Idaho Golf Trail

Ten courses around the state of Idaho join up to give visitors a taste of the high quality golf that can be found in the state
Now in its sixth year of play, the Idaho Golf Trail entices the golfing enthusiast to sample the best in Idaho golf. There are 119 golf courses statewide, and the golf trail features 10 courses that you might have read about in national golf publications because of their quality, challenge and experience.

“The courses on the Idaho Golf Trail range from very good to worth-crossing-a-continent to play,” said one golf connoisseur. The golf trail is organized into three loops – the Northern Loop, Central Loop and Southern Loop. Because of the broad distances between the different regions of Idaho (many mountain ranges stand in the way of direct travel north-to-south), it’s best to focus on one region at a time.

Almost all of the courses on the Idaho Golf Trail are embraced by a resort, so it’s possible to arrange accommodations and recreation activities as part of your stay. A well-rounded golfer could play the Sun Valley course in the morning, fly fish for rainbow trout on the Wood River in the afternoon, and then take in an ice show at Sun Valley Lodge in the evening.

Sun Valley, Banbury Golf Club, and Falcon Crest Golf Club comprise the Southern Loop of the golf trail. One could start out in the Boise area and hit Banbury and Falcon Crest, and then scoot up to Sun Valley (2.5 hours away) to finish off the southern loop.

In Central Idaho, three of the four courses are in close proximity near McCall and New Meadows. The meticulously groomed Whitetail Club is a stone’s throw from Payette Lake, is just 30 minutes south, next to Lake Cascade. Jug Mountain Ranch, nestled in the woods, is only a few miles south of Whitetail, and Meadow Creek, a pine forest gem, is about 30 minutes from Whitetail and McCall. University of Idaho Golf Course has been added, replacing Tamarack which closed earlier this year.

In Northern Idaho, all three courses on the trail are located close together, near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, just 30 minutes from the Spokane, Wash. The 18-hole course at the Coeur d’Alene Resort offers a tantalizing chance to hit a clean iron onto a floating island green on Lake Coeur d’Alene. You can play hide and go seek at Circling Raven, south of Coeur d’Alene, where all of the nearby holes are hidden by wetlands and lush vegetation. Stone Ridge, near Spirit Lake, features multiple water hazards and sand trips.

After completing the experience of playing all 10 courses on the Idaho Golf Trail, players may be just as impressed with the surrounding mountain and lake scenery as the golf experience itself. Players would travel along five scenic byways, four river corridors and three major lakes to experience the trail.

For more information on the Idaho Golf Trail, see www.idahogolftrail.com