A golfer could play at a different course every day for nearly two weeks straight in Southern Idaho. A dozen distinctive courses await throughout the area, each with unique features.

“Golf is a popular sport throughout Idaho,” says Steve Meyerhoeffer, head golf professional and manager at Twin Falls Golf Club, which opened in 1939.

Meyerhoeffer describes the Twin Falls Golf Club course as "a nice bluegrass layout with 5,200 yards and a par-68," adding "My favorite hole is No. 17, a 190-yard par-3 with a small green, trap on the left and out-of-bounds on the right. It’s very scenic.”

A Twin Falls native, Meyerhoeffer knows the local golf scene well from playing it himself here for years. And prior to taking his current position in June 2011, he served as golf pro for 16 years at Clear Lake Country Club in Buhl, an 18-hole, semi-private course that allows flyfishing in its 15-acre spring-fed lake across the street.

“Clear Lake is beautiful because it is situated in rolling hills along the Snake River, and offers great views thanks to its wildlife setting,” he says.

Besides knowledge of local courses, he oversees the development of the next generation of local golfers as coach of the boys and girls golf teams at Twin Falls High School. The TFHS boys golf team won the Idaho state championship in 2011 and 2012, and is favored to win the 2013 title because all five players are still students at TFHS. The girls team finished second in the state in 2012, but has lost three players to graduation and is rebuilding in 2013, Meyerhoeffer says.

Twin Falls plays in a conference against high schools such as Burley, Jerome, Canyon Ridge, Minico and Wood River, then competes in the state tournament against traditional powers from Boise, Lewiston, Moscow and Pocatello.

From Tee to Green

Of the area's most talked about courses, Canyon Springs Golf Course in the Snake River Canyon usually comes up for its stunning views along its 18-hole layout.

Another top destination is Blue Lakes Country Club, a private 18-hole course open year round and situated in the Snake River Canyon. Meanwhile, Jerome Country Club is open to the public and has a new PGA head professional, Troy Vitek, and the new Caddy Shack Restaurant & Bar. Jerome CC was also named "Readers Choice best course to play" by the Twin Fall Times-News.

Other courses throughout Southern Idaho include the 18-hole Burley Golf Course that measures 6,437 yards and is a par-72, and a nine-hole, par-3 Pebble Ponds Golf Course in Filer that features tree-lined fairways and two water holes.

“The cost of play in Southern Idaho is reasonable, and the courses are always in good shape and challenging,” Meyerhoeffer says. “There was an overall attendance drop from 2008-2011 due to the economy, but 2012 has seen a reversal of those numbers. Let’s hope it’s the start of a new trend because golf is one of the great aspects of living in the Magic Valley.”

Read more on recreational activities in Twin Falls, ID.