For better or worse, golf is a public spectacle, players passing each other as they make their way around a course. Getting away for 18 holes rarely means getting away from it all.
But at stunning Circling Raven Golf Club in Worley, Idaho, golfers can experience a unique reverie, playing largely out of sight of other players as they wend their way through the back nine. Even when the layout brings other signs of humanity, the 620 acres of rolling hills and wetlands just west of Coeur D’Alene still offer a special idyll and an excellent test of golf far from the frantic pace of outside life.
Playing 7189 yards from the tips, Circling Raven (named for a legendary native chief) has been honoured by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and other prestigious golf publications for its combination of challenging golf and a natural setting in the northern Idaho hills. The Gene Bates design, rated 74.5 from the golds and a worthy 70.9 from the blues, has shot up the lists of must-play public courses in the United States.
Bates believes that a memorable course is known for its great par threes and great tees. By that qualification, Circling Raven is a roaring success with a clutch of lengthy, creative par threes to challenge visitors. Among the highlights is No. 13, a daunting downhill carry across wetlands that can play as long as 275 yards from the gold tees to the back flag positions, and No. 7, which plays 212 yards across a gully to a green set in an amphitheatre of trees.
When it comes to tee boxes, Circling Raven is also a memorable day in the country. The 406-yard par four No. 4 demands a challenging approach to a split fairway that can change by several clubs depending on the breeze. And on No. 11, it takes a precise, thumped drive to reach the fairway on the 446-yard par four.
Almost as compelling as the course are the changing colours of the surrounding grasses that go from emerald green in springtime to fiery reds in the summer and then to golden in the fall. And be prepared for the occasional moose or deer that make their home in the copses and bush that blanket the property.
Circling Raven is open from April 1 each spring till late October, and at $75 US in the spring or summer represents great value for the Canadian golfer heading south. (For more info check www.circlingraven.com) Affiliated with the nearby Coeur D’Alene Casino, Circling Raven also offers stay & play packages that top out at $255 at peak summer season.
Owned and operated by the Coeur D’Alene tribe, the golf course and casino have fast become staples of the northern Idaho tourist trail and an economic motor in the state.
As natural and subdued as Circling Raven may be with its native grasses and rolling hillsides, the Coeur D’Alene Resort Golf Course on the shores of Lake Coeur D’Alene is a high-end experience topped by the famous floating green on the 14th hole. Whether it’s the mahogany inlay of the golf carts, the vintage boat that takes you to the 14th green or the whiteclad caddies, the Resort course is perfectly designed for the well-heeled golf crowd.
Opened in 1991 and well known throughout the continent for its floating green that plays 190 yards from the tips, Coeur D’Alene is a course that can be enjoyed by both the skilled player and the occasional golfer who is out for a fun day. Immaculately manicured and groomed, the club attracts everyone from movie stars to businessmen on private trips and couples seeking a getaway at the 300-room resort just down the shore.
The elegant resort rising high above the lake has accommodation/ golf packages available to play the resort golf course (guests are transported by boat to the club) that start at $270 a night, but it can be also used as a base for golfers playing Circling Raven 20 minutes west of the city.
Coeur D’Alene can be reached by air via the Spokane, Washington, airport or by car (approximately six hours from Calgary).
dowbboy@shaw.ca