Circling Raven Caps Banner Season with National Best-of Ranking By Brian Weis

Circling Raven Caps Banner Season with National Best-of Ranking

Award-winning amenity of Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel shined in 21st season

By Brian Weis

Like fine wine, Circling Raven Golf Club continues to get better with time, a fact underscored by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe-owned course garnering awards and achieving elevated business objectives this season which concludes on Oct. 26.

On the awards front, Circling Raven most recently earned the No. 17 ranking in Golfweek's just published "Top 50 Best U.S. Casino Courses, 2025." The golf course has been in the nation's top 20 casino venues for more than a decade. It was also named the No. 1 public course in Idaho by Golf, Golf Digest, and Golfweek.

"We value critical acclaim from media experts as it demonstrates Circling Raven's credibility to people who haven't played it yet," said Laura Penney, CEO, Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel. "Ensuring that our amenities provide great satisfaction to our guests is a priority."

Beyond honors, Circling Raven excelled with its business performance, guided by Director of Golf Don Rasmussen, PGA. Revenue increased nearly 10% overall. Women's participation grew via the addition of a new league and clinics for them and the hiring of the club's first woman golf professional (Katie Ochoa). Golf stay-and-play packages sold rose 43%, with 15% of stay-and-play players purchasing additional rounds during their visit.

Circling Raven is revered for its ingenious design by golf course architect Gene Bates and its superb course conditions overseen by Superintendent Kal Zaranec. On-course projects this year included a bunker renovation project, irrigation enhancements, and short-game facility upgrade.

"We strive to provide a first-class experience in all ways - on the course, in the clubhouse, at our restaurant, through our programs," said Director of Golf Don Rasmussen. "Doing so keeps our guests coming back and entices new visitors to play Circling Raven."

Circling Raven is closed from November until next spring, but Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel offers the next best thing: the new Circling Raven Golf Suites that debuted in late 2024. Located in the casino, they're open for drop-in and league play with registration for leagues ongoing now. Stocked with golf simulators, they enable guests to enjoy playing golf and other games indoors year-round.

Located approximately 55 minutes from Spokane International Airport (GEG) adjacent to the award-winning casino resort, Circling Raven measures a brawny 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.

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Revised: 10/20/2025 - Article Viewed 72 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.