Circling Raven

Located close to the state border with Washington, the 18 holes at Circling Raven Golf Club, on the Coeur d’Alene Indian reservation, meander around an expansive, moderately bunkered 620-acre site. The resort development began modestly in 1993 with a bingo hall and now, in addition to the golf course, it offers visitors a couple of hotels and restaurants, a casino, conference centre and a spa.

The course opened in 2003 and it can play to almost 7,200 yards, with a slope of 144 and a rating of 74 against a par of 72, so it can play very tough for those who feel the need to be challenged from the back tees. Golfers of lesser abilities needn’t worry though, as there are plenty of other tee options available.

In fact, designer Gene Bates has said: “The resort course is the ‘sports car’ of golf courses and must be memorable to the point of being spectacular. Yet it cannot penalize players of lesser ability. Guests can count on innovative resort course designs that will entice them to play for years to come.”

The Circling Raven course is certainly no run of the mill resort layout, as evidenced by the four meaty par four holes that play around the turn, particularly at the 474-yard 9th and 446-yard 11th.

Feature holes include “Grassy,” the 217-yard 3rd and “Medicine Man,” the 253-yard 13th that demands a very long carry across an area of native vegetation to reach the green. These are the longest (and best) of the four par three holes on the scorecard. The 2nd hole is a fine par four, doglegging uphill and right to the green, whilst the 581-yard 12th is a strong par five where golfers have to negotiate their way around a small group of trees in the middle of the fairway.