Award-Winning Amenity of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel; Garners Top Distinction for its Design, Natural Setting, Course Conditions and Other Attributes
(WORLEY, Idaho) – Circling Raven Golf Club – the decorated amenity of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel in the Idaho panhandle near Spokane – was voted as the very best golf course in increasingly golf-rich Idaho in the 2009 Golfweek ‘Best Courses You Can Play’ state-by-state rankings which were unveiled this week.
Hundreds of Golfweek raters reviewed courses throughout America to identify the best in each state. They examined overall strength of routing, feature shaping, natural setting, greens, variety and memorability of holes, conditioning and maintenance, landscape management and other criteria.
All five Idaho courses awarded with the best-in-state distinction are members of the Idaho Golf Trail (towns in parenthesis):
1. Circling Raven (Worley)
2. Coeur d’Alene Resort (Coeur d’Alene)
3. Whitetail GC (McCall)
4. Sun Valley GC (Sun Valley)
5. BanBury GC (Eagle)
Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and designed by Golf Course Architect Gene Bates, Circling Raven honors its people by its success, quality and paying homage to the tribe’s heritage and culture.
“Circling Raven and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel are honored by this distinction from Golfweek,” says CDA Casino Resort CEO David Lasarte-Meeks. “We built the course as an amenity to our resort, to honor the land and our people. That we’re recognized as a top course is very gratifying and is consistent with our mission to offer our guests an exceptional resort experience.”
This is the latest award garnered by Circling Raven, which has accumulated 39 since its first full season (2004). Recent honors bestowed upon Circling Raven include:
* Top 100 Courses You Can Play 2008-09 (out of nearly 13,500 U.S. public-access courses) – GOLF Magazine
* Top-40 Casino Courses in the U.S. (No. 4) – Golf Digest
* Top U.S. Resort Courses – Golfweek Magazine 2008
* America’s Top Golf Courses – Zagat Survey 2007-08 rankings
* No. 1 Tribal Golf Course in America – Native American Casino Magazine 2008
* Top 36 Resort Courses in the West – Fairways + Greens Magazine 2008
* Resort Merchandiser of the Year – PGA of America Northwest Section 2008
* Resort Merchandiser of the Year – Inland Empire Chapter of the PGA 2008
* Service Excellence Award by the Coeur d’Alene Area Chapter of the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor
For more information about Circling Raven Golf Club or Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel call 1-800-523-2464 or visit www.circlingraven.com .
About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel
Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and convenient to Spokane (WA) airport, the casino resort and golf club are nestled on a reservation covering 345,000 acres of mountains, lakes, old-growth forest and farmland. The resort spans the western edge of the northern Rocky Mountains. Tribal history also tells us that Circling Raven was a spiritually powerful leader, his name coming from his close relationship to the raven, who helped guide him on his journeys, warn him of danger and show him where to find fish and game.
Circling Raven was created amid a unique blend of wetlands, grasslands and woodlands. At 7,189 yards, the par 72 championship layout meanders through 620 acres, only 100 representing cultivated ground. Wildlife is abundant, including elk, deer, moose and an occasional black bear. In fact, the opening was delayed due to damage on two greens by migrating elk.
Golf Course
* Yardages: Gold, 7,189; Blue, 6,578; White, 6,108; Red, 5,389; Green, 4,708
* Total Acreage: 670 (including practice area, practice green and clubhouse)
* Amenities: The clubhouse is 6,500 square feet, including the Twisted Earth Grill and full service bar. Both locker rooms include showers and lockers. The practice facility covers 25 acres; separated into areas for wedges, sand play and all clubs in the bag. The Stensgar Pavilion adjacent to the course is a full service event venue, used for golf, business, wedding and other events.
* The casino resort hotel adjacent to the course includes 202 rooms, casino, restaurants, and other amenities.
The Coeur d’Alene Casino offers 1,800 machines for play in smoking and non-smoking areas, off-track betting for horse and dog races, high-stakes bingo, entertainment and many other amenities. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week every day of the year. The resort is regularly voted the most popular casino in the Inland Northwest.
Contact:
Dan Shepherd, Buffalo Communications, 703-891-3320,
dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com, www.buffalocommunications.com
