Idaho and Montana Golf Resorts

Call it the Idaho Club
When the Hidden Lakes course was purchased, the new owners brought in Jack Nicklaus to redesign the golf course. All of the holes were redone and some new ones were added. The result was a world-class gem that rivals anything built in the Northwest. The one-of-a-kind clubhouse was left over from the Hidden Lakes days but tragically, late last winter the building along with all of the contents, including the golf carts stored underground, were lost in a fire.

The club is scrambling to replace the lost items but is quick to point out that the guest accommodations and the golf course were untouched and are ready for visitors.

The rustic looking clubhouse maybe gone but a new one is scheduled to be built next year and the management says it will be even better than the one they lost. Outdoor activities are plentiful at the Idaho Club.

With 111 miles of shoreline to enjoy around Lake Pend Oreille, you can do just about anything from water skiing to fishing to swimming to boating.

Coeur d’Alene is first class
The Coeur d’Alene Resort has been open for over 11 years now, and every year has been the same. Golfers come from around the country, only to find a first-class hotel, a perfectly manicured golf course and an area filled with things to do.

And, of course, there’s the world-famous Floating Green. That probably would be a good place to start. The 14th hole, a par-3, is home to the world’s only Floating Green, which moves on a daily basis. In fact, you need to take a boat to get to the green from the tee box. It’s a hole that is pictured among the top island greens in the country.

And the Coeur d’Alene Resort is a place that is listed among the top resorts in the country. In fact, Golf Digest Magazine lists The Coeur d’Alene Resort has a Gold Medal winner among its top resorts in the country.

The hotel features over 300 rooms and allows you to be shuttled to the golf course in an old-style vintage wooden boat.

The hotel features first-class amenities and plays host to many large conventions throughout the year.

But the main attraction is the golf course – and the chance to hit the Floating Green.

New at Sun Valley
The Sun Valley area of Idaho is well known for its winter sports activities but golfers have long discovered the allure of the quality golf that can be found here.

The Sun Valley course sits conveniently near the Sun Valley Resort and features some great views as it winds through the foothills in the shadow of the popular Dollar Mt. And there is more on the way. A new golf course is being built, with nine holes opening in 2009. There is also a 58,000 square foot Nordic center and clubhouse being built. The Sun Valley Village is an attraction all by itself with a myriad of glimmering shops and boutiques.

Elkhorn Golf Club, built in 1974, was the last course designed by the team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. and sits near Sun Valley. The course went through a major re-design two years ago and now is a private club.

Montana’s Meadow Lake
Meadow Lake in Columbia Falls, Mt. blends a Northwest-style golf course with a resort setting.

There’s hotel lodging for guests and a host of amenities, including a spa and fitness center. The resort is also a short 15-minute drive to the entrance of Glacier National Park, a place where you never run out of things to look at. A must see when in this part of the country.

The golf course itself is a solid test at nearly 6,700 yards. The course winds through the trees and challenges you with plenty of water and sand along the entire 18-hole route.

The final three holes are memorable. The 16th is a watery par-3, the 17th a short par-4 with trouble left and right and the 18th hole is a short dogleg left par-4 with trouble off the fairway and then again around the green.

Whitetail’s wilderness
The Whitetail Club golf course in McCall, Idaho, is in a forested setting near Lake Payette.

But it’s also the most exclusive publicly accessible golf course in the state, and the Arizona company that manages the resort formerly known as Shore Lodge makes no apologies.

Whitetails, designed by two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North, opened in June 2002. The 7,013-yard, par-72 course is about 100 miles north of Boise in Idaho.

Whitetail lodge sits on the edge of Payette Lake and is popular luxury resort destination for anyone seeking to leave the world behind for a week or weekend to play golf or just play period.

Circling Raven has it all
Circling Raven Golf Club in Worley, Idaho is the newest resort course in the area for you to try and definitely worth the trip to Worley – which is located about 35 miles south of Coeur d’Alene or about 20 minutes east of Spokane.

The resort is owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe and offers just about everything you need in a place to stay from the golf course to the accommodations to casino gaming to great food.

The course plays long (7,189 yards from the back tees) and offers plenty of scenery along the way.