Golf Guide: Coeur dAlene - ID

Coeur d'Alene, a big, sweeping land in the northwest corner of Idaho about an hour from Spokane, Washington, is blessed by a landscape of valleys, ravines, rivers, lakes and tall-growing trees. Where the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe fished along the banks of Lake Coeur d'Alene centuries ago, today about 40,000 folks call this city home while double-decker sightseeing boats, sleek yachts and kayakers cruise the local waters.

One of the big surprises here is the high quality of the golf experience coupled with the relatively low green fees on the Idaho Golf Trail consisting of 14 courses and four loops. You get a huge bang for your buck, especially if you come spring and fall.

Lake Coeur d'Alene is almost always in sight as you play the Coeur d'Alene Resort course, a good choice for those who want to play and stay "in-town" and enjoy perks like caddies and luxury carts.
This immaculately groomed track is distinguished by a floating island green on the 14th hole.

About 30 minutes south of the city, golfers looking for another great play tee up at the highly rated Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort course, Circling Raven. Designed by Gene Bates, Circling Raven plays towards distant mountains, around stands of tall pines and over well-placed bunkers - and perhaps pass by an elk or two. It's a course you can play over and over again and never tire of its subtleties.

Catch world-class entertainment at Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort - perhaps see Wynonna or REO Speedwagon - and test your luck in the casino where there are more than 1,600 Vegas-style gaming machines, $30,000 high stakes bingos, and off-track betting.

Explore Tubbs Hill, a peninsula jutting out into the lake just west of City Hall in downtown Coeur d'Alene or chill out on Sanders Beach, a sandy stretch of lakefront, running from the 11th Street Marina to the south end of the Coeur d'Alene golf course. Also catch the Julyamsh celebrations as the Coeur d'Alene tribe hosts thousands of Native Americans from dozens of tribes each summer.