From the seventh hole of the Royal Thimpu Golf Club in Bhutan, golf professional Luke Brosterhous says you can see the Decehn Phodrang Monastery.

“This is a truly beautiful country that in some ways reminds me a lot of Steamboat Springs,” Brosterhous said.

The assistant professional at Catamount Ranch & Club admits that the golf courses in Bhutan are a little more primitive than those in the West, but the country’s love for the game is one of the reasons he wants to go back.

Brosterhous discovered the beauty of Thimpu in 2006 when he spent four months working with the Bhutan Youth Golf Association. Sports writer Rick Lipsey started the association in 2002. Lipsey, who was a member of the Cornell University golf team in the 1980s, spent two months with his wife in Bhutan. During that time, he gave the game of golf a jump-start that he continues to support through the Bhutan Youth Golf Association.

An Indian military officer, who convinced the king to build a course, introduced golf to Bhutan in the 1970s. The game has developed a small but dedicated following in the country, but it is growing in leaps and bounds thanks to Lipsey’s influence.

As an instructor with the program, Brosterhous spent last April through August interacting with Bhutan’s children. He said his experience ranged from instructing the children of royalty to lessons with the caddies who work at the Royal Thimpu Golf Club.

The mission of the Bhutan Youth Golf Association is to share golf with the youths of Bhutan. The idea is that through the game of golf, Bhutan’s children will learn about the world beyond the high mountain ranges that have protected – and isolated – their country for hundreds of years.

Brosterhous returned to the U.S. after his stint with the program, and he’s since dedicated himself to raising money for the Bhutan Youth Golf Association and continuing the work he began last summer.

In May 2008, he plans to take a small group of Americans to that region of the world for a unique golfing experience. The group will travel to neighboring Thailand as well to golf and teach.

“We are going to take 10 golfers total,” Brosterhous said. “There is still space available, and I would love it if I can get a couple of people from Steamboat Springs interested in the trip.”

The $6,850 trip includes a $1,500 tax-deductible donation to the Shivas Irons Society and the Bhutan Youth Golf Association. The trip is all-inclusive once the golfers arrive in Bangkok, Thailand, but the cost of the trip does not cover the cost of airfare from the U.S. to Thailand.

Brosterhous, however, believes the cost of the trip is well worth the experience. He says the golf courses are nothing special, but the chance to travel and interact with the people is priceless.

Golfers taking part in the trip will have a chance to teach the young people of Bhutan about golf and the Western lifestyle. They will also get to play golf in the breathtaking Himalayas and take part in guided, in-depth cultural tours of Thailand and Bhutan. The trip includes four days and five nights in Thailand and seven days in Bhutan.