Whitefish

In August, Lisa and I visited my cousin Jim Case and his wife Janice at their beautiful vacation home in Whitefish, Montana.

Judge Jim, Janice, and Bill with Rocky Mountain sunset and Whitefish Lake in the background

Bill and Lisa

Jim and Janice share our passion for golf, so we had the pleasure of playing several rounds at Ironhorse Golf Club, where Jim and Janice are members. The Ironhorse course is a Tom Fazio design which is justifiably ranked as the best test of golf in Montana. The course winds its way through a pine forest with glorious mountain views everywhere you turn. There are no weak holes at Ironhorse, either from the standpoint of challenge or beauty. The greens were extremely difficult to read, but we were helped by the unerring eye of Ian, our personable caddy.

The view from the 18th tee at Ironhorse

Bill driving

The four of us teamed up to compete in the club's Sunday member-guest event. In our Saturday practice round, I shot a year-best 73 on my own ball, and saw no reason why I could not carry my stellar play over to the tournament. Unfortunately it didn't happen. Our team finished back in the pack, but that result did not detract from the fun.

Ironhorse is a wonderful club where we were warmly welcomed by everyone we met, including Jim and Janice's good friend, golfer David Graham, former U.S. Open and PGA champion. Jim and Janice's home sits above the clouds half-way up a mountainside with breathtaking views of Whitefish Lake. Eyeing this vista with our wonderful hosts on their veranda while sipping fine wine provided us memories we will long savor.

The unmatched view from Jim and Janice's veranda

Whitefish is a great "old west" town well worth a visit. As a railroad station devotee, I enjoyed touring the town's Tudor-design railroad station- a still-active AMTRAK stop. We could hear the night train's mournful whistle blowing far across Whitefish Lake as we drifted off to sleep - a fitting close to our adventure-filled days in Montana.

The old Great Northern train terminal at Whitefish

Thank you Jim and Janice!