SANDPOINT — Stunning views? Check.

Challenging, yet fun play? Check.

One of the best golf courses in the region? That another check.

The only thing missing on Wednesday is you — and a few of your golf-playing friends. What's special about that day? Set for Wednesday, Sept. 15, the annual Newspapers in Education golf tournament offers a chance to play the Jack Nicklaus-designed Idaho Club, with dinner by the club's renowned restaurant, and access to a silent auction.

Proceeds from the tournament will go to fund the Newspapers in Education programs at the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts. That ensures that the districts' students have access to their local newspaper as a free resource in the classroom — giving students access to what's happening in their community and helping promote learning and literacy.

The Idaho Club is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course in Idaho. With the scenic Lake Pend Oreille framing the views on the one side and Schweitzer the other, the course features some of the best golf in the region.

The course has been ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top 10 courses in Idaho for the past several years, this year making the chart at No. 8 for its playability, layout and aesthetics.

The Idaho Club features a stunning design the makes the most of the area's natural setting — a blend of wetlands, trees and waterways, according to GolfNow.com.

"With an abundance of water the course is as beautiful as it is challenging," the website notes in a review of the course.

The pros at GolfCourseGurus.com agree. In a review by Bill Satterfield, The Idaho Club is praised for it views and both the front and back nine.

"At the Idaho Club, expect forced carries, jaw-dropping scenery, and a serious challenge," Satterfield said in reviewing the course.

With a shotgun start, the teams will tee off simultaneously from the course's 18 holes. To make things even more fun, there will be games and activities and specific contests at various holes.

In one review of the course on GolfNow.com, one golfer called the course a "tale of two nines" with mountains featured on the front nine and water on the back. "The course is extremely difficult with lots of forced carries and water and from the tips it’s all you can ask for," the golfer said of the course. "Highly recommend this course to any golf trip."

And, by taking part in the tournament, you get 18 great rounds of golf at a premiere course AND the community's youth benefit.

Hosted by the Bonner County Daily Bee, the cost of the tournament is $150 per golfer, $520 for a foursome, and $55 for just the dinner. The tournament starts at 12:30 p.m.

To sign up for the NIE golf tournament, contact Bill Davis at the Bonner County Daily Bee. He can be reached at 208-263-9534 or by email at [email protected].