Circling Raven Garner Best-Of Accolade; Sets April 7 as Opening Day for 2023 Season By Brian Weis

Circling Raven Garner Best-Of Accolade; Sets April 7 as Opening Day for 2023 Season

Announces New PGA of America Certified Director of Golf; Unveils Array of Programs and Specials

By Brian Weis

Winter is typically a dormant time for Northern Idaho golf clubs, but Coeur d'Alene Casino's Circling Raven has been anything but sleepy this offseason, appointing a new Director of Golf, earning a new "best-in-kind" accolade, and revamping key operational components as it eagerly approaches the 2023 season.

"Each season is a chance to build upon the previous one, and we expect 2023 to be exceptional," said Christopher Runyan, PGA, Circling Raven's new Director of Golf. "As our guests have come to appreciate, we will provide superb course conditions, multi-faceted programs, first-class customer service, and one of the best golf experiences in North America."

A U.S. Marine veteran, Runyan assumes the golf club helm with a resume filled with distinctions including:

2021 Golf Digest "Best in State" Golf Coach

2020 PGA of America, National Patriot Award Recipient

2019, 2018, 2013-16 Pacific NW PGA Section Patriot Award Recipient

2019 Golf Digest "Best in State" Golf Coach

He is also serving on leading golf committees including PGA National Special Awards (2022-2023) and PGA National HOPE Committee (2023-2024).

Runyan brings his impressive track record to a golf club with a similarly outstanding history. Since opening in 2003, Circling Raven has accumulated dozens of honors ranging from "Best Casino Course in America" to "Top 100 U.S. Resort Course" by multiple national media outlets.

Circling Raven's latest honor - No. 1 Public Golf Course in Idaho - came last month from GolfPass and its annual "Golfers' Choice" lists, compiled by analyzing the ratings and reviews submitted by GolfPass members throughout the preceding season.

Owned by NBCUniversal under the Golf Channel banner, GolfPass has nearly 1 million members and gets nearly 2 million unique visitors to its website monthly.

Owned by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and designed by golf course architect Gene Bates, Circling Raven's 18 holes are astoundingly routed across 620 stunning acres of Palouse Region terrain. The course unfurls amid woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife, including eagles and moose.

The course is "home" again this season of the Circling Raven Championship presented by KXLY News 4 Now, an Epson "#Road2LPGA" Tour event. This summer approximately 132 top women professionals will vie for their share of the $225,000 prize purse, August 21-27.

Also returning this season are the popular, value-laden Advantage Card ($299) and Player Development Card ($249), rewards programs with numerous benefits and discounts for cardholders. Leagues, events, and programs for youth and couples are also being held this season.

Golf playing rates, including 18 holes, cart with GPS, use of the practice facility start at $79 in early spring and increase to $159 in peak season on weekends for hotel guests.

For more information about Circling Raven, including stay-and-play packages and booking online, visit www.cdacasino.com or 800-523-2464.

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Revised: 03/20/2023 - Article Viewed 4,422 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.