Going Long in Ely Golf pro Randy Long takes his shot at small-town golf. By Kent Harper Randy Long was seeking a change when he moved from Reno to Eastern Nevada. Ely golf pro Randy Long can instantly improve the distance of your drives. His secret? The altitude. The White Pine Golf Course is 6,500 feet above sea level. As at Lake Tahoe, the lower air pressure often means longer shots for golfers. But that atmospheric edge isn't what brought Long to Ely from Reno three years ago. Long served 12 years as an assistant pro at LakeRidge and two years as director of instruction at Rosewood Lakes, so he was used to working on busy urban golf courses - the kind that have eight golf pros, 100 carts, 300 tournaments per year, eight-minute intervals between groups, and marshals to keep everyone moving. Long and his wife, Lori, simply decided it was time for a change. "We wanted our children to be raised in the kind of small-town environment we were," says Long, who grew up in Plentywood, Montana. The Longs have three children, 12-year-old twins Gerdon and Marlee and four-year-old Lauren. "I came here from a fast-paced Reno environment," Long says. "Here it's just a slower pace. It took awhile for my heart rate to adjust." Long is pouring coffee for two golfers who stopped by the pro shop. "I have time to sit down and have a cup of coffee with my members," the 46-year-old pro says. "Best coffee in town," the pair choruses. "I get a lot of walk-ins," Long says. "I hardly set tee times." In Reno , Long might see 250 golfers tee off per day. The White Pine course averages closer to 45. "The uniqueness is we're 240 miles away from major metropolitan areas [Las Vegas and Salt Lake City ]." That's the difference between 50,000 rounds per year at many city courses and 12,000 per year in Ely. "You don't feel pressured," he says of the Eastern Nevada location. "You can go out to play and get it done. It's relaxing." The 18-hole White Pine course has a scenic setting framed by the Schell Creek and Egan ranges. The course's northwest corner abuts the Nevada Northern Railway yards, and in summer the steam engines' whistles echo off the mountains as the former ore trains now haul tourists. Golfers also share the course with wildlife. Long says that two pronghorn antelopes lived on the course for two months before seeking less humanized forage, and deer occasionally dart across the fairways. While golfers can play relaxed on the Ely course, it's a long, hard, 14-hour day for its pro. Long, who comes to work at 6:30 a.m., finds himself mowing greens or cooking hamburgers at the snack bar ("I burned the first one until I got used to the altitude," he confesses). He also oversees a small bar, the pro shop, and 32 golf carts. "Most days that's enough carts," Long says, "but during tournament days, we are hurting." More carts are on his wish list. Under Long's leadership, play has grown from 8,400 rounds in 2004, his first year, to 12,000 rounds in 2005. He schedules numerous tournaments, from the Ely Amateur in May to the Member-Guest Tournament in December. Each event requires a lot of preparation. "I don't have 30 people to do the maintenance or a $500,000 budget," Long notes, "but the members are there when I need them." He says he's amazed by the support he gets from the local golfers. "More support than complaints," he emphasizes. "There's a real pride factor here," Long explains. "The locals are proud of what they've built. We work together." When the original nine-hole course was built in 1957, architect Bob Baldock followed the natural terrain. In 1998 a community effort provided volunteers and money to expand the course to 18 holes. It has many trees, bunkers, water, and some open, "go for it" holes. Long says he continues to try to keep the green fees down. Players pay $24 for 18 holes. Carts cost $12 per person, and clubs are rented, too. Long says many visiting golfers are snowbirds following their north-south migration on U.S. 93. They return often, bringing other golfers to the area. That's in large part due to the friendliness of the locals, Long says. The Ely area has a different lifestyle, and many people from urban areas find it refreshing. "It's not all hustle and bustle," he adds. "It's a great way to live." And play golf. Kent Harper is the editor of the Ely Times.