Coeur d'Alene

Built on the site of an old sawmill, the course at the Coeur d’Alene resort is most famous for the floating green on the par three 14th hole where the distance from tee to putting surface is changed every day by computer control. The green extends to around 15,000 square feet so some might argue there’s no real excuse for missing the target. Golfers complete the hole by boarding an electric powered shuttle boat and when they return, they’re presented with a personalised certificate to mark the completion of this rather unique hole.

Actually, the 14th isn’t the only quirky golfing aspect to the layout here as there are three par threes played in four holes very early in the round (between the 3rd and 6th) due to the constraints of shoe horning a full 18-hole course into the property.

Architect Scott Miller – who spent most of the 1980s working for Jack Nicklaus on projects like Bear’s Paw in Florida and Castle Pines in Colorado – was the man who made a wonderful job of squeezing the fairways into such a tight parcel of land between the I-90 highway and the northern shores of the Coeur d’Alene Lake.

Highlight holes other than the 14th include the 148-yard 5th, where sand virtually surrounds the three-tiered green, and the downhill 169-yard 6th, which plays to a back-to-front sloping green that’s framed by tall, slender pine trees.

On the back nine, the toughest hole on the inward half is encountered at the 538-yard 11th, where Fernan Creek runs along the left of the hole before cutting diagonally across the fairway in front of another multi-tiered putting surface.

Visiting golfers should note that the green fee includes a wooden boat ride from The Coeur d’Alene resort, unlimited use of an over-the-water driving range, the hire of a golf cart, an engraved bag tag and the services of a forecaddie… all that, and the chance to sign for “3” at the floating 14th.