Golf courses in the Idaho Panhandle

Idaho’s Panhandle is becoming known for more than just great scenery and outdoor experiences – the area is also the home to some of the state’s best golf courses. Here’s a look at some of the courses you will find around the Idaho Panhandle:

    • Avondale: The course is a par 72, 6,600-yard, 18-hole course nestled among native North Idaho pines in picturesque Hayden Lake. It is privately owned but open to the public. The course was designed by Melvin Hueston with fairways that wind through wooded scenery.  There is a large practice green and natural turf driving range.

    • Circling Raven: The newest course in the area opened in 2003 in Worley, Idaho – about a half-hour south of Coeur d’Alene or east of Spokane. The course is owned by the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe and was part of a $30 million expansion project by the tribe that includes new hotel rooms and more. The course plays to 7,189 yards from the tips and is spread out over 400 acres. It has a respectable slope rating of 144. It was rated as the third best course in Idaho by Golf Digest. Adjacent to the course is the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.          

    • Coeur d’Alene Golf Club: Long before the resort came along, the Coeur d’Alene Golf Club was a fixture on the landscape. The course opened in 1957 and is open to the public. It plays to 6,272 yards and is a par-72.

    • Coeur d’Alene Resort: World-famous resort opened for play in 1991 and has been ranked among the top resorts in the world. Course is known for many things, but two things continually stand out: The condition of the course and the Floating Green. The condition of the course is considered among the best in the country, and the Floating Green is always an attraction.  The par-3 green can be floated anywhere from 100 to 185 yards from land and golfers ride a boat to the green. A major re-modeling project added length to the course a few years ago. While the Floating Green gets most of the attention, there are several other outstanding holes at this resort course.

    • Idaho Club: Formerly Hidden Lakes Golf Resort underwent some dramatic changes and became a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. Three new holes were introduced and new holes replaced existing holes on the first, 17th and 18th hole. In addition, the 10th hole became a dogleg par-4 with water near the green. Vacation homes and rentals are available on site. Sand Point and Lake Pend Oreille are nearby with a variety of opportunities for boating, fishing and shopping. The original rustic clubhouse burned down in December of 2008 and a new one has been built in it’s place.

    • Highlands: Course opened in 1991 and features some terrific scenic views. The 16th hole is a standout and is memorable. The hole is a 322-yard par-4 and is considered the signature hole of the course. The fairway is lined with trees and rises to a ridge. At the top of the ridge you can see all kinds of trouble on the way to the green, things like bunkers, water, mounds and trees. The course removed the country club part of its name to avoid confusion a few years ago.

    • Prairie Falls: Surrounded by mountains with running streams and waterfalls, Prairie Falls in Post Falls offers two different styles of golf Parkland style and Links style, into one exciting 18-hole course. The golf course sits on 119 acres of ground, of which 23 acres is native grass. Since the beginning, Prairie Falls has seen over 6 million rounds of golf and the course is Audubon certified in environmental planning, wildlife management, and water conservation. Some of the wildlife seen on the course have ranged from the occasional Moose, Elk, Eagles, Osprey, Turtles, and a spotted dog. The golf course is open, on average, 300 days a year.  

    • StoneRidge: When the owners of StoneRidge Golf Course, located about a half-hour from Coeur d’Alene in the town of Blanchard, decided to make some changes to the golf course. Not satisfied with a quick fix, they shut down the golf course for more than a year to come up with the kind of changes they envisioned. Nine re-opened in 2002 and the second nine shortly after. There are new tee boxes, new greens, new sand traps, new ponds, new cart paths . . . just about everything is new. The $3 million project gave the course the kind of face-lift the owners, Bridge Partners, hoped for. And the golfers in the NW have liked what they have seen.

• Priest Lake: Located about 90 minutes from Spokane on the upper Idaho Panhandle and near Priest Lake with the Selkirk Mtn. Range as a backdrop. It is a nature walk with tall tree-lined fairways and numerous ponds that challenge your game. Keep an eye out for wildlife.  At 6,100 yards from the tips it plays longer than the yardage shows. The front nine was built in the ‘60s and remodeled in 2004, the back nine winds through the forest and was added in 2002.

• Twin Lakes Village Golf Course: Course is located in a residential community in Rathdrum, Idaho, about an hour’s drive from Spokane. It plays to 6,277 yards with a completely different look from the front and back nines. The club is semiprivate, as homeowners own the course.

• University of Idaho Course: Withstanding the test of time, the University of Idaho Golf Course was originally designed by Francis L. James and constructed in 1933. Nestled among the rolling hills of the Palouse, panoramic wheat land vistas change with the seasons from emerald green to amber gold against a mountain backdrop. This unique course is challenging, offering a variety of shots from uneven lies to elevated and recessed greens.  The front nine provides scoring opportunities, featuring three par 5’s in an open grassland venue.