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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hanging out with the best

CdA Resort, Circling Raven make list

The Coeur d’Alene Resort and Circling Raven are in pretty fast company, according to Golf Magazine.

The magazine’s biennial listing of “Top-100 Courses You Can Play” is in the September issue and lists Coeur d’Alene Resort as No. 69 and Circling Raven as No. 93. The Resort made the list last year at No. 57, but this is the first year on the list for Circling Raven.

The Top 100 list is derived from ratings submitted by a team of Golf Magazine best-of panelists who scour the country to evaluate the best public-access courses, of which there are roughly 14,000.

Pacific Dunes, Tom Doak’s Links-style masterpiece in Bandon, Ore., edged out Pebble Beach Golf Links for the top spot on the list, which hits newsstands Aug. 15.

Others courses on the list include Pinehurst Resort No. 2, Shadow Creek and the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.

Courses on the list has hosted 11 PGA Tour major championships; 13 courses were designed by Tom Fazio and nine by Pete Dye; 23 of the courses you can play for greens fees less than $50, and if you’re a traveling golfer, California has to be on your list as 10 courses land on the list from the Golden State.

Eleven courses were first-time selections to the list, including Chambers Bay near Tacoma, debuting at No. 8. Chambers Bay has been awarded the 2015 U.S. Open.

Since opening in August 2003 Circling Raven has accumulated 31 “best-of” and “best-in-kind” awards, including being named the No. 1 Tribal Casino Course in America by Native American Casino Magazine, a Top 40 Casino Course by Golf Digest (rated No. 4 nationally) and one of the top 18 resort courses in the West by Fairways + Greens Magazine.

Another Idaho course to debut on the list is Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort in Tamarack, Idaho.

The Coeur d’Alene, Circling Raven and Tamarack are members of the Idaho Golf Trail.