Home of the world's only floating green — North Idaho's bucket-list golf destination
Coeur d'Alene is Idaho's most famous golf address. The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course has the only movable, floating green in the world — a par-3 14th hole where you take a boat to retrieve your ball. It's been featured in Golf Digest, on the cover of every northwest golf magazine, and on most "golf bucket list" articles ever published. If you fly to Idaho to golf, you're flying to Coeur d'Alene.
But the area is more than the floating green. Within an hour of CdA you have Circling Raven (Native American resort course, regularly ranked top in the Pacific Northwest), Hayden Lake Country Club (private but worth knowing), Avondale Golf Club (semi-private classic), and a handful of solid public options. Plus the lake itself is one of the most beautiful settings in America. Golf here isn't just a round — it's a destination.
Heads up: this is north Idaho. Different climate from Star, Boise, or Sun Valley. Wetter, colder, shorter season. Golf runs roughly April through October. Winter is closed.
Best: June, September. Mid-summer is gorgeous but busy and expensive at the resort. Shoulder seasons offer better rates and fewer crowds with still-perfect conditions.
Summer (July–August): Peak season. 75–85°F days, lake breezes, minimal rain. The Resort course books months in advance. Reserve early.
Spring (April–May): Cool and wet. Some courses don't fully open until May. Great deals if you can handle 50°F mornings.
Fall (September–October): Crisp, gorgeous, fewer crowds, fall colors around the lake. The locals' favorite season.
Winter: Snowed in. Most courses closed November–March.
Forested mountains, clear lakes, dramatic elevation changes. Not desert golf. Not links golf. This is Pacific Northwest pine-and-water golf — closer to British Columbia or Western Montana than the rest of Idaho. Fairways are tree-lined, water features are common, and the scenery is genuinely world-class.
The Resort course is destination golf — polished, expensive, treat-yourself energy. Circling Raven is the equally premium option with better value. The other public courses are more affordable and locals-friendly. Expect packed tee sheets in summer and easy availability in shoulder seasons.
The Coeur d'Alene Resort itself sits on the lake downtown — premium location, premium price, gorgeous views. Surrounding hotels and VRBOs around the lake are cheaper. Post Falls and Hayden (15 minutes north) offer better value. Spokane (35 minutes west, in Washington) is the nearest airport.
| Your Situation | Best Course | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The bucket-list round | Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course | Floating 14th green. The only one in the world. $250–$350. Worth it once. |
| Best overall course | Circling Raven | Top-100 public course, slope 138, $135–$195, native landscape |
| Best value | Avondale Golf Club | Slope 124, $55–$85, classic 1930s parkland design, the locals' choice |
| Resort experience minus the price | StoneRidge Golf Course | Slope 130, $69–$99, Jim Engh design, mountain setting |
| Quick walkable round | Highlands Golf & Country Club | Slope 121, $45–$65, walkable, casual |
| Two-course day | Circling Raven (morning) + Avondale (afternoon) | Best course + best value, both relaxed pace, possible same day in summer |
Home of the world's only floating green. Bucket-list status. Everything you've heard.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 900 Floating Green Dr, Coeur d'Alene, ID |
| Type | Resort (public play) |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 71 |
| Slope | 129 |
| Yards (tips) | 6,803 |
| Green Fees | $250–$350 (peak summer); $175–$250 (shoulder) |
| Cart, caddie, range | All included |
| Forecaddies | Required |
| Phone | (800) 935-6283 |
The Experience: Built in 1991 by Scott Miller for the Coeur d'Alene Resort, this course is famous for one hole — but the whole round delivers. Fairways are immaculate, manicured to PGA standards. Forecaddies (included) handle everything. The course winds through forested hills along the lake until you reach the 14th tee, where the famous floating green awaits. The green itself is a 15,000-square-foot island that's moved between 100 and 175 yards from the tee depending on the day. After your shot (or shots — most people hit a bucket), a small boat called the "Putter" ferries you out for putting. You walk back across a courtesy carpet of red roses laid out for every player. The whole experience is part theater, part golf. The other 17 holes are excellent as well — beautiful mountain backdrops, immaculate conditioning, fair championship layout.
Worth the price? Once. It's expensive. But there's nothing like it on earth, and you'll talk about it for the rest of your life. Don't try to play it cheap — the experience is part of what you're paying for. Book a fall round (cheaper, gorgeous colors) if budget matters.
Best For: Bucket list round, golf trip with serious buddies, milestone birthday, "I can finally afford it" round.
Native American resort course. Top-100 public ranking. Better value than the Resort.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 27068 S Highway 95, Worley, ID (30 min south of CdA) |
| Type | Resort (public play) |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 72 |
| Slope | 138 |
| Yards (tips) | 7,189 |
| Green Fees | $135–$195 (peak); $95–$145 (shoulder) |
| Cart | Included |
| Phone | (800) 523-2464 |
The Experience: Designed by Gene Bates, opened 2003 on Coeur d'Alene Tribe land. Routinely ranked among Golf Digest's Top 100 Public Courses in America. Circling Raven sprawls across 620 acres of wetlands, forest, and high meadows — way more land than typical golf courses. You can't see another hole from any tee. The result is genuine isolation and a course that flows with the natural landscape rather than against it. Slope 138 is challenging but fair — wide fairways, big greens, plenty of room to recover. The conditioning is consistently excellent. Adjacent to the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort which offers stay-and-play packages.
Best For: Best round of your trip if you can't afford the Resort course; serious golfers who want a top-100 experience without the floating-green premium.
Jim Engh design. Mountain setting. Best mid-tier value.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 364 N Brewster Rd, Blanchard, ID (45 min north) |
| Type | Public |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 72 |
| Slope | 130 |
| Yards (tips) | 6,795 |
| Green Fees | $69–$99 |
| Phone | (208) 437-4653 |
The Experience: Jim Engh — one of golf's most distinctive modern designers — built this course in the mountains north of Spokane. Engh's signatures are everywhere: dramatic elevation changes, infinity-edge fairways, deep collection bunkers, and "muscle bunkers" carved into hillsides. Slope 130 is challenging but the wide fairways forgive errant tee shots. Conditioning is good for the price. The drive from CdA is part of the experience — you wind through forest until you crest a ridge and the course opens up below you. Pace is relaxed.
Best For: Day trip from CdA, Engh design fans, mountain setting at half the resort price.
Classic 1930s parkland course. Walkable, affordable, the local choice.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 10745 N Avondale Loop, Hayden Lake, ID |
| Type | Semi-Private (public play available) |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 72 |
| Slope | 124 |
| Yards | 6,420 |
| Green Fees | $55–$85 |
| Walking | Allowed |
| Phone | (208) 772-5963 |
The Experience: Built in 1932, Avondale is the kind of mature, tree-lined parkland course that doesn't exist anymore — you can't build them, the land is gone. Mature pine and fir trees frame every fairway. The greens are old-school small and undulating. Slope 124 is moderate but the trees punish errant shots. The scenery on Hayden Lake is gorgeous and mostly free of new development. Walking is allowed and encouraged. This is Coeur d'Alene golf for people who actually live in Coeur d'Alene.
Best For: Local feel, walking rounds, classic golf architecture, value over flash.
Walkable, casual, in town. Good for a quick round.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 701 N Inverness Dr, Post Falls, ID |
| Type | Semi-Private |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 71 |
| Slope | 121 |
| Yards | 6,300 |
| Green Fees | $45–$65 |
| Phone | (208) 773-3673 |
The Experience: A solid neighborhood-style course in Post Falls (15 minutes from downtown CdA). Slope 121 is forgiving. Walking-friendly layout. Casual vibe — this is where locals play after work. Conditioning is decent. Don't expect resort polish, but for the price you get an honest round of golf in a beautiful area.
Best For: Quick rounds, walking, value, when the marquee courses are booked.
Lakeside course in Rathdrum, north of CdA. Affordable resort feel.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | 5416 W Village Blvd, Rathdrum, ID |
| Type | Public |
| Holes / Par | 18 / 71 |
| Slope | 119 |
| Yards | 6,278 |
| Green Fees | $45–$70 |
| Phone | (208) 687-1311 |
The Experience: Built around the small lakes near Rathdrum (25 minutes north of CdA). Slope 119 is friendly. Course winds through pine forest with several water carries. Conditioning is variable — sometimes excellent, sometimes spotty depending on the season. Pace is good. Affordable rates mean you'll see more locals than tourists.
Best For: Affordable lake-area golf, casual pace, when you want to play more than two rounds in a trip.
Black Rock Club (Coeur d'Alene area) — Private. Jim Engh design, considered one of the best courses in the Pacific Northwest. Members and accompanied guests only. If you know someone, take advantage.
Hayden Lake Country Club (Hayden) — Private 1907 Donald Ross design. One of the oldest courses in Idaho. Members only with very limited reciprocal play.
The Idaho Club (Sandpoint, 45 min north) — Jack Nicklaus signature course on Lake Pend Oreille. Semi-private with limited public access. Worth the drive if you can get on.
Prairie Falls Golf Club (Post Falls) — Affordable executive-style course, slope 113. Good for warm-ups or if you have non-golfers in the group.
Indian Canyon Golf Course (Spokane, WA — 40 min west) — Historic Spokane muni, Robert Trent Jones-designed. Slope 124, $30–$55. Underrated value if you're flying through Spokane.
Friday: Arrive in Spokane, drive 35 minutes to CdA. Check into the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Practice round or relaxation evening on the lake.
Saturday: Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course (the marquee round, the floating green). Lake activities or relaxing afternoon.
Sunday: Circling Raven (the second-best round, best value at the top tier). Drive home or one more night.
Total cost (rooms + 2 rounds): around $1,200–$1,800 per person depending on season.
Day 1: Avondale (afternoon arrival, easy first round)
Day 2: Circling Raven (the marquee, save your fresh legs for it)
Day 3: StoneRidge (Jim Engh, day trip)
Day 4: Highlands or Twin Lakes (easy walk-out round before driving home)
Total: 4 rounds in 4 days, all under $200 per round, no Resort course. Great if the floating green isn't on your list.
CdA is one of the most family-friendly resort towns in the US. Lake Coeur d'Alene offers boat rentals, paddleboards, beaches, parasailing, and downtown shopping. Plan two morning rounds (Avondale Day 1, Circling Raven Day 3) and use the other days for lake activities. Everyone wins.
If you're in Spokane for business or visiting family, CdA is 35 minutes east on I-90. Easy day trip — early tee time at Avondale or Highlands, lunch downtown CdA, drive back. Even doable as a half-day trip.
Coeur d'Alene is Idaho's bucket-list golf destination. The Resort course is unique on earth — there's nothing else like the floating 14th, and every serious golfer should play it once. Circling Raven is the best pure golf course in the area and offers a more affordable top-tier experience. Avondale is the locals' value pick. The lake itself, the food scene, and the easy access from Spokane make this a complete golf-and-vacation destination.
Plan it for September if budget matters. Plan it for July if you want full resort energy. Either way, this is the trip to take when you finally decide it's time to play the famous one.
The floating green isn't a gimmick. It's worth the trip.