Discerning Golfers and Travelers Give Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel Amenity High Marks in Several Best-of Categories
(Worley, IDAHO) – ZAGAT America’s Top Golf Courses 2009-10 (Sixth Edition) published its biennial results this month and Circling Raven Golf Club was lauded as one of the country’s best courses in multiple categories.
The ZAGAT survey covers 1,149 of the top courses in the U.S, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Results are based on input from 6,054 reviewers, collectively bringing in more than 640,000 annual rounds.
According to ZAGAT, courses that score between 26-30 points on a 30-point scale rate as “extraordinary to perfection.” Circling Raven scored in this highest category with 28 points.
Only 19 courses in the country scored higher – out of roughly 13,500 public access courses in the U.S. – including iconic names likePebble Beach, Pinehurst No. 2 and Bethpage Black Course, which will host the 2009 U.S. Open Championship this summer.
ZAGAT survey respondents had much to share about Circling Raven including calling the course “majestic,” while another said Circling Raven’s golf course architect, Gene Bates, “aced the natural canvas” and that the surrounding land and “beauty define the setting.”
But perhaps this statement from one ZAGAT survey respondent spoke loudest: “If you are within 100 miles of Circling Raven head there and play it.”
Located an easy, scenic drive from Spokane International Airport (GEG) in eastern Washington, Circling Raven is owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and part of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.
“Circling Raven was designed to honor the land on which it rests, as well as our Tribe and our people,” said CDA Casino Resort Hotel CEO David Lasarte-Meeks. “This pleases us greatly because it means we continue to uphold our responsibility and honor our heritage.”
Here are the other ZAGAT categories in which Circling Raven earned top scores:
40 Most Popular in the U.S.
Top-Rated Service
Scenic
Par 3 Holes
Practice Facilities
Top Course by Region
Quick Pace of Play
Top-Rated Value
This is the latest award garnered by Circling Raven, which has accumulated more than 40 since its first full season (2004). Recent honors bestowed upon Circling Raven include:
* America’s Greatest Public Courses 2009-2010 – Golf Digest
* Top 100 Courses You Can Play 2008-09 – GOLF Magazine
* Top-40 Casino Courses in the U.S. (No. 4) – Golf Digest
* No. 1 in Idaho, America’s Best Courses You Can Play – Golfweek Magazine 2009
* 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 visitwww.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
