CIRCLING RAVEN GOLF CLUB
RUNDOWN: In Worley Idaho, on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, you will find one of the best courses in Idaho. It is ranked #7 in Golf Digests best in state for Idaho and comes in just behind the Coeur d'Alene Resort course. In my opinion, this is the number one public course in Idaho. While the resort course is beautiful, with a one of a kind attraction in the floating green, Circling Raven is a better all around golf course. This is a course you would want to have a season pass at so you could play it every single day. The conditioning and routing is superb and will require you to hit every club and shot you have in the bag. The course is very spread out amongst 620 acres and at many points you feel secluded from every other golfer. The terrain will change from rolling hills, to woodlands to tall grasses. The variety and seclusion from others here will keep you coming back for more. The course is very fair, but it also plays fairly difficult. The rough is thick and the bunkers are plenty, so it pays to hit the ball straight here.
The resort is a great destination in the Coeur d'Alene area. The resort hotel is right near the course and offers great stay rates with very clean rooms. I believe we paid only $85 for one night in the resort, split between four of us, it is definitely hard to beat! If you are in to gambling then there is a full casino located within the resort. We enjoyed our stay here and absolutely loved the golf course. Do not pass this up in North Idaho, you will be sorely disappointed!
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Gene Bates and opened in 2003.
Public Course.
Rates range from $75 to $105. There are also stay and play packages available.
5 sets of tees range from 4,708 to 7,189 yards.
https://www.cdacasino.com/golf/
1-800-523-2464 38530 S Nukwalqw St, Worley, ID 83876
The resort is a great destination in the Coeur d'Alene area. The resort hotel is right near the course and offers great stay rates with very clean rooms. I believe we paid only $85 for one night in the resort, split between four of us, it is definitely hard to beat! If you are in to gambling then there is a full casino located within the resort. We enjoyed our stay here and absolutely loved the golf course. Do not pass this up in North Idaho, you will be sorely disappointed!
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Gene Bates and opened in 2003.
Public Course.
Rates range from $75 to $105. There are also stay and play packages available.
5 sets of tees range from 4,708 to 7,189 yards.
https://www.cdacasino.com/golf/
1-800-523-2464 38530 S Nukwalqw St, Worley, ID 83876
REVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS
Hole 3 Par 3 - 217 Yards
I love the setting of this par three. The tee sits slightly uphill in relation to the green which brings a little confidence to me on a par 3. The backdrop is framed by trees and the railroad tracks with expansive views. The green is well protected by a large bunker on the front left side. The rough around this green is thick, so the obvious miss is short and right here. A shot shop of right to left will allow a little more access to the green here. This hole has some teeth, but can be played pretty straightforward. Just do not look up to see the view as you swing, a duff off the tee here will lead to some high numbers!
Hole 4 Par 4 - 406 Yards
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Once I saw this hole from the air, I looked forward to playing it the most of any hole on the property! The split fairway just adds to the strategy and difficulty of the hole. It really makes you think off the tee and brings about so many options. The left side is easier to hit off the tee but will increase the trouble of your approach shot. The right side will require you to carry some elevated bunkers but provides the best route to this green. I was feeling pretty good at this early point of the round and decided to give it a go on the right side. Like I said, I looked forward to this hole for an entire day after seeing it. Unfortunately, after I swung out of my shoes, I watched the ball dive over the cart path and into the thick stuff. Can't wait to get back here and give it a go!
The approach shot into this green is well guarded on the left side. Pull it too far left and you will be lost in the thick grass and playing 4 from the fairway. Your score can elevate quickly, but it will not take away from the enjoyment you will find here. |
Hole 8 Par 4 - 386 Yards
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After you walk away from this course, this is one of the holes you will be able to picture the best. This is a relatively short par four that has a generous landing area off the tee. You can quickly find trouble left and right off the tee however. We ran into the heaviest rain of our trip here, so the views of the hills in the background was obscured. The tree lined fairway seems to really sell the beauty of this hole. Enjoy the view off the tee, but take advantage of this hole with a good drive. I myself ended up left, but Kevin ended up further left and behind the trees. The picture pretty much shows his angle to this green.
The green is an open target really, as long as you avoid short right. The backside of the green falls off a little as well, but you shouldn't have a problem hitting the green with a short iron or wedge. You really have an opportunity to score on this hole, so enjoy the view and hit it straight. |
Hole 10 Par 4 - 336 Yards
Right next to the clubhouse you will see the tee for hole number ten. It will immediately get you excited to get to the back nine. Driver may not be the play for most people, but the green is drivable in favorable conditions. You can get yourself in a world of trouble with the big stick, so if you aren't feeling confident then just lay up with a long iron or a fairway wood. The fairway bunker is a great aiming point and will keep you away from the large trees that will lead to disaster. On your approach shot you will want to avoid the bunkers on the left. The large green has a ridge running through the middle from left to right and a false front on the right side. You have a great shot at hitting this green in two, but make sure you put yourself in the right area if you want to walk away with a birdie.
Hole 12 Par 5 - 581 Yards
Here is my favorite par 5 on the property because it also makes you think of a plan from the tee box. You once again encounter some large trees in the landing area that can quickly turn this from a scoring opportunity to a blow up hole. The trees split this fairway and make you choose left or right off the tee. The left side is easier to hit, but the angle into the green is more difficult than the right side. An approach shot from the left will require a carry of multiple bunkers and a shot shape from right to left. The right side provides a much easier shot into this green guarded by a large bunker on the left. Birdie is definitely in play here, but that can also change quickly.
Hole 15 Par 4 - 426 Yards
Seeing this hole from the tee box made this hole my second most anticipated hole of the day. The tree lined fairway just brings about the beauty you will enjoy on this course. The slight dog leg from left to right will play best to someone with a left to right flight pattern. The trees come right to the edge of the fairway on the right side, so avoid those and you should at least have a shot into the green. I pulled out my 3 wood, as my driver had failed me many times on this day, and I piped a shot right down the center of the fairway. The anticipation of this shot was followed by excitement that I had actually delivered off this tee box. Now, the second shot was not the same, as I watched that one hook to the left and into the deep stuff by the green. You should have a mid to short iron into this green that plays downhill from the fairway. There are no bunkers around the green, but it has some definite teeth as it falls off on all sides into the thick rough. I loved the overall feel of this hole and can't wait to return and give it a go again.