Circling Raven Ranks as Top Casino Golf Course in the Northwest and No. 14 Nationally

Circling Raven Golf Club garnered the No. 14 ranking in Golfweek’s just published “Top 50 Best U.S. Casino Courses, 2024,” rising four places since last year in the annual compilation.

Not only did Circling Raven climb toward the top 10 in America, it leapfrogged another Northwest casino course to become the top-rated layout in the region.

“This is an excellent distinction for Circling Raven on several fronts, not the least of which is that casino courses are understood by discerning golfers to be some of the best collectively in the country,” said Laura Penney, CEO, Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.

Named after a seminal tribal leader and designed by Gene Bates, Circling Raven has climbed higher in the annual rankings in four of the last five years. Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, it spreads out over more than 620 acres of ancestral homelands – nearly five times more acreage than the average course globally.

The Tribe’s mandate that Circling Raven provides a first-class experience and superb playing conditions combined with Bates’ inspired vision created an unforgettable golf course. An array of diverse yet complementary holes wind through heaving, pristine Palouse Region countryside with no surrounding development. Players leave marveling about the inspiring golf experience found at Circling Raven.

Golfweek course raters clearly value the Tribe’s mission and its admirable execution at Circling Raven. Not only is it honored as a top casino course nationally, but it’s been rated Golfweek’s No. 1 public course in Idaho for nearly every one of its 20 seasons. To construct its rankings, hundreds of evaluators survey thousands of courses annually – grading each nominated course on Golfweek’s standards of evaluation.

Golfweek previously wrote the following about Circling Raven: 

“The earth seems to stretch out in all directions, with miles of yellow grasses stretching to the Coeur d’Alene Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range of the Rockies. It’s a visual treat, crossing ridges between greens and tees to see the next hole framed in one of three distinct environments: woodlands, wetlands and Palouse – a geologic term involving wind-blown hills, moguls and fertile sandy soil.”

The Circling Raven Golf Club, while closed from November until next spring, offers the next best thing: the new Circling Raven Golf Suites that may debut as early as later this month in the casino. Stocked with golf simulators, they enable guests to enjoy playing indoors year-round. 

Located approximately 55 minutes from Spokane International Airport (GEG) adjacent to the award-winning casino resort, Circling Raven measures 7,189 yards from the rear tees. A nationally honored retail shop and the excellent Twisted Earth restaurant with bar complement the outstanding golf course.

For more information, visit cdacasino.com.

About Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel

Since 1993, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe has operated the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, located where sky greets Mt. Tch’mutpkwe, source of the St. Joe River, 25 miles from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The casino resort is among the largest employers in North Idaho employing between 850-1,100 depending on the season and contributing more than $36 million to education in the region since it opened. Additionally, millions more have gone in support of a wide range of public projects, emergency relief, charities, and programs in the Pacific Northwest. Named Tribal Destination of the Year in 2019 by AIANTA and winning the silver Distinguished Dozen award from Courier in 2019 and 2020, the property features 300 rooms and suites, seven distinct food and beverage venues and entertainment including live music and comedy as well as hands-on tours and experiences through the casino’s Cultural Tourism Program. Three million-dollar winners have found their luck on 100,000 square feet of gaming space offering nearly 1,200 video gaming machines and high stakes bingo. Additional amenities include a 15,000 square foot spa voted 1st for “Resort Spas that deliver the Ahh Factor” by Spatrips.com, 40,000 square feet of meeting space, indoor and outdoor wedding locations and Circling Raven Golf Club, an 18-hole, par 72 course acclaimed as a “Top 100” course by every major golf publication in the U.S. 

For more information about Coeur d’Alene Casino and Circling Raven, visit www.cdacasino.com.