Three courses. Three rounds. Sixteen golfers. Fifty-four holes. 

That combination has produced plenty of bogies and birdies, a few eagles and about $150,000 for local nonprofits over the past five years. 

There are great expectations for year six of Coeur54. 

“After five years, we have learned a lot,” said Dustin Ainsworth, organizer. "We’re hitting our stride.” 

Golfers will take their first swings at 6 a.m. June 3 at Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course. After completing 18 holes, they’ll head to Avondale Golf Club in Hayden Lake for 18 more, and finish at Hayden Lake Country Club. 

All told, it will be a long day on the links, about 13 hours.

The golfers are competing for trophies and bragging rights. Live scoring through the app Golf Genius will be posted on social media. 

Before the day is done, they’ll be mentally and physically drained from thousands of drives, pitches and putts, but feel great knowing they’re benefiting four nonprofits, Idaho Drug Free Youth, Growing the Stem, Village of Hope and Safe Start. 

This year, Coeur54 has new sponsors and hopes to raise another $50,000. 

“We are very fortunate to have the golf community supporting us,” he said. 

But it's not just about money. 

Ainsworth said they become ambassadors for the nonprofits, publicizing their important role and good work. 

“If they are getting the resources they need, our community benefits,” he said. 

The event got its start due to the pandemic in 2020 when fundraising ground to a halt. 

“The only thing you could do is go outside and play golf,” Ainsworth said. 

So he and seven friends turned their love of the links into a fundraiser. They played 54 holes over three courses in one day and raised $15,000 for CdAIDE. 

“We were off and running,” Ainsworth said. 

In 2021, they added eight players and raised about $30,000, split between Village of Hope and First Tee of North Idaho.  

In 2022, they donated $13,000 to Newby-ginnings of North Idaho and an additional $12,000 to seven area organizations. 

In 2023, they raised $20,000 for Specialized Needs Recreation and another $17,250 for 11 additional organizations.   

In 2024, they set a record and presented 4-H of North Idaho with a check for $30,000 and another $20,000 to 12 additional organizations in Kootenai County. 

Of the original eight golfers, Ainsworth, Ryan Deschryver and Scott Kramer remain. This year’s lineup includes a few new names. The golfers carry single-digit handicaps, which means they’re pretty good.  

But after 54 holes in one day, even they need a break. 

"Most of us put the clubs away for a couple days," Ainsworth said.

To donate or sponsor: Coeur54.com