Coeur d'Alene Resort Coeur d'Alene, ID www.cdaresort.com
it's everything you've heard - and a whole lot more!
How do you describe perfection?
When it comes to golf, it is described within the fairways, greens, bunkers, trees, waters, views and people of Coeur d’Alene Resort.
For years the only thing I’ve heard about the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho is that it has the only floating green in the world, but it’s much, much more than that. Coeur d’Alene Resort is one of the top rated golf resorts in the world, garnering a rare 5-Star rating from Golf Digest, and similar “Best of” accolades from every other service involved in rating golf courses and resorts. Believe me when I tell you they are very well deserved. Inevitably, most conversations and articles about Coeur d’Alene center around the most unique green in the world – the brilliant floating masterpiece which requires a quick boat ride just to get there. I was bound and determined not to make a big deal about that green since everyone else does, but to tell you the truth…it deserves all the attention. As I mentioned earlier, Coeur d’Alene Resort is much more than just that green, but any story true to the spirit of the course simply cannot ignore it, as it is the visual focal point from the moment you arrive.
Coeur d'Alene Resort has earned a reputation as being a rather easy course over the years, with many guests posting their best score ever on the original 6,320 yard layout. This is now in the past, as numerous renovations and redesigns of the course were completed in 2002, including an aggressive 430 yard expansion of the course which has made it a much more demanding layout. In addition, they changed the previous custom of mowing all reachable grass areas to fairway height and have developed a thick, plush rough to punish wayward shots, as the game’s honored traditions demand. Although these changes might add a stroke or two (or ten) to the average golfer’s score by the end of the 18 sensational holes, it has also provided a much more rewarding golf experience to anyone who takes the game serious.
Upon arriving at Coeur d’Alene Resort you will be greeted by your forecaddie for the day. Although I’m sure every caddie working at the resort provides excellent service and knowledgeable local advice, I feel blessed to have been given access to the services of Jason Chapman for the day. Our group consisted of a single player from Boise, a super nice couple from the Seattle area, and me. Jason introduced us to each other before we headed to the waterfront range to warm up, then, as our tee time approached he made sure we were ready for the upcoming round, giving us some general course knowledge and getting our minds and spirits ready for our imminent adventure through paradise. We headed to the first tee with much more excitement and anticipation than I normally feel before a round of golf, along with the slight bit of dread most amateurs probably feel when they know their going to be playing under the watchful eye of a professional caddie.
In 2003, Annika Sorenstam played in the PGA Tour’s Bank of America Colonial tournament in Dallas, Texas. Annika is arguably the finest golfer in the world, and has played in hundreds of professional tournaments before countless tens of thousands of spectators over the past decade. However, there was something special about that day. That tournament, and most importantly, her first shot of the day were nerve-wracking for the seasoned veteran and superstar. After her round she said she was more nervous before that first shot than she’d ever been before, and you could literally see the relief on her face after she hit her typically perfect shot right down the middle of the fairway. I’m not saying I felt anywhere near what she must have felt that day, but I can tell you I was quite relieved and pleased when I saw my first tee shot heading for the middle of the first fairway, in perfect position for the second shot on this relatively short par 5. I felt even better when my approach shot settled on the green about 12 feet right of the hole, and walked off the first green quite satisfied with an easy tap-in par. Why is it we humans are affected by something so innocuous as a guy watching us play a game that matters so little in the big scheme of life? Jason has been looping at Coeur d’Alene Resort for the past 8 years, and has surely seen hundreds of golfers better than me, and thousands that maybe aren’t quite as skilled. Me and my skill level means nothing to him, yet it seemed like it’s such a big deal at the time. I quickly realized that he was there to help me (and the other three members of our little band), not to judge us and report back to the world as to what he saw. His affable style and knowledgeable advice were greatly appreciated by all four of us, and we promptly lost the nervousness we felt on the first tee and settled into a positive, enjoyable relationship for the next four hours.
The first hole heads north and away from the lake, and the second hole plays right back towards the water. The first hole sports one of the most beautiful greenside bunkers you’re going to find on this planet, and the view through the trees to the green sitting above the shore on the second hole is stupendous. After such a stunning introduction, it might be normal for you to think it’s not going to get any prettier than these holes. You’d be wrong.
Coeur d’Alene Resort is made up of 18 of the most beautiful and well-manicured golf holes you’re ever going to see – and they all just happen to be offered together on one course. After the first two holes you hit a stretch of short holes, however they pack more beauty and challenge into their limited length than you’ll find on holes twice their length. The single greatest truth of golf I’ve come to learn as I’ve journeyed across the country is that length is the most over-rated statistic in golf. The stretch of holes from # 3 to # 6 reads like the local pitch and putt on paper, 155, 322, 138 and 169 yards respectively, but when you see the location, ambiance, challenge and beauty of these holes you’ll think you’re in golf heaven. Actually, you’ve only just arrived at the pearly green gates of golf nirvana, and the next twelve holes will get you all the way in!
Coeur d’Alene Resort is open for golf from April 1 through approximately the end of October, depending on the weather. Many people think that late summer is the absolute best time to visit, but any day spent playing this incredibly beautiful, perfectly manicured resort is going to be one of your best days ever. It certainly was one of mine!