother, Ryan, from 6th grade on through high school. Prior to becoming a mortgage lender, Daren earned his Rocky Mountain section PGA card in 2000 while shooting his qualifying rounds at Ridgecrest Golf Course in Nampa, ID. Daren plays a high draw off the tee and can always count on his knock-down iron shots to come through when the wind and the pressure rises. Daren has joined The Gurus on a couple of trips to courses like Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Olympic Club, San Francisco GC, Riviera, and Sherwood to highlight a few.

Daren stays behind the ball well here and rips his drive at Saticoy Country Club is Somis, CA
Daren's tee shot on the 12th hole at Saticoy C.C.
 All good things must come to an end, like our round at Cypress Point in 2005
Mike, Daren, and Bill near the clubhouse at Cypress Point G.C.

Tom

Tom married Bill's younger sister (Shelly) and is therefore Bill and Mike's brother-in-law. Tom is a natural athlete that excelled in baseball, football, and basketball in high school and has now obtained the golfing "bug", much to Shel's dismay. Since graduating from Idaho State University, Tom has taken golf more serious where the lefty can get frustrated by the fact he can't test out any of our right-handed golf equipment and visa versa. Tom is a mid-handicapper that plays a fade off the tee and counts on his efficient iron game to score well.

The stunning red cliffs act as a background as Tom takes dead aim on the 12th hole at The Ledges
Tom hits a beautiful tee shot to the par three 12th at The Ledges
 The 200 yard tee shot to Sunbrook's island green is the most intimidating shot on the course
Tom fires at Sunbrook's (Woodbridge) island green

Stacy

About 10 times a year Bill manages to get his sweet wife Stacy out for a round of golf. She'd love to play more but is quite limited due to the amount of time it takes raising a family of four girls who were all born in a six year time period. Stac has a naturally athletic swing which will help her become a good little golfer once she has more time to dedicate to it. One of the best things about Stac though is her super positive attitude about Bill's golfing addiction and supports him in everything he does.

Stacy posing on the 5th green at Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club north of Houston
Stacy at Walden at Lake Conroe Golf Club's 5th green
 Bill and Stac on the 1st green at Trump National near Los Angeles
Bill and Stac at Trump National Los Angeles

Nikki

Ahh, Nikki; what a phenomonal gal. How wonderful is Nikki? Wonderful enough that our wives let us take her on every outing which has made golf trippin' better than ever. Before your mind wanders too much we should explain that Nikki is Bill's Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS unit. Mike named her Nikki (short for Nicole Kidman) after Bill selected the option to have the unit speak with a female Austrailian American accent. Nikki has over six million points of interest programmed into her so that getting to golf courses, restaurants, and motels is now stress free.